Mandaluyong Barangay Launches ‘Peso for a Mosquito’ Program, Offering Cash Rewards to Residents in Fight Against Dengue Surge
MANILA – A barangay in Mandaluyong City has launched an unconventional initiative to curb the rising dengue cases by rewarding residents with cash for every mosquito or larva they catch.
Through its “May Piso sa Mosquito” (Peso for a Mosquito) program, Barangay Addition Hills is encouraging community participation in eliminating Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary carriers of the dengue virus.
How It Works
Barangay Captain Carlito Cerlan clarified that the program does not require mosquitoes to be caught alive, addressing concerns that it could expose participants to health risks. Residents can bring dead or live mosquitoes and larvae (kiti-kiti) in exchange for cash—one peso for every five mosquitoes or larvae.
Live mosquitoes are placed inside a chamber equipped with a zapper, while larvae are disposed of using chemicals. The program is temporary and will be lifted once dengue cases in the area significantly decline, according to Cerlan.
“This initiative won’t last forever. As long as dengue cases remain high in our barangay, this is one alternative to help lower the numbers. Once the City Health Office confirms a decline, we will discontinue it,”
he said.
Inspired by Trash-for-Food Program
Cerlan noted that the mosquito bounty program was inspired by their successful “Palit Basura Para sa Pagkain sa Lamesa” (Trash for Food on the Table) initiative, which incentivized residents to collect plastic sachets in exchange for rice.
“That program was a success because people became more mindful. They picked up plastic waste along the streets and brought them home. Every month, the barangay announces a schedule where residents can trade plastic sachets for rice,”
he shared.
Despite the effectiveness of these incentive-driven programs, Cerlan emphasized that the best way to combat dengue remains proper sanitation—keeping the community clean, minimizing garbage, and eliminating stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
To minimize risks, only residents aged 18 and above are allowed to participate in the mosquito-catching program.
Barangay Addition Hills recorded 44 dengue cases, including two fatalities, in January alone.
DOH Flags Rising Dengue Cases
The Department of Health (DOH) is monitoring eight other local governments in Calabarzon, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila due to a surge in dengue cases.
Health Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo declined to name the specific areas but urged them to declare their own outbreaks.
“A declaration of an outbreak is not a cause for alarm or surrender. It simply means the local government acknowledges that cases are higher than usual and is taking action,”
Domingo said in an interview on ANC’s Dateline Philippines.
On Saturday, Quezon City declared a dengue outbreak after recording 1,769 cases from January 1 to February 14, 2025—a nearly 200% increase from the same period last year.
Domingo advised the public to seek early medical consultation if experiencing symptoms such as high fever, headaches, or abdominal pain. He warned that classic dengue warning signs, such as bleeding gums, rashes, and changes in stool color, often appear at a later stage.
While the health department partly attributes the early-year dengue surge to climate change, the virus remains endemic in the Philippines.
Join our Channel...