ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Rescue teams recovered another victim late Saturday from the collapsed building in Barangay Balibago, bringing the confirmed death toll to 28 and ending a two-day stretch without any retrievals.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection-Central Luzon (BFP-Central Luzon), the latest victim was extricated at 9:58 p.m. on the 14th day of operations.
The remains were recovered from Quadrant 3 of Ground Zero, BFP spokesperson Fire Superintendent Maria Leah Sejili said.
Sejili noted that no human remains had been recovered since Day 12, when responders instead found a live chicken trapped beneath the rubble.
"Teams are now working through more compacted and unstable parts of the collapse, so clearing is being done with extreme caution to protect both responders and any remains that may still be buried," she said.
She added that intermittent rains have also slowed operations, although retrieval and clearing efforts continue around the clock.
Before the lull, rescue teams recorded the highest number of recoveries on Days 10 and 11, when they were able to access less compacted sections of the debris.
Earlier on Saturday, the Unified Command held a coordination meeting attended by City College of Angeles President Dr. Janet B. Lazatin, representing Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II, to discuss operational updates, resource requirements, responder safety, and the next phase of systematic clearing operations.
“The work is not yet done,” authorities said, stressing that search and retrieval efforts will continue until the entire site is cleared and all missing persons have been accounted for.
