The Philippine National Police (PNP) tightened security on Wednesday around the site of a collapsed nine-story building in Pampanga province following the official termination of emergency rescue efforts.
PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the Central Luzon Police Regional Office and the Angeles City Police Office have been instructed to secure the area and assist affected families as operations transition to body retrieval.
The building in Barangay Balibago collapsed Sunday, prompting a massive inter-agency response involving the police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Office of Civil Defense.
“Our personnel on the ground are strictly ordered to preserve the dignity of the deceased, facilitate the swift and orderly movement of disaster response vehicles, and maintain a secure environment so that clearing and structural safety assessments can proceed without delay,” Nartatez said.
He also ordered round-the-clock police visibility around the site. Additional personnel will manage traffic and crowd control in the surrounding areas of Barangay Balibago to prevent disruptions as heavy equipment operates.
Meanwhile, reinforcement arrived from northern Luzon on Wednesday morning. A seven-member team from the Baguio City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office traveled to Angeles City to provide manpower and technical support.
At least four fatalities have been confirmed, and more than a dozen people remain trapped under the rubble, officials said.
The Baguio team brought specialized equipment, including cutting tools, portable generators and rescue cameras. Baguio City officials are also coordinating the potential deployment of local miners to assist with the technical challenges of the disaster site.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the deployment was coordinated directly with Angeles City authorities, noting that the mission holds additional significance because the two areas are sister cities.
Magalong said mutual aid, technical support and resource sharing during disasters are key components of their sisterhood agreement, adding that Baguio stands in solidarity with Angeles City during the recovery efforts.