Senate wages war vs pests

Manila, Philippines - More than 1,000 employees of the Senate were reminded yesterday to maintain cleanliness in their offices and surroundings to prevent an invasion of rodents and cockroaches at their Pasay City premises.

In a memorandum sent to all offices by Restituto Tabucanon Jr., chief of the Senate’s General Services division, all employees were asked to maintain cleanliness in their working areas and to avoid keeping food in drawers and cabinets.

“Rodents, cockroaches and other pests can be a threat to humans. The former are generally found in areas where food is readily available. This includes trash cans, garbage bins, and similar containers,” the memo said. “Hence, it is our goal to eliminate and prevent pest infestation in our building.”

The Senate is leasing a big portion of the GSIS compound in Pasay City.

“To deter pest problems, aside from our regular pest control treatments, we seek your cooperation to keep our working areas/officers clean and avoid stocking of foods in drawers/cabinets,” the one-page memo dated June 8 read.

Arnel Jose Banas, deputy secretary for administration and financial services, also approved the dissemination of the memorandum to all Senate offices.