(Updated)

Sixty hours.

That was how long a three-year-old girl had to endure before she was finally pulled out by search and rescue personnel on Friday morning, Feb. 9, from the rubble of the landslide that struck a mining community in Maco, Davao de Oro, offering a glimpse of hope that other survivors are also waiting to be found.

“This is to confirm [that] one child survivor [was] rescued earlier this morning,” Jiesyl Mae Tan, information officer of the Incident Command Post-Incident Management Team (ICP-IMT) in Maco, told the Manila Bulletin.

Described by the Maco municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDRRMO) as a “miraculous girl”, the survivor was identified by authorities as three-year-old Chin-Chin Malacaste. 

She was covered with mud and had wounds in her feet, knees and other parts of the body when dug by the rescuers near the barangay hall in Zone 1, Barangay Masara around 7:30 a.m. 

She was brought to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.

“Currently, the condition of this child is confirmed to be stable after the doctors and nurses at the hospital quickly gave him proper medical attention,” the Maco MDRRMO said.

Latest available data from Maco MDRRMO as of 12 noon Friday showed that the death toll from the landslide jumped to 15 while 110 persons remained missing, most of them miners and other employees of the Apex Mining Company. There were 31 persons that were also injured while 1,166 families were evacuated from the landslide-hit Barangay Masara. 

The landslide occured at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 which buried two buses ferrying employees of Apex Mining Company and a nearby community.

Chin-Chin’s cousin, Ivy Marie, said it was an “answered prayer” that the little girl was found alive after they learned about the landslide.

“Lord, thank you. You really heard our prayers. Thank God my cousin is alive, Chin-Chin Malacaste, daughter of my uncle Lando Malacaste. Thank you for the prayers, thank you for the very quick rescuers,” she said.

In an interview with the Manila Bulletin, Ivy Marie said that Chin-Chin was having dinner with her father, Lando, a security guard at Apex Mining Company; mother Tata, and sister Shaira, when the tragedy struck.

“Auntie Tata, Chin-Chin and Shaira were the first to get out of their house when the landslide occurred. Unfortunately, they were buried. My uncle got out later,” she said. 

Chin-Chin's mother and sister have yet to be found as of writing.

Meanwhile, Lando was in an evacuation site at Lorenzo High School in Barangay Masara, hoping that her wife and other daughter would also be found alive while looking forward to be reunited with his Chin-Chin.

Hoping for similar miracle

While Chin-Chin was fortunate to be found alive, the kin of Sandie Ecoben, also an employee at the Apex Mining Company, was still hoping that he would also be rescued.

“Until now, he is still not found. The situation on the ground was dangerous, according to the rescuers. But we are still hoping for a miracle,” Hyra Grace Cero, niece of Ecoben, told the Manila Bulletin.

Cero learned about the rescue of Chin-Chin and had her hopes up that her uncle is still alive.

“There was a young girl that was rescued alive. I hope that rescuers will also find my uncle soon,” she said.

Call for help

The local government of Maco requested for additional relief assistance from the provincial and national governments as their resources are quickly depleting.

Donations such as hygiene kits, beddings, and non-perishable items were also encouraged. Interested donors were told to coordinate with response cluster leaders Joel Penido and Jaymar Suday at 0939-538-3183 or 0906-636-2304; or through the Facebook page of Provincial government of Davao de Oro.