VESSEL STALLED OFF ALCOY
A CEBU-bound passenger vessel was towed back to the port of Dumaguete City yesterday after having engine trouble off south Cebu.
M/V Georich George & Peter Lines came from Dapitan City with 347 passengers.
Its engine conked out at 3.2 nautical miles off Alcoy.
The stranded vessel was towed by sister ship M/V Zamboanga Ferry to the port of Dumaguete City. Both vessels arrived in Dumaguete around noon yesterday.
A Ceres bus transported 50 passengers to Cebu City, Jenuel Belarmino, sales and marketing manager of George & Peter Lines, told Cebu Daily News.
Other passengers had their tickets refunded in Dumaguete City and travelled to Cebu City own their own, said Belarmino.
Belarmino said all the ship engines were already working but the vessel couldn’t sail again pending approval of marine protest and issuance of sea worthiness by the Coast Guard . /CORRESPONDENT JESSA CHRISNA MARIE J. AGUA
AUSTRALIAN FACES CHARGES IN HIS COUNTRY
THE Australian who was arrested on human trafficking charges in Cebu is facing similar charges in his country.
The information was given by Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) and head of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office.
Lawas said the 50-year-old foreigner cannot be deported to Australia yet because of his pending criminal charges.
The Australian was presented in court on Mondaybefore the judge who had issued the warrant of arrest against him. He was charged with human trafficking and violation of the child abuse law last year.
Six counts of qualified trafficking and child abuse charges were filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against him. The offense for qualified trafficking is non-bailable.
Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 has a confidentiality provision that prohibits the identification of the accused and victims in human trafficking cases.
Lawas said police expect more victims to surface and file a complaint against the man.
Based on the police investigation, the suspect would take minors to pension houses for sex in exchange for money./CORRESPONDENT CHITO O. ARAGON