SAGADA, Mountain Province — Search and rescue operations in Sagada, Mountain Province, have broadened as tracker dog Zuma and multiple specialized teams were deployed to search key priority sectors for missing 17-year-old Sophia Isabela Magalgalit Oria.

Zuma, a golden retriever, previously assisted in search, rescue and retrieval operations at the landslide site in Sitio Riverside, Purok 2, Guisad Surong Barangay. Ten people died, three were injured and dozens of families were displaced after massive soil erosion buried three houses on 9 August 2026.

Responders are working through difficult mountain terrain, dense foliage and swollen waterways to locate Oria, a resident of Barangay Demang. She was last seen on 8 August 2026 at about 7 p.m. and was formally reported missing six hours later, at 1 a.m. on 9 August 2026.

Standard search operations early in the investigation led to the recovery of her jacket in the Lapug area, near the boundary separating Barangays Dagdag and Demang. More than 29 search teams consisting of over 100 individuals, including police, disaster responders, fire and jail officers, military reservists, local guides and resident volunteers, have since combed the surrounding forests and river systems.

Ground efforts briefly halted after four straight days of searching when community elders and Oria's family observed the local practice of “Umilleng tako is sin-agew” (“Let us rest for a day”) to allow weary responders to rest. Search operations later resumed at full strength with the addition of tracker dogs and specialized assets, while the Incident Command Post at Dagdag Base continues to manage field assets and gather new reports.

Downstream search units are simultaneously operating along the Malitep River. The Bontoc Emergency Operations Center dispatched personnel to search the Alab-Balili-Gonogon river stretches while providing additional support to primary search teams in Sagada.

Field operations have also expanded into neighboring areas such as Tadian municipality as authorities follow up on incoming leads.