Around 3,211 rats have been collected by Marikina City's Environment and Management Office (CEMO) in its "Rat to Cash Program" as of Thursday morning, Sept. 15.
The Rat to Cash Program is an interactive effort between the local government and the citizens to prevent the spread of leptospirosis.
It was first launched in 2020, conceived by Marikina City Vice Mayor Marion Andres, and is now an annual practice during the rainy season.
For this year, the public may surrender their rats from Wednesday, Sept. 14, to Friday, Sept. 16, at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CEMO headquarters, located at Gil Fernando Avenue, Barangay Sto. Nino, Marikina City.
For three days, Marikina residents have been bringing captured rats – dead or alive – to the CEMO in exchange for cash, amounting to P200 per rat that weighs exactly or more than 150 grams.
In an interview with Teleradyo on Thursday, Sept. 15, Marikina Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro said they have exchanged a total of P300,000 for the rats.
He said they initially funded the program through private group sponsors. Given the overwhelming response of the people, he has ordered the disbursement of more funds.
The collected rats are classified as "infectious waste," stored in yellow-colored trash bins filled with chemical solutions.
Teodoro said their disposal method is akin to the waste disposal of infected hospital equipment, in line with the guidelines set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Health (DOH).
Teodoro assured they "undergo a proper method of collection, transportation, and disposal."
Enthusiastic response
Teodoro said the number of surrendered rats increased this year since more people are now aware of the program.
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1,700 rats were collected.
He noted that many people flocked to the city’s Animal Protection and Control Office (APCO) to borrow mouse traps on Wednesday night.
Households and communities eagerly cooperated and participated in the program.
In an interview with DZBB, Teodoro recalled seeing people who surrendered 30 rats, placed in a single, big plastic bag.
“Sabi nila nagtulong-tulong sila doon sa barangay nila (They said they worked together in their barangay),” Teodoro said.
The mayor also shared that some personnel of the local Bureau of Jail Management and Penology also lined up at the CEMO to surrender rats they captured in the jail premises.
Rat profiling
Crucial to controlling the rat population is identifying the rat-infested areas in the city.
Through the Rat to Cash program, the local government will be able to determine the areas where rats mostly populate.
Based on their observations, Teodoro said more rats were captured in places that were highly-populated, and had open or clogged canals and sewage, compared to areas that were generally cleaner and had declogged canals.
“Meron kaming mga intervention doon sa mga area doon, magkaroon kami ng kampanya or action, on our part, sa sanitation. Pino-profile din namin kung saan galing (We conduct intervention in those areas. We will also launch sanitation campaigns and actions),” Teodoro said.
Only registered residents of Marikina City are allowed to participate in the program. Hence, the rats must also have been captured in the city to produce an accurate rat count.
Teodoro admitted there is no guaranteed way for them to determine whether the rats collected by the citizens were captured in Marikina City. As such, he said they are relying on the people’s honesty.
Breeding concerns
To stave off concerns from residents that the program might encourage the breeding of rats, Teodoro stressed the program only runs for a limited time to avoid the "cobra effect."
The cobra effect pertains to a phenomenon wherein "an intended solution makes the original problem worse." It is derived from an anecdote in India wherein financial incentives were given to citizens in exchange for captured snakes. The program lasted for years which resulted in heaps of people breeding cobras.
"Dito, walang panahon para mag-alaga at magparami dahil very limited ang time na ito. Three days lamang. Tama lang dahil naka focus ay yung populasyon ng daga ay mabawasan natin (Here, there is no time to take care and breed because the program is only for a very limited time. Three days, which is just right so we can focus on reducing the rat population in the city),” he said.
Health campaign
Teodoro emphasized the program is mainly a "health campaign" against leptospirosis as well as other infectious diseases.
Aside from the exchange of the rat for cash itself, health specialists and CEMO personnel also offer educational seminars and orientations on leptospirosis to the participants.
The local government also distributes free doxycycline, an antibiotic medicine that may be taken to prevent or treat leptospirosis through their health centers.
There are only three cases of leptospirosis in Marikina City, said Teodoro; two of which were identified as construction workers, and one factory worker.
Based on their profiling mechanism, Teodoro said the three individuals were infected through flood waters in their workplaces outside of the city.
Borne out of the local government’s continued dredging, cleaning, and declogging activities of the Marikina River and other waterways within the city, no flooding has been reported in the past months in Marikina, he said.
"Ang long term solutions, at iyon ang tinututukan namin, ay 'yung iwasan ang pagbaha, 'yung kalinisan ng lugar, at 'yung populasyon ng daga ay kontrolado natin (The long term solutions that we're focusing on are preventing floods, maintaining the cleanliness of our surroundings, and controlling the population of rats)," Teodoro said.