An initial investigation conducted by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. management has established that the checks for the premium payments of Accenture Inc. did not reach it, a press release from the firm said.

The checks were instead encashed in at least two branches of Metrobank in Batangas, the press release said.

To ensure non-detection of the irregularity, the supposed premium payments were illegally uploaded into the PhilHealth Treasury Database and posted in the individual accounts of the Accenture employees.

Mandatory labels sought
for products with GMOs

Lawmakers have filed a measure that requires the mandatory labeling of food and food products containing genetically modified organisms in the country in order to safeguard the rights and welfare of Filipino consumers, a press release from Congress said.

The measure, to be known as the "Genetically-Modified Food Labeling Act," covers all food and food products domestically sold, whether manufactured locally or imported, and which contain genetically-modified organisms.

These include those produced by genetic engineering technologies, shall indicate in their respective labels of packaging that the product contains genetically-modified organisms or was produced with genetically-engineered material with the GMO code, the press release said.

PVO creating new unit
for economic enterprise

The Provincial Veterinary Office of Negros Occidental will create an economic enterprise unit that will supervise the marketing, sales, and pricing of all livestock and poultry animals, particularly in sheep production, Dr. Renante Decena said yesterday.

Decena said the economic enterprise unit will manage all transactions and income-generating projects and improve the potentials in the local market of local products.

The selling and marketing of livestock and poultry animals have to be handled by the enterprise unit to make sure that all sales and revenues will be channeled back to the government since it involves government funds, he added.