MANILA — As a fresh wave of dengue cases raises new concerns, a barangay in Mandaluyong City sees the community’s involvement as a critical tool to combat the threat of the vector-borne disease.

Through its program “May piso sa mosquito” (Peso in exchange for mosquitoes), Barangay Addition Hills hopes to gradually eliminate aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread the virus.

Barangay Addition Hills Captain Carlito Cerlan acknowledges the program may be seen as counter productive because catching mosquitoes would expose an individual to a health risk. But he explains, the mosquitoes don't need to be alive.

HOW IT WORKS

Cerlan said residents can either bring mosquitoes and their larvae (kiti-kiti) dead or alive in exchange for coins. One peso will be given to a barangay resident for every five mosquitoes or larvae they bring.

Live mosquitoes will be placed inside a chamber with a mosquito zapper while larvae will be killed through the use of chemicals.

The barangay chief executive said the program is temporary and is just one ways the community can get involved in solving their growing mosquito problem.

“Yung ginagawa naming piso sa mosquito, hindi ito magiging forever. Habang mataas ang dengue sa aming barangay, isa lang ito sa alternatibo para mapababa ang kaso namin. Once na nagreport ang City Health Office na mababa na ang cases, we can lift the program,” he said.

(What we’re doing is not forever. While dengue cases in our barangay remain high, it will remain an alternative program to help aid curb the number of cases. Once the City Health Office says cases have declined, we can lift the program.)

The program, according to Cerlan, is patterned after another initiative “palit basura para sa pagkain sa lamesa” (trash in exchange for food on the table), which he considers a success.

“Ang ganda ng kinalabasan dahil yung mga tao nagiging masinop. Lahat ng plastic sachet along the barangay roads inuuwi nila sa bahay. Every month kasi nag-aannounce ang barangay ng palitan ng plastic sachet para sa bigas.”

(It had a good turnout because people became more mindful. They took home plastic sachets along roads and every month, the barangay would announce that they could exchange it for rice.)

Despite this, he admitted that there is still no better way to get rid of mosquitoes than by maintaining  clean surroundings. 

This means ensuring that the community has minimal garbage, it is properly managed, and there is no room for stagnant water to serve as mosquito breeding sites.

The program, Cerlan said,  will only allow those aged 18 and above to participate to discourage teenagers and children to unnecessarily expose themselves to risk.

Based on local census, Barangay Addition Hills logged 44 dengue cases with two fatalities last January.

8 OTHER LGUs BEING MONITORED BY DOH

The Department of Health is also monitoring eight other local governments across Calabarzon, Central Luzon and the National Capital Region over the “concerning rise” of dengue cases.

In an interview on ANC’s Dateline Philippines, Health Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo declined to name the other areas with a rise in cases and instead urged them to declare their own outbreaks.

“We are hoping the 8 other LGUs will make a declaration. The declaration of an outbreak does not mean cause for alarm, does not mean surrender or grave circumstances. It only means that the local government is aware that the numbers are higher than usual and the it is responding,” he said.

On Saturday, Quezon City declared an outbreak of the vector-borne disease after logging 1,769 cases from January 1 to February 14, 2025. The figure is nearly 200 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

Domingo emphasized the importance of early consultation should one experience fever.

“The early consultation is more to prevent death. The symptoms of dengue are typical of any other viral infection; high fever, headache, abdominal pain. The classic warning signs, the bleeding gums, the change in the color of the stool, the rashes, they all come at a much later stage,” he said.

While the health official attributed the prevalence of dengue at the beginning of the year to climate change, the virus is endemic to the Philippines.