MANILA: Five bodies were retrieved yesterday morning off an islet in Cordova town, Cebu but they have yet to be included in the death toll from a ship collision last week.
Lt Jim Alagao, Central Command spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said in a state news agency report that the discovery was made around 7am.
He said that the bodies were immediately recovered and put aboard a pumpboat and taken to the Talisay City Fishport to determine if they are passengers or crewmen of the ill-fated M/V St Thomas Aquinas.
Turtle meat claims 4 lives
MANILA: Four persons died while 65 others were hospitalized last August 16 after they feasted on the meat of a dead giant sea turtle that fishermen found in Arteche, Eastern Samar, authorities said.
Arteche Mayor Rolando Evardone yesterday said the residents of Barangay Rawis showed signs of food poisoning after consuming the turtle meat. Evardone said at least 60 villagers are still confined at the provincial hospital.
Fish pens to be removed
DAGUPAN CITY: With or without weather disturbances, all fish pens in this city’s rivers have to go by the end of this month.
Mayor Belen Fernandez told reporters yesterday that every week, the Task Force Bantay Ilog she created to dismantle fish pens meets weekly to assess the situation, and as of the latest report, more than 100 fish pens remain.
Some structures were earlier dismantled after their milk fish stocks were harvested, but other fish pen owners put in new stocks, reneging on their promise to comply with the mayor’s order.
Agencies
