PERSONAL STORY: ‘He gave us everything:' Family mourns victim of Pampanga building collapse

The family of a construction worker killed in the collapse of a nine-story building in the city of Angeles, north of Manila, gathered outside a funeral home on Tuesday (May 26), mourning a man his daughter described as a devoted father who gave everything he had for his family.

“He gave us everything, he’s been nothing but good to us,” said 19-year-old Evelyn Alicaway tearfully, days after the building under construction collapsed in the early hours of Sunday (May 24), trapping dozens of construction workers.

Rosenda Dela Cruz, the victim's wife, wiped away tears outside the Pangilinan Funeral Home as she clutched a phone showing family photos.

"This hurts deeply because we've never experienced anything like this before," she said, adding that her children still could not accept their father's death. She called on the building's owner to take responsibility and coordinate with the families of those killed and missing.

Authorities called off search and rescue operations on Monday evening after rescuers, using life locator equipment, determined there were no longer signs of life beneath the rubble. The focus shifted on Tuesday to recovering the remains of the victims.

At least four people have been confirmed dead, including a Malaysian national whose body was recovered on Sunday from a neighbouring hotel building that had also been hit by the collapse. Another 16, mostly construction workers, remain missing.

Production: Jay Ereno, Lorenzo Lesaba, Adrian Portugal/Reuters