MALAYSIAN authorities arrested 24 Filipino fishermen for alleged poaching in the disputed waters off Sabah, which is being claimed by both Malaysia, and the Philippines.

                The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila that the fishermen, who were onboard F/V Princess Mayanne, were arrested off the coast of Kudat, Sabah, in late April.

                DFA spokesman Claro Cristobal said the fishing boat’s owner, Janet Policarpio, sought the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to facilitate the release of the fishermen.

                The DFA official said the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia will send officers to visit the detained Filipino fishermen in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and to attend the hearing on the case scheduled on June 4.

                Meanwhile, the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) is trying to locate the 20 Filipino workers who worked for the Active Building Civil Construction in Singapore.

                In Burma 19 Filipino sailors who were stranded for a week after their vessel ran aground on an isolated island near Pathein at the height of Cyclone Nargis have been rescued and would be repatriated in the next few days, the Philippine Embassy in Rangoon reported.

                The report was the first to be received by the embassy, which has been trying to find out if any Filipinos were hurt in the strongest storm ever to hit Burma in living memory. Downed communication lines and damaged infrastructure have made this very difficult though, Philippine Ambassador to Burma Noel Cabrera said.

                Cabrera said four of the 19 went to the consular office seeking travel documents they need to return to the Philippines. The others were able to save their papers.

                The seamen said they were rescued on May 10, when they were picked up by a Burmese navy vessel and brought to Rangoon. They told Cabrera that they had been stranded since the evening of May 2, when their 8,800-gross ton cargo vessel was buffeted by strong winds and waves. Miraculously, they said, the ship ran aground on a rocky formation and stayed steadily there.

MNLF urges Malacañang to scrap ARMM elections

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) on Thursday asked Malacañang to scrap the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and instead appoint a governor to head the region.

DAVAO CITY—Still-unidentified gunmen shot dead on Thursday the leader of a militant farmers’ group here, raising fresh concerns on the safety of other militant leaders here.

THE Philippine Embassies in China and Singapore have issued separate warnings against the rising cases of trafficking of Filipino workers lured to these countries by illegal recruiters with promises of decent paying jobs only to end up as prostitutes and forced laborers.

AIR Force pilots will now have the opportunity to train and handle new and modern basic training aircraft with the Department of National Defense’s recent approval and issuance of notice to proceed to Alenia Aermacchi S.P.A. for the supply of 18 new SF-260F version.

FOR his alleged failure to address rampant smuggling, a legislator is seeking the ouster of Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales.

MALAYSIAN authorities arrested 24 Filipino fishermen for alleged poaching in the disputed waters off Sabah, which is being claimed by both Malaysia, and the Philippines.

MEMBERS of the fishermen’s alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday slammed the plan of the Big Three oil companies—Chevron Philippines Inc., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Petron Corp.—to transfer the oil depot in Pandacan, Manila, in the coastal areas of Manila Bay, citing the risk of relocating it near the homes of millions of people in the coastal communities.