MANILA – Marikina City has launched a campaign to exterminate rats to minimize the risk of leptospirosis during this rainy season, branding them as public enemy number 1.

Through "Kampanya Kontra Lepto: Daga Mo Palit Cash" program, the city government will be offering cash incentive to residents for every rat they catch, said Vice Mayor Marion Andres said Friday.

“Ito ay isang insentibo para ideklara po natin ang daga na public enemy number 1 para makatulong po sa kalusugan sa mamamayan,” he told Teleradyo.

(This is an incentive so we can declare rats as public enemy number for public health.)

The city government has allotted P50,000 for the program, which will run until Friday, Oct. 16.

On Thursday, a resident caught 3 rats and was given P400 as cash reward. The rats were disposed of by the City Environment Management Office.

In 2018, the city, which is often beset by flooding, recorded 12 cases of leptospirosis in 2018 and had none in 2019. However, 2 suspected cases of the water-borne disease were reported in 2020.

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