Ship tilts off Zamboanga; rescue launched for 959 passengers

Coast Guard and Navy ships rushed to the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao early Sunday to rescue some 959 passengers from a tilting "SuperFerry 9" vessel.Radio dzBB's Lito Laparan reported the SuperFerry 9, which had 847 passengers and 112 crew, was tilting more than 50 degrees when rescuer rushed to the scene at 6:30 a.m. Sunday."Ang report sa amin, ... kumukuha na ng life raft, in coordination with SuperFerry managment... Ang kaninang 'di tumatalon umpisa nang tumatalon mula sa barko (In coordination with SuperFerry, two nearby vessels are now rescuing passengers aboard life rafts. The passengers who were scared to jump off have started abandoning the SuperFerry as well)," Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said in an interview on dzBB radio.Balilo said sea marshals were also sent to the vessel to calm panicking passengers.He said Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo ordered a general alert in the area to maritime units and vessels to render assistance while Coast Guard and Navy vessels rush to the site.The Coast Guard sent search-and-rescue vessels BRP Batangas from Cebu, and BRP Corregidor from Palawan to help in search-and-rescue work, he said.Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said they have deployed two new multi-purpose attack craft and an Islander aircraft to help in the rescue operations.Aboitiz, which owns the SuperFerry, sent the container ship "Myriad" to the area to help in rescue operations.The MV Ocean Integrity, a passing passenger ship, was also in the area.The dzBB report said SuperFerry 9 crew already deployed 30 life rafts with 25-person capacity but many passengers still refused to get off the ship because they were scared.Initial investigation showed the ship started to list at 2 a.m. It was not immediately clear what caused the ship to tilt and on what side it was tilting.The ship left General Santos City at 8:45 a.m. Saturday and was heading for Iloilo.

2 hurt as ship with 959 passengers tilts off Zamboanga

Two people were reported hurt as a “SuperFerry 9" vessel bound for Iloilo from General Santos City listed off Zamboanga Peninsula before dawn Sunday.Coast Guard and Navy ships rushed to the scene early Sunday to rescue some 959 passengers from the tilting ship.“Mga 150 passengers na ang rescued ng MV Ocean Integrity, may dalawang reported injured (A nearby ship, MV Ocean Integrity, rescued 150 passengers, but two were reported injured)," Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said in an interview on dzBB radio, citing initial reports reaching his office.But he said no details were immediately available on the two injured passengers.Tamayo said the SuperFerry was located off Siocon in Zamboanga Peninsula. He said initial reports showed the ship had problems when its generator set went “on and off."He said the Coast Guard already called for assistance from the Philippine Navy, Philippine National Police, and local government units in the Zamboanga Peninsula area.Tamayo said that as of 7:30 a.m., the Navy’s boats 116 and 117 have reached the area.Even former Rep. Romeo Jalosjos has sent fishing boats to help in the search-and-rescue operations, he said.Radio dzBB’s Lito Laparan reported the SuperFerry 9, which had 847 passengers and 112 crew, had listed more than 50 degrees as of 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

2 dead, 2 hurt as Superferry with 959 lists off Zambo

Two people were confirmed dead as a “SuperFerry 9" vessel bound for Iloilo province listed off Zamboanga Peninsula before dawn Sunday.Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo cited sketchy reports reaching him that the two fatalities, who he said likely drowned, were not immediately identified.“Isang bata at isang matanda (The fatalities are a child and an elderly person)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio, but did not name them. He said the two were among those brought to the passenger ship “Ocean Integrity."Earlier, Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said at least two people were reported as injured.Coast Guard and Navy ships rushed to the Zamboanga Peninsula early Sunday to rescue some 959 passengers from the listing “SuperFerry 9" vessel.At least 155 people from the SuperFerry 9 had been rescued as of 8 a.m., radio reports said.“Mga 150 passengers na ang rescued ng MV Ocean Integrity, may dalawang reported injured (A nearby ship, MV Ocean Integrity, rescued 150 passengers, but two were reported injured)," Tamayo told dzBB radio, citing initial reports reaching him. But he said no details were immediately available on the two injured.Tamayo said the SuperFerry was located off Siocon in Zamboanga Peninsula. He said initial reports showed the ship had problems when its generator set went “on and off."He said the Coast Guard already called for assistance from the Philippine Navy, Philippine National Police, and local government units in the Zamboanga Peninsula area.

4 dead, 84 others missing as SuperFerry sinks off Zambo

Four passengers were killed and two others were injured when a passenger ship sank Sunday morning in Siocon Bay near the Zamboanga Peninsula, an official of the Philippine Navy reported.In an interview on dzBB, Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo confirmed that four people have been reported dead after "SuperFerry 9" finally sank after tilting for several hours in Siocon Bay.Arevalo said that three of the fatalities were reported to have been taken aboard by a passing vessel, MV Myriad, while one was recovered by a Navy rescue boat. According to Arevalo, SuperFerry 9, owned by the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), sank completely at 8:30 a.m. According to Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, however, only three have been reported killed in the accident.As of 11:55 a.m. Tamayo said 880 people have been rescued and/or recovered, while 84 are still unaccounted for. The ship carried 964 people, including 117 crew, he said.Initial investigation showed that the ship left General Santos City at 8:45 a.m. Saturday and was heading for Iloilo when it started to started tilting to one side at 2 a.m. Citing initial reports, Tamayo said that SuperFerry 9 had problems when its generator "went on and off." Authorities said they would investigate the cause of the sinking as soon as search and rescue operations are over.ATS updateAccording to an ATS update at 1 p.m. rescue operations are ongoing and three of the ship's passengers have been reported dead. The company said a total of 870 passengers and crew were on board SuperFerry 9, contradicting an earlier report from the Coast Guard.It said the Philippine Air Force has deployed two PAF helicopters and 1 OV-10 plane to assist in the search. The Philippine Army and the US AIR force assistance group based in Zamboanga have also deployed helicopters to join the search for missing passengers and crew. All rescued passengers and crew will be brought to Zamboanga port. Assistance including medical treatment, hotel accommodation and transport shall be provided for the passengers and crew, the company said. SuperFerry 1 is estimated to arrive in Zamboanga tonight to transfer passengers to Iloilo and Manila.

Bang out of order : A Filipina attacked by an Iraqi Lady in UAE

A shopper was punched, slapped and spat at for accidentally running over the hem of a woman’s abaya with a pushchair in a Dubai supermarket.
The victim, who asked to be known by her surname Davis, was shopping in Emirates Co-op store in Al Garhoud when the double-buggy she was pushing caught the edge of another customer’s clothing and banged into her leg.
The 32-year-old apologised immediately but was slammed against the shelves, punched and scratched by the woman who “went crazy”.
Davis, pictured, who was left with cuts and bruises after the assault, told 7DAYS: “I was coming past her and the pushchair went onto her abaya.
“She said I hit her leg and she started shouting bad words at me and calling me the Arabic word for dog - I know that word.”
The attacker, who is believed to be an Iraqi woman in her mid-30s, screamed and shouted at Davis before grabbing her by her wrist, tearing at her hair and throwing her against the shelves.
She repeatedly hit her while shocked staff and customers looked on. As a final insult, she then spat twice in Davis’s face as she was pulled away by the supermarket’s security guard who called the police.
A police medical report lists Davis’ injuries as scratches to her ear and neck, bruising to her upper arm, swelling to her face and a laceration on her little toe.
“When she called me a dog, I did tell her to shut up and walked away,” Davis said.
“But she followed me and grabbed my arm. She was hitting me and shouting. At the end, they pulled her off me but she slapped me again and spat in my face. I was very upset.”
Davis, a Filipina, works for an Arab-American family and was in the store with her employer’s two toddlers at the time of the assault. The employer, who asked not to be named, rushed straight to the supermarket.
She told “I just cannot believe the behaviour of this woman. When I arrived, she was just calmly queuing at the checkout like nothing had happened. We are going to press charges. You cannot treat people like this.”
Dubai Police confirmed officers were called to the incident and are investigating the attack.

Fake cops on trial for robbing Pinoys in UAE

Two of three men posing as policemen were brought to trial in the United Arab Emirates for robbing a group of Filipinos in an apartment, a UAE-based news site reported.A report on Khaleej Times (www.khaleejtimes.com) described the suspects as Syrian and Jordanian, adding one of them remains at large. It did not name the suspects, however.“The Syrian and the Jordanian suspects are believed to have used knives to intimidate the plaintiffs and force them to give up their belongings," the report said.It said the men entered an apartment of Filipinos at night and stole cash and valuables after posing as Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers.The report said the men took items including mobile phones, sunglasses, cash money, laptops, ATMs, health cards, labor cards and other belongings.

Fil-Am bet bows out of US Congress race, endorses front runner

CHICAGO, Illinois – Hampered by her late entry into the race and excluded from the debates with other candidates, Filipino-American Tiffany Rene Estrella Attwood bowed out Tuesday from the race for US congressional primary election in the open seat for the 10th District in Northern California. She endorsed front-runner California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi.If nobody gets 50% plus one vote in the primary election, a runoff election will take place on Nov. 3rd.Ross E. Butler, campaign manager of Attwood for Congress, said, “Tiffany had decided to gracefully bow out of this race and endorse Lt. Gov. Garamendi for Congress. This decision to endorse the lieutenant governor was an obvious but careful choice made by Tiffany."“As our campaign was failing to find debate invitations, we finally decided to hold a formal protest in Fairfield, California, where the debate was being held to get our voice heard. With enough noise, people inside the debate took notice.“Out of all the candidates, it was Lt. Gov. Garamendi who came to Tiffany and asked, ‘What can we do to help you out?’ He also invited Tiffany to participate in a Pacific Island Town Hall meeting where she sat beside Garamendi and answered questions with the lieutenant governor. Both Tiffany and I, as her campaign manager, were convinced that the lieutenant governor was very genuine in his concerns and also the concerns of Filipino and Latino communities which she represents," Butler added.Garamendi is also endorsed by the Democratic Filipino Caucus.Butler added that Attwood’s campaign has now focused to work for Garamendi’s victory.He said this election is not the end of Attwood’s quest to run for Congress, adding, “I firmly believe that putting a Filipina in Congress is tantamount. Attwood, is the choice for Congress."Butler added, some people who are impressed have nice words for her. Among their comments:1. She is very intelligent over many issues and world/national events. Very engaging;2. Tiffany has a fun sense of humor, which she uses to her advantage in speaking or defusing potential conflict;3. She is an excellent speaker and can handle everything from the intimate gathering to large crowds;4. Tiffany's 17-plus years’ background in finance, housing and urban planning makes her a great candidate for a political office; and5. She is beautiful and demure.A daughter of Manila-born James Olidan Estrella, Tiffany was one of the 12 candidates for the 10th District seat vacated by Ellen Tauscher, who had accepted the position of undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs under State Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton.Her father, who is now 64, and who had worked as bus driver in Nevada, left the Philippines when he was “two or two-and-a-half years old," she said. Her grandmother, Rose Olidan Wustistam, is from Mindanao. Rose met during World War II and later married, a Portuguese, James DeCamba Estrella, a veteran of World War II.Her mother, Isabelle Marie Paz, was born in Arizona. Isabelle was the daughter of Carlos Grijaval Paz, a Mescalero Apache Native American, and Marie Louise Lopez, a Mexican.Born in Hayward, California, Tiffany Rene Estrella Attwood is a commissioner, a volunteer position, of the City of Danville, California, Although, she is now a mortgage officer, Tiffany, wife of Francis Attwood and mother of a three-year-old daughter, Elle Rose, is pursuing a Business Finance degree. There about 8% Filipino Americans among the total numbers of voters in District 10, which is made up of the Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento, and Solano counties.