Dog saves 2 boys in Philex fire

TUBA, Benguet – Saved by man's best friend.

That's what happened to Wilbur Santos, 14, and his brother, 12-year-old Kurt, when fire broke out a week ago in their house at the mine camp in Sitio Padcal, where Philex Mining Corp. runs its gold-and-copper operations.

A statement by Philex Mining said Wilbur was roused from sleep by Miztah, the family's pet dog, barking and scratching the door to their room.

It was around 11 p.m. and their house was filled with smoke. Wilbur roused his younger brother and they both ran outside through the back door. They then called for help.

Philex Mining officials said safety personnel have since been conducting an investigation into the incident.

Only Wilbur and Kurt were at home when fire broke out. Their mother, Annabelle, was on vacation with their two siblings in Tabuk, Kalinga Province. Their father was at work at Padcal's Mine Crushing and Ore Handling Department (MCHOD).

Another family occupying another three-bedroom unit and two tenants occupying two single rooms in the same building were also on vacation.

“If our dog Miztah did not bark and wake us up, I just don't know what had happened to me and my younger brother,” Wilbur said.

“I am very thankful to God as He used Miztah to save us from the fire. Now we can continue with our life despite what has happened to our home,” Kurt added.

The two boys and their neighbors used buckets of water to try saving the eightbedroom building while waiting for a fire truck. The blaze was put out at 1:10 a.m. Sunday, May 14.

“I was so nervous when I was called from my work station underground,” said the boys' father, Lander, 36, a miner at the Padcal Mine.

“Nothing was saved from our house, including the belongings of our housemates,” Lander said. “But the lives of my children are the most important. Thanks to God and to our hero dog, Miztah.”