ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — A live chicken was the only living creature pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building last Thursday, 12 days after the disaster, shattering hopes that life-detection equipment had spotted a human survivor.
Authorities reported Friday that responders found the bird at 8:58 a.m. amid the debris. The chicken is believed to belong to one of the workers caught in the collapse.
Fire Superintendent Maria Leah Sejili, spokesperson for the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), said the bird was likely the source of signals picked up by life-detection devices over the past few days.
“Although it was not the rescue everyone was hoping for, this rare find gave the responders a brief, light moment amid the grim and grueling work we face every day at the site,” Sejili said.
The rescue follows the retrieval of an unharmed dog from the debris on 28 May. The dog, believed to belong to the site’s foreman, was transferred to the Angeles City Dog Pound and Animal Shelter Compound.
No human survivors or additional casualties were recorded on Thursday. The confirmed death toll stands at 27 after teams retrieved two unidentified victims late Wednesday.
As search and clearing operations entered their 13th day, local officials praised community support for sustaining the response teams. Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II thanked Barangay Balibago Captain Joseph “PG” Ponce for donating food supplies to the crew.
“These contributions significantly lifted the morale of our teams working round-the-clock to clear debris and account for all individuals affected by the incident,” Lazatin said.