House probe of failed antirabies project urged

A lawmaker on Sunday sought an investigation of the “unsuccessful” national rabies prevention and control program (NRPCP), which started 15 years ago, citing a 37-percent increase in rabies deaths this year despite its funding of up to P990 million yearly. Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo has filed House Resolution No. 462 urging the House committee on health to conduct an inquiry into the program. “We want the NRPCP’s failure investigated,” he said, citing Department of Health figures, which showed that 322 Filipinos died from rabies from Jan. 1 to Nov. 5 this year compared to 235 in the same period last year. “The NRPCP has missed its targets to eliminate human rabies by 2020 and to declare the Philippines rabies-free by 2022.”