APPA, the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) search and rescue (SAR) working dog, was recently commended for his heroic skills after locating more than 10 cadavers and a three-year-old child survivor in Masara landslide.
It can be recalled that Appa was also the one who helped local authorities locate two individuals buried alive in a landslide in Caraga, Davao Oriental last January 31, 2024.
The nine-year-old mixed-breed K-9 dog who has been a member of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for almost eight years now was brought by the Coast Guard Davao Oriental and deployed at Sitio Panlaisan, Barangay Pichon to retrieve the dead bodies of two residents there, following the heavy soil erosion caused by the trough or extensions of the low-pressure area (LPA).
In a Budyong Online press conference on Saturday morning, February 10, Lt. Macy Gabion, officer-in-charge (OIC) for operations of the CGDSEM revealed that they have been monitoring the dog's condition since day one of its deployment at Zone 1, Barangay Masara, municipality of Maco, Davao de Oro.
In fact, Appa has already undergone a checkup by the Provincial Veterinarian and is under observation before he resumes the operation in a now ground-zero area.
"Everday po yung duty nila pero mino-monitor po natin yung Coast Guard dog natin na si Appa, kagagaling din yan ng landslide sa Caraga, Davao Oriental and so far, working pa rin yung SAR working dog natin (They are working everyday but we are also monitoring our coast guard dog Appa because he just came from a landslide in Caraga, Davao Oriental, and he was still working),” she said.
In a separate interview, an officer from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Davao de Oro (PDRRMO-Davao de Oro), Joseph Randy Loy said that there were already 10 K-9 dogs who have their respective unique sniffing skills deployed alongside the Coast Guard-Davao de Oro station.
The Philippine Coast Guard has joined other humanitarian and disaster risk agencies and security clusters from 11 municipalities of the province and the regional military units of the Philippine Army particularly the 10th Infantry "Agila" Division (10th ID).
Due to Appa’s crucial role in finding the three-year-old female child on Wednesday morning, February 8, Governor Dorothy Gonzaga of Davao de Oro, has extended the recovery operations to 48 hours as she is optimistic that there are still alive individuals beneath the ground.
Based on the latest report from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office of Maco (MDRRMO-Maco), as of February 11, 12 noon, the total of casualties has reached 37, 63 are still missing and around 32 individuals suffered injuries. DEF