CORDOVA, Cebu — Cebu-bound MV Ocean Jet 5 fastcraft from Tagbilaran City, Bohol ran aground Saturday night some 60 meters from Shell Island, this town, the Cebu Coast Guard said. All 197 passengers and 13 crewmembers on board the fastcraft which encountered engine trouble at around 8:05 p.m. while approaching Cebu port were safely transferred by the Coast Guard to the latter’s rescue vessel. A tugboat towed the fastcraft to Pier 1 early Sunday morning. The Martitime Industry Administration will conduct a probe to determine the extent of the vessel’s damage. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)

SEWER JET

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occ. (PIA6) — The city government has acquired a P21.8-million heavy-duty Hi Vac Ohio sewer jet to clear sludge, debris and other materials clogging the city’s sewers. Said equipment is the only other machine of its kind in the country, said Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Jomari Vargas. DRRMO personnel here will be trained by Troy Wolf, the US supplier representative in using the equipment who said Metro Manila has been using a similar unit for several years now.

EFFORTS BOOSTED

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — The Sibulan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MRRMC) will acquire a backhoe and vibratory compactor for P1 million each, according to Mayor Marcela Bartoces. Such equipment, which will be used by the town’s rescue and response team in emergency situations, steps up Sibulan town’s disaster preparedness measures. “These will also be used to repair disaster-damaged roads,” said Sibulan information officer Concepcion Rosales. Sibulan was one of the hardest-hit towns in Negros Oriental when typhoon Sendong struck in December last year.

ON-CREDIT RICE 

CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — The National Food Authority in Region 7 (NFA-7) is urging local government units (LGUs) to avail of NFA’s on-credit rice program for emergency situations such as disasters. NFA-7 provincial manager Nestor Rey Alcoseba said Cebu LGUs will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with NFA-7 to get rice on credit. LGUs’ rice request will be subject to approval upon submission of MOA-stipulated requirements, renewable yearly. To avail of the program, the Sanggguniang Bayan must approve a resolution authorizing the local government executive to enter a MOA with NFA, appropriating a certain portion of the LGU’s calamity fund.

D.O.L.E. VISIT

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte (PIA) — Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis Baldoz visited two DOLE-funded livelihood projects in Northern Samar recently. One of the  projects is the “Pinangat” and “Pinato Making” project in Bobon, Northern Samar released P140,000 fund assistance by DOLE to 25 unemployed women-beneficiaries in 2011. The other project is the coconut sap sugar production in Brgy. Galutan, Catarman, Northern Samar released P231,900 as first tranche of DOLE assistance to 155 member-beneficiaries of Catarman Agri-Processors Organization.