Barangay Alion in Bataan recently launched their “dalawang-daang lamok kapalit isang kilong bigas“ or “two hundred mosquitoes for one kilo of rice” program. Under this initiative barangay officials will be facilitating an exchange of 200 dead mosquitoes for 1 kilo of rice. They specifically encourage the catching of these mosquitoes with the use of cooking oil.
(DOH Declares ‘National Dengue Epidemic’ After Hundreds of Related Deaths)
According to Barangay Chief Marcialito “Al” Balan, mosquitoes can be effectively caught by moving a plate of used cooking oil from the left to the right. He explained that this is all part of their search-and-destroy drive now that dengue season is in full swing. “Unang-una pa rin ang paglilinis, pangalawa itong panghuhuli ng lamok. At least mababawasan ang lamok sa amin,” Balan said. [Cleaning is still the first precautionary act, second is the catching of mosquitoes. At least the mosquitoes will be minimized in this way.]
While there has only been 1 case of dengue in Barangay Alion so far, with it even having been contracted elsewhere, Balan would rather be safe than sorry. He also acknowledges that there is no way to ascertain that the mosquitoes caught and killed are even carriers of dengue.
Still, they regard the elimination of mosquitoes as generally beneficial.
“Sana suportahan ng lahat ang programa para patuloy na mawalan ng kaso ng dengue sa aming barangay,” Balan stated. [I hope that all will support the program for the continuous zero cases of dengue in our barangay.]
Do you think this program will be effective?
