Marikina City Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro said on Friday, Sept. 16, other local government units (LGUs) can implement initiatives similar to their “Rat to Cash” program, provided they establish appropriate guidelines.

“Siguro ‘yung ibang lugar o siyudad, pwede rin gawin ang initiative na ito. Pwede pero dapat may protocol at mga susunding guidelines (Perhaps other places and cities can also do this initiative. We can encourage them but there has to be a protocol and guidelines to follow),” Teodoro said in a press interview.

Marikina City’s “Rat to Cash Program” is a three-day campaign wherein the local government buys dead or live rats for P200 per rat (150 grams and above) from residents who captured and surrendered them to the City Environment and Management Office (CEMO) compound.

Only residents of Marikina City, who are able to authenticate their residence with a valid ID, were allowed to participate.

Teodoro noted the guidelines that can be emulated must involve the proper capture of rats and the sanitation of those who catch them.

“Pag nanghuli ng daga, dapat gumagamit ng mouse trap, at naka gwantes sila na disposable. Kung walang mouse trap, nagpapahiram kami dito (When catching rats, mouse traps must be used and disposable gloves must be worn. We allow residents to borrow mouse traps from us ,” he said.

More than functioning as “a kind of social amelioration program,” the mayor stressed that LGUs must implement it as a “health campaign.”

“Dapat ipaunawa na ito’y kampanya laban sa leptospirosis. Hindi lang natin gusto mahuli ang daga, ngunit maligtas ang ating mga kababayan (It must be emphasized as a campaign to fight against leptospirosis. We don’t just want to catch rats, but also ensure the safety of our citizens),” Teodoro said.

“Kalinisan talaga ang sagot, para ‘yung kalusugan ay masiguro natin (Cleanliness is truly the answer to ensure our good health),” he added.

The Rat to Cash Program was first launched in 2020, and has been implemented every year since during the rainy season. For 2022, it was held from Wednesday, Sept. 14 to Friday, Sept. 16.

The program was well-received by the public. On the first day, the local government collected around 1,700 rats.

The collected rats reached up to 4,000 by the end of the second day on Thursday, Sept. 15.

Teodoro said over 2,000 more rats have been collected as of Friday morning, Sept. 16.

As of 3 p.m., the total number of rats collected in the whole three-day program was around 8,000, and projected to reach over 9,000 when the day ends.

“Kapag tinatanong ako kung nabawasan na ang populasyon ng daga, oo dahil sa bilang na ito. Malaking bawas ito (When I’m asked if the population of rats really did decrease, I say yes because of the sheer number of rats we collect. This is a big reduction),” he said.

After collection, CEMO personnel store the rats in yellow bins that classify them as “infectious waste.” The chemical solutions inside the bins kill the live rats.

They are transported to accredited disposal sites for infectious waste, according to the guidelines set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Health (DOH).

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READ MORE: Marikina LGU collects over 3,000 rats in ‘Rat to Cash’ program