‘Volunteer’ rescue dogs recover 28 bodies

MANILA, Philippines - Two Belgian Malinois dogs are proving to be the best tools for the 10 members of a rescue team from Makati and the Philippine K-9 Search and Rescue Foundation who have recovered 28 bodies so far in New Bataan, Compostela Valley, one of the areas hardest hit by typhoon “Pablo.”

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said Ira and Drena have been actively assisting the rescue and recovery mission since Dec. 7.

Two-year-old Ira and three-year-old Drena are owned by Binay and were bought in France more than a year ago.

Joel Carandang, operations member of the foundation, said Binay volunteered his two dogs for search and rescue training.

“The dogs we have in the foundation are all privately owned dogs. Their owners hand them over to us for training and later for use in operations,” he said.

Carandang said Belgian Malinois dogs are prefect for search and rescue missions because of their agility and size. He said as compared to the larger German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois can move faster and have more endurance.

“They (Ira and Drena) were already trained for agility and obedience in France. We then trained them for search and rescue when they arrived in the Philippines,” Carandang told The STAR.

Carandang said Ira and Drena are junior members of the foundation’s roster of rescue dogs and were last used during the rescue operation in Dumaguete in 2011 after the city was hit by a landslide.

“They managed to help rescue one victim from an isolated village that was completely covered by the landslide,” he said. 

The foundation’s veteran Belgian Malinois Chairman and Rebel died last year and last November due to old age and illness, respectively.

Binay said among the bodies recovered with the help of the two dogs were those of a pregnant woman (estimated to be between 24-30 years old), a girl and two soldiers.

Binay said Makati has invested in the acquisition and training of search and rescue dogs.

“We are devastated by the tragedy and our dogs and the team will remain as long as they are needed,” he said.