MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is tracing the source of the sophisticated equipment and raw materials recovered at the raided shabu laboratory in Taguig City, officials said yesterday. Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales said the P10 billion worth of equipment and raw materials have been formally turned over to the PDEA.

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino household workers can now work in Switzerland after the government lifted the more than two-decade long suspension of their deployment. Administrator Jennifer Manalili of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said the government decided to lift the ban after the Swiss government put in place necessary regulations to protect foreign workers.

MANILA, Philippines - Ninety-seven drugs and medical devices are included in the second batch of products subjected to a voluntary price reduction of up to 50 percent, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral announced yesterday. In a press briefing, Cabral noted the products come from the 11 pharmaceutical companies that supported the Government-Mediated Access Price (GMAP) or the voluntary price cut in Republic Act 9505 or the Universally Accessible, Cheaper or Quality Medicine Act.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Friday said it is probing reports of wildlife hunting in Mindoro that is part of an “adventure tour” in the country being advertised on the Internet. DENR Secretary Horacio Ramos said the hunting of wildlife in the country for any purpose is a violation of the law. “Definitely, we will not allow that (hunting) in Mindoro or anywhere in the country,” Ramos said.

MANILA, Philippines - Local officials in tobacco producing provinces asked President Arroyo yesterday to defer implementation of Executive Order 843 giving legislators a big share in the 15 percent local government units (LGUs) are receiving on the excise tax on tobacco products. In a statement, the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) condemned the proposed allocation scheme, describing it as “baseless and utterly lopsided” and done without consultation with LGUs.