ZAMBOANGA CITY: At least 123 human trafficking victims, about a dozen of them minors, who were trying to slip to Sabah were intercepted and rescued by the authorities in two separate operations Wednesday in this city.
The fresh rescue came when combined personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard, police and the Sea-based anti-Trafficking Task Force received intelligence reports about 43 persons on board on two passenger motorboats at the wharf of the Philippine Ports Authority on Wednesday night.
Philippine Coast Guard Station commander Lieutenant Senior Grade Jomark Angue said the victims, in two batches, were intercepted about 7pm aboard two vessels, M/V Lady Mary Joy and M/V Ever Queen Emilia.
Red tide alert up in Samar
CATBALOGAN CITY: Authorities have raised a red tide alert in Cambatutay Bay in Tarangnan town.
This, after the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported on Monday that two villagers have died and 16 others have been hospitalised for shellfish poisoning in the barangays of Gallego and Bahay in Tarangnan.
Local BFAR chief Rolando Ay-ay said most of the victims ate mussels (tahong) harvested from Cambatutay Bay which, together with Maqueda Bay, is a major source of seafood in Samar.
Bet collector nabbed in Abra
LA TRINIDAD: A jueteng bet collector or “kobrador” was cornered in San Quintin town in Abra Wednesday morning while collecting bets.
Forty-year-old Pedro Castro from barangay Suso, Sta Maria town in nearby Ilocos Sur province was caught by joint forces from the Criminal Incestigation and Detection Group, intelligence operatives of the Abra provincial police and local policemen from San Quintin town while collecting bets in barangay Villa Mercedes, San Quintin.
A crack team of supposed anti-jueteng operatives red-handedly caught the collector with six sets of “papelitos” (paper bet list), one ball pen, bets worth P377, and a small cloth bag.
Agencies
