“Since Day 1 of the tragic treasure hunting incident, the Municipal Government of Santo Tomas has deployed all assets – financial, equipment, materials and personnel – from the municipal, provincial and even from regional level using a whole-of-government approach to hasten the conduct of the search, rescue and retrieval operation,” the statement read.
It added that the IMT exhausted all means to speed up the operation to extricate bodies of the four, identified as Gerick Marquez, 23; Dindo Pañares and Rustom Rancho, both 18; and a 17-year-old boy.
“We pursued despite the risks. We pursued despite the life-threatening danger it entails.[]
We pursued because we cannot, in good conscience, allow them to be buried 96 feet under without exhausting all efforts to retrieve them. We pursued because they are our people. We pursued it because we are a government that is for the people,” it added.
Citing the neighborhood, Sambalud said the digging of the tunnel began last March but was halted in April after the residents complained.
The tunnel excavation, which was not granted a permit, resumed three days before the incident, he added.[]