ARMED MEN ABDUCT CHIEF OF MARSHALS IN BATAAN
ABUCAY, Bataan: Unidentified armed men wearing bonnets abducted the chief of marshals in this town while he was parking his vehicle beside the church near his office on Wednesday night. Danilo Carreon, marshals team leader, said two of the four men all armed with Armalite rifles grabbed their chief Rolando Abanes, 48, and forced the latter to board a white Nissan van. The armed men ordered three other marshals on board Abanes’ vehicle to alight. Carreon said they were told at gunpoint to lie flat on the pavement with hands over their heads. The suspects’ van, which had no license plate, sped away toward Balanga City with Abanes. Police said Abanes is a pastor for the First Balanga Baptist Church in Balanga City. Abanes and 12 regular marshals and three volunteers under the employ of the municipal government help maintain traffic and peace and order in the town armed only with ( night stick).
FERRY HITS BOULDER AT SEA
ZAMBOANGA CITY: A small ferry hit a huge boulder on Thursday while sailing off Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi. Officials said the Philippine Coast Guard, aided by local fishermen, rescued over four dozen people. No one among the passengers and crew of the was hurt or injured in the mishap. But the ferry listed on its port (right) side after water seeped through a hole. The wooden boat, which carried passengers and cargo, was heading to Languyan Island from Bongao town when the incident happened. The Coast Guard said it is investigating the accident that caused panic and fear among the passengers and crew.
BUILDING OF PH LONGEST BRIDGE TO START NEXT YEAR
BACOLOD CITY: The proposed Panay– Guimaras–Negros bridge, the longest to be constructed in the country, will be realized during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar has assured. Villar, who was here recently for the inauguration of the Araneta- Magsaysay flyover, said the Panay- Guimaras- Bridge will be made through a grant from China that will start next year. “They [China] volunteered to do the feasibility study for free and the construction of the bridge will be simultaneous,” he added. The estimated budget for the 19-kilometer bridge is $2 billion. Iloilo to Guimaras is about six kilometers while Guimaras to Negros is 13 kilometers. The longest bridge in the Philippines at present, according to Villar, is the San Juanico Bridge, which is two kilometers long.