Government troops and civilians work together during the retrieval operations in Barangay Ucab, Itogon, Benguet.
BENGUET, Philippines – Authorities have decided to stop the retrieval operations in landslide-hit areas in the region by Thursday next week, October 4.
For this reason, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) who are involved in the operations were ordered to return to their respective mother units next week.
Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Director Ruben Carandang said it has been days yet the retrieval team has not recovered a single body of the missing victims in any of the landslide areas that’s why they have decided to end the operations.
“Our target date it will be finished by Thursday next week. We have been operating for the past week in other areas but they didn’t find a body. There are four areas with bodies that they didn’t find any. We will also terminate the search and retrieval operation because there are also reports that maybe naanod na ng ilog,” Carandang said.
Still, authorities have high hopes that they will be able to find the missing individuals at the main landslide site in Barangay Ucab before they officially terminate the operations.
“I am looking forward also that with that remaining 30 to 40 meters distance to the gate of the portal with 10 meters thick of soil and rocks, we will find those 14 missing,” the official said.
As of this writing, the Cordillera Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) recorded the death toll in the landslide-hit region to 111.
Twenty-two persons remain missing with 14 of them coming from Barangay Ucab. — Marje Pelayo (with reports from Nel Maribojoc)
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