Angeles City building collapse: Worker recounts narrow escape

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 before dawn Sunday, killing at least four people and trapping dozens more under the rubble.

Sytangco, 46, recalled waking up around 2:30 a.m. 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.

READ: Worker recounts narrowly escaping death in Angeles City building collapse

“I was checking on all my co-workers, 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 shared.

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 (PWD) who had been staying at a nearby apartelle that was struck by falling debris when the building collapsed before dawn on Sunday.

The second victim was pulled from the rubble early Monday and rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. The third and fourth victims were also recovered from the debris earlier that day. Authorities have yet to release further details on the fatalities.

A total of 47 individuals 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).

READ: DILG probes cause of Angeles City building collapse

Data from the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the BFP showed that 26 have 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.

Mother’s hope

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 for victims

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.

READ: DSWD cash, relief aid reach Angeles City building collapse victims

“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 has already released P10,000 in cash assistance 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 noted.

He added: “Obviously, work has stopped, so we need to help them and their families because otherwise, where will they get food?”

Gatchalian said survivors returning to their home provinces, including Bicol and Bulacan, would be coordinated with local DSWD field offices and barangays for continued support.

“We will assist them through sustainable livelihood programs because we know it may take some time before they can find work again,” he said.

Aside from immediate cash aid, affected families may also receive medical and burial assistance, as well as livelihood grants ranging from P15,000 to P20,000, or higher amounts for group livelihood programs.

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 pre-dawn collapse would come later.

According to Lazatin, emergency responders still do not have a verified list of workers who were inside the structure at the time of the incident.

“It is very important that the owner and the contractor he assigned coordinate with us so that our reporting will have greater integrity, especially regarding the missing persons,” the mayor told reporters.

Lazatin also said authorities would later determine whether the structure exceeded the approved number of floors indicated in its building plans.

The Department of Labor and Employment has also been monitoring the situation amid reports that some workers may have lacked proper safety gear at the site./coa