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Budget for anti-venom serum: Senate President Pro-Tempore Loren Legarda suggests that the 2024 General Appropriations Act be reviewed to see if there was an allotment for anti-venom medication in the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) budget and whether the budget was downloaded to Department of Health-retained hospitals or to drugstores. Legarda, during Monday’s plenary session, May 6, 2024, also suggested that there should be capacity-building in the barangay level, especially in far-flung areas where snakes abound. “We have to have the capacity to identify the different kinds of snakes, whether it has a venom or none. “How many species of snakes are there in a tropical country like ours? Where can we find those species? Based on available data, which species are venomous?” Legarda asked. (Mark Jamin/Senate PRIB)