The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) announced Tuesday, May 26, that disaster responders have officially terminated the search and rescue phase at the site of the collapsed nine-story building in Angeles City, Pampanga.

OCD deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano said operations have shifted to recovering the 16 individuals who remain unaccounted for beneath the heavy concrete rubble.

He explained that the decision to halt the rescue efforts came after local emergency teams, using advanced life-locator devices and thermal scanners, could no longer find any indications of survivors trapped under the ruins.

"SAR [search and rescue] operations have ended effective 25 8:27PM May 2026 and transitioned to search and retrieval operations," Mariano stated.

“As per OCD III, 47 individuals were affected by the incident, of which 27 were rescued, 16 are still reported missing/unaccounted/trapped, and four [were] reported dead,” he added, noting that the figures will still undergo validation by local authorities.

The nine-story condo-hotel project under construction along Teodoro Street in Barangay Balibago suddenly crumbled, crashing down onto an adjacent apartment hotel, around 3:00 a.m. last Sunday, May 24.

Most of those trapped were construction workers who were sleeping on the second floor of the building during their weekend stay.

First responders from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and military personnel initially raced against time after thermal sensors briefly picked up "signs of life" within the wreckage on Monday.

However, subsequent manual clearing operations through the unstable, interconnected steel bars and heavy concrete slabs yielded no further survivors.

Despite the transition, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II instructed all retrieval teams to continue handling victims’ remains with dignity and respect throughout the recovery process.

An initial Incident Action Plan (IAP) for the next phase of operations was also presented during an evening briefing.

The Angeles City government also extended its condolences and assured affected families of continued support and coordination during the recovery operations.

Meanwhile, rescuers recovered a dog believed to belong to the construction site foreman from the rubble during search operations. The animal was immediately placed under the care of responders and later transferred to the Angeles City Dog Pound and Animal Shelter Compound.

According to the City Veterinary Office (CVO), the dog is currently under observation and receiving proper care, including wet food, vitamins, and continuous monitoring to aid its recovery.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian also visited affected individuals and families alongside Lazatin and DSWD officials.

Authorities said assistance being provided includes food packs, hygiene kits, transportation aid, psychosocial support, and other intervention services. Support has also been extended to individuals wishing to return to their home provinces.

The Angeles City government expressed gratitude to volunteers, private organizations, local government units, national agencies, and various groups that contributed assistance to the operations.

Among those acknowledged were water providers, food donors, engineering groups, churches, and private individuals who supplied heavy equipment, structural assessment services, portable toilets, and other logistical support.

The local government also thanked rescue teams from Pampanga, Olongapo, Pasig, and Porac, as well as Vice Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda for providing cranes and dump trucks used in the operations.

Lazatin also met with the families of missing individuals to provide updates and coordinate assistance through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), which continues to offer psychosocial, financial, transportation, and food assistance to affected families.