THE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the lead agency for the operation on the collapsed 29-year-old Southgreen commercial building in Padada, Davao del Sur, has shifted its action from search and rescue to search and retrieval Tuesday, December 17, after sighting "no signs of life."
Fire Senior Superintendent Fred Trajeras, regional director of BFP-Davao, said two days after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Mindanao, they were no longer able to locate any bodies inside the building.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, December 17, he said the on-ground responder reported that the operation turned out negative, since there were no more individuals looking for missing persons in the collapsed building and all the workers were all accounted for.
Their life and motion detector has not also detected any human bodies inside.
3 dead in Padada
Trajeras said Emily Golyegos, saleslady of the shopping center, one of those trapped in the building, allegedly sent a text message to co-worker Juvelyn Cabatbat.
Golyegos supposedly informed her that there were six of them awaiting rescue. This triggered confusion among the public, as during the retrieval of Golyego's body, around 9:55 p.m. Monday, December 16, the victim's position was in duck, cover, and hold, and it was impossible that she could move and send a text message.
There was also no cellphone near the victim, since the employer does not allow its workers to bring a phone while on duty.
Cabatbat could also no longer call the number and the message has been deleted.
Trajeras said that if it were true, all other trapped victims must be near where the body of Golyegos was found. However, the responders only saw that she was alone.
Based on how she was found, she could have been dead on the spot after the building collapsed.
Based on the report from the Davao del Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the death toll has gone up to three in the municipality of Padada following the recovery of Golyego's body from the building.
Other victims earlier extracted were identified as Elsa Ababon, 57, and Evangeline Artiaga, 67.
Ababon's body was retrieved around 2 a.m. Monday, and that of Artiaga was recovered around 8 a.m. Monday, December 16.
Trajeras said they are just waiting for the local government for the termination of the operation.
He also said that the building must be completely demolished to avoid any further incidents.
"We could have the closure of the operation then moving out of troops na," he said.
Trajeras said around 110 BFP personnel were sent to assist in the operation, aside from the personnel from Central 911 and other regions.
Based on reports from authorities, the number of fatalities has climbed to eight.