Search for missing Sagada teen enters 14th day

BAGUIO CITY—The search for 17-year-old Sofia Isabela Magalgalit Oria entered its 14th day on Saturday, Aug. 22, with responders from Mountain Province and neighboring localities expanding their efforts across Sagada’s rugged terrain.

Oria, a resident of Barangay Demang, Sagada, was reported missing at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 9, according to the Mountain Province Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

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Sagada initially deployed 17 teams composed of 106 personnel on Aug. 10, but operations were temporarily suspended because of bad weather.

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The Mountain Province PDRRMO joined the search the following day, while responders from Bontoc and Besao later augmented the operation.

Bontoc deployed 18 trained responders, while the Besao Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office joined the search on Aug. 15.

Search teams have since scoured mountainous areas, caves and waterways for possible leads.

The operation was also reinforced by search-and-rescue K9 units. Zuma, a five-year-old Golden Retriever trained for search and rescue, joined the search on Aug. 14.

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On Friday, Aug. 21, two Sagada Fire Station personnel and one from the Office of the Provincial Fire Marshal-Mountain Province assisted K9 handlers with Rocky and Jake in designated search areas.

Other fire personnel continued searching from Lumiang toward the outskirts of Sumaging and nearby areas.

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The operation now involves personnel from the provincial government, police, fire service, neighboring local governments and specialized K9 teams.

The search continued on Saturday, with responders expanding coverage of the mountainous terrain and waterways. Maureen Matayew/Contributor