TARLAC CITY — The search for the passengers of an SUV swept into the Tarlac River took another heartbreaking turn after authorities recovered the body of the third missing passenger, Shiela Mae Taborlupa, 25, in Bayambang, Pangasinan, on Saturday, September 5.
Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap confirmed that Taborlupa’s remains were found partly buried in mud and among banana trunks. She was reportedly wearing black shorts, matching the clothing description provided after the August 29 incident.
Taborlupa was a teacher and cum laude graduate of the Technological University of the Philippines. Yap said city officials were heading to Bayambang to assist in claiming and bringing home her remains.
Her recovery means that three of the four passengers initially reported missing after the Agana Bridge collapse have now been found dead, while one passenger remains unaccounted for.
From Tarlac River to Pangasinan
The tragedy began on the evening of August 29, when a portion of the Agana Bridge in Tarlac City collapsed amid heavy rains and powerful floodwaters.
The SUV, carrying five people, plunged into the raging Tarlac River.
One passenger, Nathaniel Dizon, 20, survived and was able to reach safety. The other four passengers were initially reported missing.
The first body recovered was James Patrick Taborlupa, whose remains were found in the waters off Lingayen, Pangasinan, on August 31. Fishermen helped authorities retrieve him after his body was spotted in the area.
The second victim, Shanen Tuhao, was found on September 1 in Barangay San Vicente, Bayambang, Pangasinan. Her remains were subsequently identified by a family member.
Now, with Shiela Mae Taborlupa’s recovery, only Paul Harvey Collado, the owner of the SUV and a nurse supervisor at Jecsons Medical Center, remains missing.
SUV Recovered—But No One Was Inside
The recovery of Taborlupa comes days after authorities located and pulled the SUV from the Tarlac River.
Residents initially spotted a tire protruding from the river roughly two kilometers from the collapsed bridge as water levels began to recede. Rescue teams eventually recovered the vehicle using heavy equipment.
But the vehicle offered no immediate breakthrough.
Authorities confirmed that no bodies were found inside the SUV, meaning the powerful river currents had carried the missing passengers away from the vehicle and downstream.
The discovery of two of the victims in separate areas of Pangasinan underscored the extent to which the strong current had carried them away from the crash site.
Search Operations Continue for the Last Missing Passenger
With three victims now recovered, rescue teams are continuing efforts to locate Paul Harvey Collado, the final missing passenger.
Authorities have been coordinating across Tarlac and Pangasinan as search teams examine waterways and downstream areas where the victims could have been carried by the current.
Earlier operations involved the Philippine Coast Guard, Tarlac City and provincial disaster-response teams, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other government responders. Drones and aerial assets were also deployed as rescuers attempted to cover difficult sections of the river system.
The search has been particularly challenging because of heavy rains, fast-moving currents and difficult river conditions.
A Wider Infrastructure Crisis in Tarlac
The Agana Bridge tragedy happened just a day after a section of the Aquino Bridge in Tarlac City also collapsed amid heavy rains and strong water currents.
The two bridge failures disrupted transportation in the city and forced motorists, workers and students to use alternative routes.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has since undertaken repair efforts, including work toward temporary access solutions, as authorities deal with the damage caused by the successive bridge failures.
For the families of the SUV passengers, however, the infrastructure crisis has become a deeply personal tragedy.
Three families have now received confirmation of their loved ones’ deaths.
One family is still waiting.
And as search teams continue scouring the waterways, the fate of Paul Harvey Collado remains the last unanswered question in the Agana Bridge tragedy.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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