PhilPost forms special team to screen GMA’s mail

A special team has been created to screen all mail addressed to President Arroyo and other top government officials amid a worldwide anthrax scare, the Philippine Postal Service said yesterday.

The five-member team will "scrutinize, analyze and detect" letters suspected of containing the deadly bacteria, which has infected nine people in the United States, central mail exchanger center chief Lovejoy Matias said.

"These people have been briefed on how to deal with this anthrax. We will be checking them (letters) so as to be sure of the letters that Malacañang (presidential palace) would be receiving," Matias said.

"Though we can say that the chances of anthrax here are very remote, we won’t take any chances."

Matias said that apart from the central exchange there were about 175 other private mail carriers which have already put in place precautions in handling mail.

"Though we can say that the chances of anthrax (through mail) here are very remote, we won’t take any chance," he added.

Postal officials would also look into reports that the office of Speaker Jose De Venecia had received suspect mail from an unknown sender in the United States. – Sheila Crisostomo