NEWS BRIEFS

Fastcraft returns to port

A FASTCRAFT bound for Tagbilaran City in Bohol had to return to Cebu City port after experiencing technical problems five minutes after it left Pier 4.

Supercat 26 left Cebu City’s Pier 4 at 8:30 a.m. and was supposed to arrive in Tagbilaran City port at 10:30 a.m. But Cebu City Coast Guard Station chief Rolando Punzalan said the vessel’s exhaust conked out five minutes later.

This forced the the vessel to return towards Cebu City.

“All 121 passengers and 13 crew were safe. Nobody was hurt,” Punzalan said.

The vessel has a total capacity of 308 passengers. The vessel docked at Pier 4 at 8:55 a.m.

Ahmed Cuizon, regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) and one of the passengers, said he noticed smoke coming out from one side of the vessel.

Cuizon said the vessel’s air-conditioning system and lights were turned off.

After a few minutes, only the lights turned back on but the engine didn’t shut down. He said the vessel was filled with tourists.

The LTFRB-7 chief was bound for Tagbiliran City to attend a hearing on some franchise cases at the time.

Cuizon decided not to pursue his trip and postponed the LTFRB activities in Tagbilaran City next week.

He said they were just thankful that the problem occurred while the vessel was still near the Cebu City port.

Punzalan said most of the passengers were transferred to another fastcraft, Weesam 6.

Punzalan said the crew explained that the black smoke was caused by the clogging of the vessel’s seawater cooling suction due to garbage.

He said this raised the engine’s temperature and caused it to discharge black smoke. Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan

Traffic plan for Ciudad explained

CAPITOL officials and the developer of the multi-billion-peso Ciudad project assured that measures are in place to ease traffic congestion in the project site in Cebu City.

In yesterday’s public forum sponsored by the contractor Fifth Avenue, project consultant Roger Gopaoco presented their plan to ease traffic in the Banilad-Talamban road.

The plan, which was earlier presented to the Provincial Board (PB), showed additional access roads that would allow the entry of 3,000 more vehicles.

Barangay Apas captain Ramil Ayuman said his only concern was the traffic flow that would pass in their area.

According to the plan, the Camp Lapu-Lapu Road in the Central Command’s vicinity will be opened to allow smoother traffic flow.

Three access roads to and from Asiatown IT Park will be also opened.

A fourth access road will pass through the Central Command compound.

Private land owners from the Gaisano Country Mall area down to sitio Baca access road in Apas signified their “willingness to part with their property” to provide easement. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus