Congress finally ok’s
cheaper medicines bill
GET SUPPLY TO THE
PEOPLE SOON – BISHOP
BY CARLA GOMEZ

It happened, at last.

Both houses of Congress yesterday finally ratified the bill that is expected to provide the Filipino people with much-needed cheaper medicines.

It will now be transmitted to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for signing into law and will be known as the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008," Senator Mar Roxas told the DAILY STAR yesterday.

Three firms have expressed interests in building dams in the Bago River to generate hydroelectricity, Jose Ma. Valencia, chief of staff of Gov. Isidro Zayco, said yesterday.

Valencia said two of  the three firms, Alcantara and Sons and California Energy, have shown serious interest in the project and the provincial government led by Gov. Isidro Zayco and Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) are  holding further meetings with them.

Initial studies show that the Bago River has the potential to produce 70 megawatts of hydroelectricity and building of dams for the purpose would cost about $400 million, Valencia said.

Crime volume in the Western Visayas went down by 18 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period last year, police records show.

Among the six provinces in Region 6, Negros Occidental posted a big drop in crime rate of 39 percent, which Senior Supt Rosendo Franco, provincial police director attributes, to increased police visibility with the deployment of more personnel in the streets, the support of local government units, and the cooperation of the public.

The Police Regional Office 6 recorded 636 crimes within the first 90 days of 2008, or a decrease of 140 incidents compared to those of the same period last year.