Across the country

Bataan ancestral home razed by fire

BALANGA CITY – An hour-long fire reportedly caused by faulty electrical wiring gutted the two-story ancestral house of the family of the late Bataan congressman Jose Nuguid Jr. on Christmas Day.

The ancestral home built in 1868 housed a mini-mart of the Kababaihan Tungo sa Kaunlaran multi-purpose cooperative of first district Rep. Herminia Roman.

Arson probers said assorted groceries, gift items, furniture and fixtures worth about P1.8 million were destroyed in the fire that struck at around 10 a.m. at the ground floor of the wooden house. – Raffy Viray

Three 8-year-old cousins drown

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Three cousins, all aged eight, drowned while swimming in Lingayen beach on Christmas Day, police said.

Superintendent Harris Fama, this town’s police chief, said cousins Raymar Eria, Carl Joshua Eria and Christine Ivy Victorio went swimming unattended by their older relatives.

During this season, swimming in Lingayen beaches is being discouraged due to the surge of big waves. – Eva Visperas, Cesar Ramirez

Fire guts market stalls in Pangasinan

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – Fire gutted 44 stalls at this city’s old public market before dawn yesterday.

Reports said the fire broke out in an eatery and quickly spread to the stalls made of light materials. No one was reported injured.

The night before the fire, the vendors had their Christmas party at the city gymnasium. – Eva Visperas

DOTC: Safety advice ignored

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – The captain of the ill-fated ferry that recently sank off northern Cagayan allegedly ignored orders to offload extra cargo before sailing.

This and other violations surfaced in the investigation conducted by the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Meanwhile, hopes dimmed for the six missing passengers of M/B Mae Jan, which sank off Aparri, Cagayan last Dec. 14.

As of yesterday, Senior Superintendent Moro Lazo, provincial police director, said the death toll stood at 47, with 45 survivors.

In a report, DOTC Undersecretary Elena Bautista of the Maritime Industry Authority said the ferry was overloaded and that both its captain and owner committed violations.

Bautista quoted the survivors as saying that the boat was overloaded with passengers and cargo, including farm animals.

She said the survivors recounted that Albert Tan, the boat’s captain, allegedly ignored requests from passengers to offload some of the cargo on Fuga Island before proceeding to Aparri.

Bautista added that a few days before the tragedy, the boat’s owner, Amy Arellano, who was among the fatalities along with her daughter, was ordered to stop ferrying passengers for failure to renew the boat’s registration.         – Charlie Lagasca