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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Ituloy ang rescue!' Remulla overrides halt on search and rescue ops in Pampanga building collapse

'Ituloy ang rescue!' Remulla overrides halt on search and rescue ops in Pampanga building collapse

Published May 27, 2026 02:28 pm

At A Glance

  • During an emergency visit to the ground zero, DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla directed all responding units to immediately stand down from a retrieval-only protocol and revert to an active SAR operation, citing previous instances where survivors were rescued in collapsed structures even after two weeks of operations.
(Photo: Angeles City Public Information Office)
(Photo: Angeles City Public Information Office)
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday, May 27, ordered rescuers to continue search and rescue (SAR) operations at the collapsed building site in Angeles City, Pampanga, reversing an earlier shift to retrieval operations announced by disaster officials after hopes of finding survivors dimmed.
During an emergency visit to the ground zero in Barangay Balibago, Remulla directed all responding units to immediately stand down from a retrieval-only protocol and revert to an active SAR operation, citing previous instances where survivors were rescued in collapsed structures even after two weeks of operations.
“We are still going. It is still a search and rescue operation. We have not yet lost hope that there are still people alive inside,” Remulla said, pushing back against the technical assessments that had written off the chances of finding anyone alive.
The directive upended the timeline set by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) when on Monday night, Fire Supt. Maria Leah Sajili, regional public information officer of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Central Luzon, officially declared the rescue phase over and signaled the beginning of the retrieval phase.
The OCD's decision followed a final assessment using a specialized Life Locator device from the Pasig City local government, which yielded zero signs of life after two days of scouring the ruins.
Disaster authorities had subsequently prepared to deploy heavy machinery on Tuesday to begin the grim process of recovering the bodies of the 16 individuals who remain unaccounted for beneath the heavy concrete rubble.
Remulla, however, insisted that emergency teams must exhaust every single possibility before abandoning hope.
“It’s not stopping. Okay, we will continue. Support here will continue nonstop. The mayor, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine National Police, and all the other agencies are working together to get through all of this,” Remulla said.
The nine-story condo-hotel project along Teodoro Street suddenly crumbled at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, crashing down onto an adjacent apartment hotel.
Most of those trapped were construction workers who were sleeping on the second floor of the building during their weekend stay.
Out of 47 individuals affected by the disaster, 27 have been rescued, 16 remain missing, and four have been confirmed dead.
Following the DILG chief's instructions, the Angeles City Public Information Office confirmed that the Unified Command Management Option at the collapse site adjusted its focus back to Search, Rescue & Retrieval (SRR), Clearing Operations, and Management of the Dead & Missing operations.
Remulla also announced that the building’s structural failure accountability will now be treated as a criminal matter.
He revealed that the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) will spearhead the investigation for data gathering and fact-finding.
It was reported that the project had previously been flagged for serious labor violations.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had issued a work stoppage order against the construction project in September 2025 due to a total lack of occupational safety standards, poor lighting, and a lack of protective gear for its workers.

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DILG Jonvic Remulla Angeles City Pampanga search and rescue retrieval building collapse
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