Philpost workers don masks, gloves after anthrax scare

An official of the Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) said yesterday that their 12 employees in charge of sorting the mail for embassies based in Manila have started wearing protective gear as a security measure against possible exposure to packages contaminated with anthrax.

This developed as Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, who heads the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), said the specimens taken from a package that arrived Jan. 7 from Texas tested “negative” for anthrax, explosives, or chemicals that are used to manufacture explosives.

The package contained a powdery substance, which Blancaflor said follows a trend of 70-plus hoaxes sent to several US post offices and missions.

Assistant Postmaster General for Operations Mama Lalanto al Haj said the 12 workers, all women, have begun wearing face masks and gloves since Jan. 8.

“Only the 12 employees assigned to handle embassy mails are wearing the protective gear since they would be the ones who would check if the mails have traces of powder or not. These employees have been with the Philpost for many years and very experienced” in checking the appearance of the packages, Lalanto said.

The country’s postal firm does not see the need to require other sorters to don gloves and face masks. Officials believe the problem is limited to the lockboxes of embassies.

Lalanto assured the public that before a package is received by an addressee, x-ray machines at the airports would be able to detect if it contains powder. – Evelyn Macairan, Sandy Araneta