ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Search and retrieval teams recovered a fifth body Thursday from the rubble of a collapsed nine-story building under construction in Barangay Balibago, as authorities began preparing criminal charges against the property owner and contractor.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Central Luzon reported that rescue teams extricated the body of a male victim at 7:57 a.m. Philippine Coast Guard K9 units had initially located the body Wednesday evening, but response teams spent hours carefully clearing debris to safely retrieve the remains.
Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II, head of the unified response command, said the remains were turned over to the City Health Office for disaster victim identification procedures.
Investigators also recovered a cellphone believed to belong to the victim and submitted it to forensic specialists.
To recall, the building collapsed at around 3 a.m. Sunday, triggering a round-the-clock rescue operation that enters its fourth day.
Fire Superintendent Maria Leah Sejili, spokesperson for the regional fire bureau, said personnel are using cranes as anchor points to navigate the highly unstable structure, cutting through metal bars and scaffolding to clear paths for heavy machinery.
Official tallies show that 26 people have been pulled out alive from the disaster zone, including 24 from the collapsed structure and two from a damaged adjacent apartment building.
Five fatalities have been confirmed, while 16 people remain unaccounted for.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla visited the site Thursday and assured families that search, rescue, and retrieval operations will continue despite the dangerous conditions.
“Do not lose hope,” Remulla said. “Believe in us, we will do everything to recover everyone, alive or dead.”
Remulla appealed for patience, explaining that responders are working under delicate conditions where a single misstep could trigger a secondary collapse, endangering both trapped victims and rescue personnel.
“One wrong move and the entire structure will collapse further. So everything has to be synchronized,” Remulla said, comparing the methodical removal of debris to carefully pulling sticks from a tight bundle.
He added that authorities have identified the building’s owner and contractor and are preparing potential criminal charges as the investigation progresses. A full technical assessment is underway to determine the cause of the structural failure.
The actions of local officials, including the city engineer and building official, will also be reviewed.
Meantime, newly-minted Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino also visited the site and ordered the Employees’ Compensation Commission to provide immediate financial aid to the victims.
Under the program, families of qualified deceased workers will receive P15,000 in immediate cash assistance, alongside a P30,000 funeral benefit and applicable death pension benefits through the Social Security System.
Injured workers will receive P10,000 in cash assistance on top of potential disability benefits, as Tolentino stressed that the incident underscores the need to review the Labor Department’s visitorial and inspection powers at construction sites.
