Navy rescues 30 passengers off Turtle Islands

A Philippine Navy gunboat rescued 30 passengers from a distressed wooden-hulled ship stranded off Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi over the weekend.

Rear Admiral Constancio Aturo Reyes Jr., commander of the Navy Western Mindanao Naval Command, said BRP Juan Magluyan (PC392) was on a routine patrol when they sighted a distressed flashlight signal from M/L Nurdia.

Reyes said it turned out that the wooden-hulled M/L Nurdia had engine failure due to a broken rudder.

He said the crew of the Navy gunboat immediately launched a rescue operations and took the distressed ship’s passengers, which included a pregnant woman, two senior citizens, and five children.

Reyes said the Navy boat brought the passengers to Turtle Islands where they were attended to by the local disaster risk reduction team.

844 Filipinos deported from Sabah

Another batch of 844 Filipinos were deported by Sabah as the Malaysian government continued its campaign against undocumented foreigners working illegally in Sabah.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development attended to the latest batch of undocumented Filipinos when they arrived on board M/V Antonia at the port of Zamboanga City last Saturnday.

The Filipinos included 518 males, 210 women and 116 minors, according to a DSWD report.

Contraband items seized in Butuan jail

More than a ton of contraband items were seized by operatives of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology when they conducted a search at the congested male dormitory of the Butuan City Jail over the weekend.

Chief Inspector Diovin Auza said the contraband items included a bottle of liquor, cigarettes, vapes, and bladed weapons, which where were seized during Operation Baklas conducted at the male dormitory.

Auza said the dormitory houses 435 persons deprived of liberty or PDLs, a 114-percent congestion.