The Philippine Coast Guard and the National Bureau of Investigation have said that they rescued 139 people after apprehending passenger ship M/V Forever Lucky. The vessel, which had a crew of 41, was stopped early on July 3rd while sailing to Micronesia. A foreign government source informed relevant authorities that a domestic passenger vessel of interest in Bataan was allegedly involved in human trafficking and other illegal activities.
MV Forever Lucky is currently docked in Orion, Bataan. The ship was preparing to depart Philippines for Micronesia to transport an “undocumented number of Filipinos,” Rear Admiral Joel Garcia, Director of the National Coast Watch Centre, said, adding that the authorities were conducting further investigations with a view to filing charges against persons responsible.