No new survivor or body recovered from cargo ship
that sank off Vietnam, says Palace
Three days after a Bahamian cargo ship sank off
the coast of Vietnam, no new survivor or body has been found, a Palace official
said on Monday.
"Ang latest update from the Philippine
Embassy in Hanoi is that there are no new remains recovered or survivors
rescued aside from the earlier two bodies recovered, which are now in Ho Chi
Minh City, and the one survivor who was rescued," Presidential
Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
Secretary Lacierda noted that Vietnam’s Navy has
added three helicopters to the search efforts and has called on other countries
in the area to help in the search.
“We are asking the Secretary of National Defense
if we can extend assistance. Tinitingnan ngayon,” he said.
He further said that a team from the Philippine
Embassy and the Philippine Honorary Consul in Ho Chi Minh City are coordinating
with the shipping agent over the incident.
The cargo vessel Bulk Jupiter sank on Friday en
route from Malaysia to China, about 150 nautical miles from Vietnam’s southern
city of Vung Tau.
According to reports, the ship has an all-Filipino
crew. PND (ag)
MRT/LRT fare hike may not be popular but it is
right, Palace says
The Palace on Monday said that the decision to
increase the fares of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 and Light Rail Transit
(LRT) Lines 1 and 2, may not be popular but it must be done.
"This is not a popular decision insofar as
the MRT-riding passengers are concerned, but we are doing this because this is
the right thing to do," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told
reporters during a press briefing in Malacañang.
Secretary Lacierda emphasized that the government
has not completely cut its subsidy for the mass transport system but has merely
reduced the subsidy from P12 billion last year to P10 billion this year.
"We did not take away the subsidy. The
subsidy is still there," he said.
He noted that President Benigno S. Aquino III has
already explained that the subsidy for the MRT/LRT fares needs to be reduced so
that the government could allocate its resources to regions that do not benefit
from the MRT/LRT service.
"So, of the P2 billion that we can save, we
are going to allocate the resources to other areas like Visayas and
Mindanao," said Lacierda.
He further pointed out that the increased MRT/LRT
fares are still lower than air-conditioned or regular bus fares.
An air-conditioned bus traversing the
Monumento-Taft Ave route via EDSA charges P42; an ordinary bus, P37; and an FX
taxi, P40. The MRT meanwhile charges only P28 for the same route.
Lacierda assured the public that the government
will continue to improve the services of the mass transport system.
"We can assure the MRT-riding passengers that
rehabilitation is forthcoming. Rehabilitation has been planned this year. We
are going to improve the services of the MRT," he said. PND (ag)
