Vice Admiral Joel S. Garcia has commended the efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard to rescue a family of six trapped in a remote area in Purok 8, Sitio Limonso, Barangay Maibo, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur on Nov. 6.
“It is with great pride to recognize the brave and heroic efforts of our Coast Guard personnel to provide needed humanitarian assistance and disaster response to earthquake-stricken provinces in Davao del Sur, as well as in Cotabato,” the PCG commander said.
The report revealed that the family members, whose house was located in a mountainous area, were trapped and isolated from its community due to a landslide caused by three consecutive earthquakes in the area.
They were identified as Linda Masili, 85 years old; Emelda Emilio, 46 years old; Celin Capion, 41 years old; Ronie Masili, 31 years old, as well as a 17-year old teenager and a nine-month-old baby.
Commodore Roy Echeverria, the commander of Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao, cited the combined efforts of the PCG medical doctors and nurses, Special Operations Force members, as well as Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) K-9 unit and personnel for the successful rescue of the trapped individuals.
The PCG conducted a two-day social engineering activity to study the terrain, including the security and safety factors in the area before the actual search and rescue operation, which was also participated by the Bureau of Fire Protection-Search and Rescue Unit in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.
The joint SAR team arranged multiple layers of rescue chain strategy and trekked a 12-kilometer trail going to the target area. Two of the family members were immediately brought to a nearby hospital, while the remaining rescued individuals were turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare Office in Magsaysay.
