Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday rejected the military and local emergency command’s decision to shift to a retrieval phase, maintaining that operations at the collapsed nine-story building in Angeles City, Pampanga remain a search and rescue mission.
The structural disaster in Barangay Balibago, which occurred early Sunday morning, has left at least four dead and 17 others missing. Despite the Unified Command System (UCS) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) previously declaring that they had detected “no signs of life,” Remulla firmly stated that emergency teams must hold onto hope.
“It is still a search and rescue operation. ‘Di pa po tayo nawawalan ng pag-asa na may buhay pa sa loob, (We have not yet lost hope that there is still someone alive inside,)” Remulla said, highlighting past disaster miracles. “There have been instances kasi na (because) two weeks after nahanap pa rin katulad ng nangyari sa Baguio (they were still found, just like what happened in Baguio). So for me, I would rather consider it a search and rescue.”
The under-construction building collapsed between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on May 25, trapping dozens of the 47 construction workers who were inside the site. While 26 individuals have been successfully rescued alive, the casualties so far include two construction workers and a Malaysian national.
Remulla assured the public that specialized detection equipment is still being deployed by a combined force from the BFP, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and local government units.
“Hindi po tumitigil ‘yan, we will continue, tuloy-tuloy ang suporta dito, (That does not stop, we will continue, the support here is continuous,) the mayor, the BFP, the PNP and all the other agencies are working para matapos po ang lahat ng ito, (to finish all of this,)” he added. “We don’t know enough until in the absence of information, we will go with what we know. That it is still possible for them to be alive. So, search and rescue pa rin kami (we are still on search and rescue).”
As emergency crews dig through the rubble, a major legal and regulatory crackdown has begun. Remulla announced that he will ask the Department of Justice to issue a Hold Departure Order against building owner Ernest Jackson Lim and contractor Joel Young. Both individuals have gone missing and have failed to communicate with investigators since the collapse.
The Angeles City government revealed plans to summon both men following reports that unauthorized structural changes were made to the building without the necessary revisions or permits from the Office of the Building Official.
Accountability measures have also hit regional oversight. Newly appointed Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino ordered a 30-day preventive suspension for Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 3 Director Geraldine Panlilio to ensure an unhindered and impartial investigation into potential enforcement lapses.