Angeles building collapse toll hits four, 17 missing
ANGELES CITY—Buried beneath tons of concrete and twisted steel, construction worker Bryan Sytangco fought to stay alive as a nine-story building under construction in Barangay Balibago here collapsed early Sunday, killing at least four people and more than a dozen more under the rubble.
Sytangco, 46, recalled waking up around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday to the sound of what seemed like rocks crashing onto the workers’ barracks moments before the structure gave way.
“I thought I was going to die there,” Sytangco said in Filipino as he recounted his ordeal.
“I was checking on all my coworkers, shouting to ask if they were okay because I really wanted to help them,” he told the Inquirer, fighting back tears.
Pinned beneath debris and struck by parts of the collapsed roof, Sytangco said he believed he would not survive.
“Everything happened one after another. I was pinned down, it was dark, and I couldn’t see anything anymore,” he recalled.
Despite his injuries, he managed to squeeze through a small opening in the rubble and became one of the first workers to escape alive.
“I knew which part of the building had the most people. That was exactly where the collapsed concrete piled up,” Sytangco said.
Retrieval
As of 10:30 a.m. on Monday, authorities said the death toll had risen to four, while 17 people remained trapped or missing.
Emergency responders identified the first fatality as a Malaysian national and a person with disability who had been staying at a nearby apartelle that was struck by falling debris when the building collapsed.
The second victim was pulled from the rubble early Monday but died while being taken to a nearby hospital. The third and fourth victims were also recovered from the debris earlier that day. Authorities had yet to release further details on the fatalities.
A total of 47 people were inside the building when it collapsed between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Data from the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the BFP showed that 26 had been rescued, with some receiving treatment in hospitals.
Rescue operations continued under dangerous conditions, with responders relying largely on manual clearing due to unstable debris and the risk of further collapse.
Among those still unaccounted for is 30-year-old construction worker Ferdinand Arogante.
His mother, Myra Arogante, who traveled from Quezon province, said she continued to hope her son was alive beneath the rubble.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. When I saw the site, I thought he was dead already because who could survive something like that? But until now, I’m still hoping. I’m hoping he’s alive,” Myra said, her voice trembling as she spoke.
After his wife died, Ferdinand took construction work to support their 2-year-old child.
“As time goes by, I’m also starting to lose hope. I just hope the rescue operations can move faster,” his mother said.
Aid
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, who visited the site, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has begun providing immediate assistance to survivors, victims, and their families.
“What’s important is that we need to get the list [of all victims],” Gatchalian said in a separate interview, noting that authorities are still identifying and locating affected workers and their families, many of whom came from provinces outside Pampanga.
He said the DSWD had released P10,000 in cash assistance each to 34 affected individuals, aside from family food packs and hygiene kits.
“We know that if you’re a construction worker, it’s a no work, no pay situation,” Gatchalian said.
“Obviously, work has stopped, so we need to help them and their families because otherwise, where will they get food?” he added
Mayor Jon Lazatin II appealed to the owner and contractor of the collapsed building to coordinate with local officials as search and rescue operations continued for workers believed trapped beneath the rubble.
He said rescue efforts would remain the immediate priority, stressing that the investigation into what caused the collapse would come later.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the PNP deployed its search and rescue personnel to support the ongoing response efforts.
“The PNP… will assist in the conduct of the investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the incident in the interest of truth and accountability. But, for now… the focus is on search and rescue operations,” Nartatez said in a statement on Monday. —WITH A REPORT FROM JASON SIGALES
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