Desperate hunt for Philippine ferry survivors

The hull of the upturned MV Princess of the Stars
©AFP/Philippine Coast Guard/File - AFP

ABOARD THE BRP PAMPANGA (AFP) - Philippine rescue teams battled furious seas and high winds Monday in a desperate hunt for more survivors of a ferry that sank in a typhoon with 862 people aboard.

Only the tip of the bow of the Princess of the Stars remained above water after it tilted and quickly capsized Saturday, and navy divers have found no sign of life aboard the doomed vessel just off the central island of Sibuyan.

A US supply ship with search and rescue helicopters aboard and maritime surveillance aircraft were ordered into the area to help, the US embassy here said.

So far, 36 people from the ferry have turned up alive, raising hopes that more will be found on the many tiny islands nearby.

Survivors of the sunken ferry ship MV Princess of Stars arrive in Manila
©AFP - Str

Late Monday at least 40 people were reported to have turned up alive on the island of Burias but it is unclear how many were on the doomed ferry.

"Not all of them came from the sunken ferry," mayor Eduardo Andueza told DZBB radio from Claveria town.

"Some were survivors of fishing vessels that also sank during the typhoon," Andueza said.

"There are survivors, there are some who made it ashore but later died, and some of the bodies were already decomposing, so I had them buried," the mayor said.

Map showing Sibuyan island, where the MV Princess of the Stars sank in heavy seas
©AFP Graphic

Several bodies have washed up along shorelines along with children's shoes, heightening fears of a high death toll, but coast guard chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said: "We have not lost hope that there might be more survivors."

"We have slowed down to scout for floating bodies," coast guard rescue vessel captain Lieutenant Commander Inocencio Rosario told reporters on board.

"After three days they tend to float," he added.

The search continued as the ferry company revised up the number of passengers and crew on board from 747 to 862.

Anxious relatives waited at the ferry firm's Manila offices waiting for news -- and answers.

It was the company's fourth disaster at sea in the past two decades but despite a government order banning Sulpicio Lines from operating its 22 vessels, the company continued to sell tickets Monday.

Relatives of the passengers of the sunken Philippine ferry MV Princess of the Stars wait for news in Manila
©AFP - Romeo Gacad

The company has been officially blamed for the weekend tragedy while it has maintained that the ferry was "seaworthy."

"Definitely, Sulpicio Lines is responsible here," said Transport Undersecretary Elena Bautista.

The government also set up a task force to look into the cause of the accident, while anti-corruption campaigners threatened a class action against the company, saying it should lose its operating licence.

The Princess of the Stars had been allowed to sail despite Typhoon Fengshen bearing down because, under current Philippine law, the vessel was deemed large enough to stay afloat in the periphery of the storm.

But Fengshen tragically made a sudden change of direction from north to west, and headed directly into the ferry's path. The powerful storm has also killed almost 230 people on land.

A relative cries as she looks for missing relatives who were aboard the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars
©AFP - Str

The captain tried to get the vessel to safe harbour, but it ran aground. There were conflicting reports that he had slowed the engines in the face of the storm and that the motors had given out.

The 24,000-tonne ship issued a distress signal on Saturday from near Sibuyan, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Manila. One survivor said there was almost no time to react.

"It seemed like everything happened in 15 minutes," Reynato Lanorio, one of the crew, told DZBB radio. "Next thing we knew, the ship had gone under."

More than 80 divers reached the vessel Monday with cutting equipment hoping that people may have found air pockets in the hull.

Countless people in this impoverished nation rely on relatively inexpensive ferries to get around the country's 7,100 islands, and Sulpicio Lines is one of the biggest of the ferry companies.

The Mandurriao district is submerged by floodwaters caused by Typhoon Fengshen
©AFP - Francis Allan Angelo

UBI World TV Launches GMA Channels in Australia and New Zealand

Beginning June 12, Filipinos in Australia and New Zealand can susbcribe to GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, DZBB and DWLS via UBI World TV. Call 1300 400 800 (Australia) or 0800 4000 23 (New Zealand), or visit www.ubiworldtv.com to inquire. The first 500 subscribers will enjoy big discounts so call now!

Hundreds dead in typhoon-struck Philippines

At least 229 people are confirmed dead and at least six missing after Typhoon Fengshen ravaged the central and southern Philippines, Red Cross and civil defence officials said on Sunday.

The toll does not include those dead or missing from a ferry that sank in the central Philippines with about 747 people aboard. Four people have been confirmed dead and there are four survivors from that accident. The rest are unaccounted for.

The central province of Iloilo has suffered the heaviest losses after being hit by the typhoon on Saturday, with 101 dead, Philippine Red Cross chairperson Richard Gordon said.

Other fatalities were recorded in the neighbouring provinces of Romblon, Cotabato, Antique and Capiz, Gordon added.

The civil defence office recorded 26 fatalities in the southern island of Mindanao.

"This [toll] will definitely rise dramatically when we get the listings from the ship," he said, referring to the Princess of the Stars ferry that sank off Sibuyan island amid heavy seas on Saturday.

Flood waters in Iloilo rose so swiftly that many residents were forced to take refuge on rooftops or in the branches of tall trees, said provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada.

The flooding in Iloilo eased on Sunday, allowing vehicles to reach once-flooded areas, Mejorada said.

More than 35 500 families had to be evacuated from their homes due to the flooding and risk of landslides, the civil defence office said.

Electricity was knocked out in Iloilo and surrounding areas and officials do not expect power to be restored for about a week. Telephone lines and cellphone towers were down in many areas.

Manila and surrounding areas were lashed by the typhoon in the early hours of Sunday, with power being knocked out in large parts of the city and many domestic and international flights cancelled.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or damage in the capital, but the Education Department cancelled classes on all levels in Metro Manila and surrounding areas on Monday.

The typhoon has continued to move north-west, passing Metropolitan Manila and over the northern half of the main island of Luzon. The storm, packing maximum winds of 120km/h near the centre, is expected to move north-west at 15km/h. -- Sapa-AFP

AusAID scholarships for Filipino professionals

A BATCH of Filipino professionals will leave for Australia next month to pursue Australian Embassy sponsored scholarships to undertake post-graduate studies at Australian universities.

The 42 professionals from different fields were awarded Australian Development Scholarships by the Philippines-Australia Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF) through its long-term training program.

The five-year, P2.3 billion (60 million Australian dollars) program is an initiative of the Australian Government’s international aid agency, AusAID which operates through its embassy in Manila.

It aims is to assist partner national and local government agencies, academic institutions and private organizations to address key organizational and business needs.

The program also enables them to provide better services and manage their institutions more effectively through short and long-term human resource development programs.

A pre-departure briefing for the new Filipino scholars, some who will be studying in Australia for the first time, was conducted in Davao City.

AusAID First Secretary Louisa Petralia, and Chief of the Public Investment Staff of the National Economic and Development Authority Florante Igtiben, attended the event. Long-term training alumni were also present to share their experiences and give advice to the new scholars. Also in attendance were awardees of AusAID’s scholarship at the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention.

Led by the development facility’s Senior Human Resource Development Adviser, Mark Flores, the two-day briefing focused on helping the scholars prepare for their training programs in Australia. It included presentations on living and studying in Australia and understanding the conditions and requirements of the scholarships.

Australian Development Scholarships awardees are nominated to pursue post-graduate studies in different priority disciplines including human resource management, public administration, public policy and educational leadership. About 80 Filipino scholars are awarded Australian Development Scholarships annually.

After completing their studies, the returning scholars’ are expected to apply the knowledge and skills they gained from their scholarships to contribute to the organizational change of their respective institutions. In this way, the scholarship program has a larger impact on broader Philippine development.

Australia’s aid to the Philippines focuses on helping the country improve prospects for economic growth, increase access to and quality of basic education, reduce poverty and enhance national stability and security. In its broader aid program, Australia recognizes that human resource development within institutions is critical to the Philippines’ achieving its development goals.

The Philippines currently ranks fourth among the major recipients of Australia’s scholarship program in the Asia–Pacific region. Australia, one of the Philippines’ top bilateral grant aid donors, will contribute about P4 billion (approx 100 million Australian dollars) in aid in 2007-2008.

Australia’s aid program to the Philippines has grown to be its fourth largest globally, providing about 570 million Australian dollars in grant contributions over the past decade.

Filipino maid jailed for moonlighting as loan shark

Singapore - A Filipino maid who moonlighted as a loan shark was sentenced by a Singapore district court to 20 months in prison, news reports said Wednesday.

Rebecca Andicoy Alcalde, 28, offered loans of up to 300 Singapore dollars (223 US dollars) to other maids on Sundays, her day off, The Straits Times said. She charged a 20-per-cent interest rate to cash-strapped foreign workers, the court heard, teaming up with Singaporean Lim Meng Inn, who is wanted by authorities.

Alcalde came up with the plan in 2005 after noticing that many maids were borrowing money from loan sharks to pay off debts at the Lucky Plaza shopping centre, prosecutors said Tuesday. Without her employer's knowledge, she went into business with 5,000 Singapore dollars (3,703 US dollars) in savings.

Alcalde recruited Lim, 47, as her runner, the report said. She stationed herself on the sixth floor to collect payments and dispatched Lim to do the riskier task of making the loans. She was arrested when police raided Lucky Plaza on March 30. In asking for a short sentence, defence lawyer Leonard Loo said that Alcalde has been the sole breadwinner for her parents and four siblings for 10 years.

Filipino man whose wife died in childbirth after 'appalling' NHS blunder WILL be thrown out of Britain

A Filipino man whose wife was killed in childbirth due to a blunder at the NHS hospital where she worked lost his battle today to stay in Britain.

Arnel Cabrera, 39, came to the UK five years ago when his wife Mayra was recruited as a theatre nurse at a hospital in Swindon, and he was allowed residency thanks to her job treating British patients.

Arnel Cabrera with a picture of his son Zachary. Arnel applied for permission to stay in the UK to raise their son, but the Home Office refused

But she died due to an appalling medical error as she gave birth to their son Zac in 2004, when a midwife stuck an epidural anaesthetic directly into her bloodstream instead of her spinal cord.

Despite the tragic circumstances the Home Office ordered Mr Cabrera out of the country because his visa depended on his wife's job.

Today his lawyers confirmed that the devastated widower had flown home to the Philippines, but vowed to continue to fight on his behalf.

They claimed the case highlighted the absurdity of a system which allows convicted terrorists to stay in Britain for fear of breaching their human rights, but has punished Mr Cabrera because NHS staff killed his wife through gross negligence.

Although Mr Cabrera has spent five years living in Britain - the normal requirement to become a UK citizen - officials say most of that time does not count because once his wife was killed his rights of residency lapsed.

Mr and Mrs Cabrera dreamed of raising a family in the UK, after her skills as a surgical nurse helped her get a job at Great Western Hospital, Swindon in 2003.

Zachary Cabrera, who will never know his mother, will be raised in the Philippines

Mayra was 30 years old when she went into the same hospital to give birth to their son the following year.

But two after the delivery, just as she was cradling the baby for the first time, nurses blundered by picking up the wrong drug to administer via an intravenous drip. Storage arrangements for different drugs were described as "chaotic."

Instead of a saline drip or a drug to boost blood pressure, staff administered a powerful anaesthetic which stopped Mrs Cabrera's heart.

Mr Cabrera took Zac back to the Philippines to be cared for by relatives while he dealt with the legal formalities in Britain, and then applied for permission to stay in the UK to raise their son.

But the Home Office refused, claiming he had failed to establish a "family life with his son in the UK", and there was nothing to stop him raising his son in the Philippines.

In February this year an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing, finding that Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust and the midwife who attached the drip were guilty of gross negligence and manslaughter.

Mr Cabrera called for prosecutions against those responsible for his wife's death, but no charges have been brought.

Mayra and her baby, just after the birth. Mayra died after her midwife gave her an epidural into her bloodstream instead of her spinal cord

Wiltshire coroner David Masters voiced his astonishment that the Home Office was ordering Mr Cabrera out of Britain.

He said: "This is extraordinary. In view of the verdict reached by the jury following a long and detailed inquest, and in view of my comments, I find it difficult to appreciate how the Home Office has reached this decision."

After the Home Office issued Mr Cabrera with a final refusal last week, he opted to leave the country today.

His solicitor Seamus Edney said: "He had just had enough. This is so wrong.

"On the one hand someone like Abu Qatada can stay in Britain because of understandable concerns about his human rights, while on the other hand, Arnel Cabrera has his wife killed by the NHS and yet his human rights do not seem to be important.

"Even though he has gone back to the Philippines, we cannot let this rest.

"I always thought that if you played by the rules and did the decent thing, it would work out in the end - but how wrong I was in this case. I am embarrassed on behalf of our Government.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "If it had not been for the actions of the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, Mr Cabrera, his wife and son would have been living the family life they had planned in the UK.

"All Mr Cabrera wants is to build the best life he can for his young son, who has already lost a mother.

"To force them out of country after such a tragedy is beyond comprehension."

The Home Office refused to discuss the case last night.

A spokesman said: "All applications for leave to enter or remain are carefully considered on their individual merits."

Filipino held with heroin worth Rs1 crore

MUMNAI: The customs department on Monday arrested a 27-year-old Philippine national Lanting Rey Panganiban for trying to smuggle 1kg heroin worth Rs1 crore.

This comes a day after three Filipino women were nabbed at Chennai airport while attempting to smuggle 3kg heroin out of India.

A senior customs official said Panganiban had come to Mumbai from Delhi. From here he was to board a Malaysian Airline flight to Kuala Lumpur-Ho Chi Min city and to Milan.

“Once he reached the security check, the airline staff informed him that his ticket was booked for Tuesday night. As he was making his way out, our sleuths intercepted him and our dog Soni sniffed out the heroin in his bag.”

Customs sleuths suspect Panganiban may be connected to the three Filipinos arrested at Chennai airport and may have decided to take an alternative route to exit the country.

The accused has told the officials that he has been in the country for the last 10 days. He also said that a Nigerian woman in Milan promised to process his papers for a work permit in China if he smuggled the heroin out of India, said the official.

Officials claimed due to the intensive scrutiny of passengers of African origin leaving India, international syndicates were using Filipinos to smuggle drugs from India.