Pa recalls daughter calling him before landslide buried her in Itogon

Some of the survivors of the deadly landslide which hit a mining area in Itogon, Benguet recalled how they had painfully lost their loved ones.

Before losing consciousness while braving the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong, Nestor Gabino said he still heard his 14-year-old daughter Hyacinth calling his name and asking for help.

He said he tried to save his daughter but failed.

"Ang sabi ng anak ko na lang... Ang sabi niya, 'Daddy, daddy'," Nestor said in Saleema Refran's report on "State of the Nation."

"'Yung tubig talagang malakas ang tubig... 'yung una mga bato saka 'yung susunod mga lupa," he added.

Nestor was rescued by the responding backhoe operators of the Benguet Corporation, the firm owning the severely-devastated mining area.

Rescuers also located Hyacinth but was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

"Buhay ng konti nga 'yun ang sabi nila pero sa landslide, hindi na. Ilang oras kaya ayun, wala na..." Nestor said.

Ranier Baldazan, one of those who responded, also got injured in the incident. He narrated that there were 12 men who tried to rescue Nestor's family members while another landslide took place.

Fortunately, he survived.

"Nakita ko sila na tumatakbo rin hanggang sa nahulog ako, nauna 'yung ulo ko sabi ko mamamatay na yata ako," Ranier said.

"Gusto kong mabuhay talaga nagsisigaw ako ng tulong walang nakarinig. Hanggang sa tinanggal ko na 'yung bato parang may nabiyak dito, parang nabiyak ito kaya di ako makapagsigaw. Tinanggal ko lang 'yung bota ko para mas magaan na makapaglakad," he added.

Ranier admitted that he was disheartened after knowing that his fellow rescuers were not able to survive the accident. For him, they were all heroes.

"Masakit din kasi oo nga nagsurvive ako pero 'yung mga kasamahan ko wala na rin. Sa tingin ko sa kanila, mga nagbuwis ng buhay... mga bayani," he said.

He also expressed gratitude to the policemen who had carried and brought him to the hospital.

"'Yung mga pulis na nagbuhat sa akin, mga oras na nawawalan na ako ng chance na makarating dito sa ospital, maraming salamat po sana pagpalain po kayo ng Panginoon," Ranier said.

Ranier also encouraged other victims to pray for their loved ones who are still missing.

"Mas maraming nawala sa kanila, gusto kong sabihin sa kanila na malakas talaga ang panalangin. Sana mahanap ho sila, tapos bigyan pa sila ng courage ng Panginoon para malakas pa ang loob nila," Ranier said.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), search, rescue and retrieval operations at the site of the landslide will likely to continue until October.

Local officials said that 18 people had been confirmed killed at the mine site while over 54 persons were reported missing. —Anna Felicia Bajo/NB, GMA News