Typhoid, dengue down school kids in Romblon

MANILA, Philippines -After taking a hit with the imposition of a fishing ban in the wake of the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy, Romblon province is now hounded with yet another problem as diseases threaten residents in Romblon town. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported Friday that several students in public schools in Romblon, Romblon were downed due to typhoid and dengue. Sketchy initial reports indicated typhoid and dengue "affected" as many as 350 of 700 students from the Romblon East Central School, while 10 from the West Central School had high fever. The report said that as of Friday morning, local officials in Romblon town has ordered the local water supply in Capaclan village cut off while an investigation by town health officers is ongoing. Residents of Sibuyan Island on Thursday mounted a fluvial protest against Sulpicio Lines Inc., owner of the "Princess of the Stars." They said the fishing ban caused by the discovery of endosulfan aboard the capsized vessel had robbed them of their livelihood such that they could not afford even subsidized rice. Meanwhile, at least three more teams of divers from the Coast Guard's special operations group were due to arrive in Romblon Friday. The divers were to get ready to resume search operations once a task force handling the tragedy gives the green light for them to do so. - GMANews.TV