CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Authorities have ended search and rescue operations for missing hiker Alkharj Gomez Zamayla after 11 days of intensive efforts in Mt. Kalatungan, Bukidnon failed to yield any trace of the 31-year-old mountaineer.
Police Major Joann Navarro, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-10, said the operation officially ended on June 23 following a thorough assessment of all available information gathered during the search on the 2,824-meter mountain. The peak is recognized as the fifth-highest in the country.
Navarro said the decision was approved by all search teams and Pangantucan Mayor Manolito Garces after determining that the 11-day operation had produced no significant leads. She added that Zamayla's family, who had been keeping vigil at the base camp in Barangay Portulin, understood the decision.
“Despite the termination, the Pangantucan Municipal Police Station will continue to monitor the case for any developments,” Navarro said.
The search involved Army Special Forces K9 units, thermal-imaging drones, local guides, and volunteer mountaineers from across Northern Mindanao. Despite the suspension of active rescue efforts, Zamayla's family said they are refusing to lose hope.
In a Facebook post, his sister, Shols Zamayla-Biasca, said they believe her brother may still be alive somewhere within the 35,812-hectare Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park, which covers parts of Pangantucan, Talakag, and Maramag.
She also offered a cash reward for information that could help locate her brother, an industrial safety officer employed by a company in Valencia City.
“Our family is absolutely not giving up on him, and we desperately need your help and your eyes on the ground to bring him home,” Zamayla-Biasca said.
Zamayla went missing on June 12 after becoming separated from a group of mountaineers while trekking to the summit. Local police request that anyone with ground information immediately contact municipal authorities.
This incident highlights the critical need for stricter regional mountaineering protocols and emergency communication standards among trail guides.
As environmental authorities re-evaluate expedition safety checklists for high-altitude peaks, this high-profile Missing hiker case raises safety questions on organized climbs throughout the country's wilderness reserves. Local police request that anyone with ground information, trail tracking data, or navigation details immediately contact municipal authorities.
