Cash Bounty for Mosquitoes: Philippine Village’s Unusual Plan to Fight Dengue

In an effort to curb a rising dengue outbreak, officials in a Philippine village have launched a unique initiative—offering cash rewards to residents for every mosquito they capture.

At the program’s launch on Wednesday in Addition Hills, a village in metropolitan Manila, residents queued up with plastic cups and bags filled with mosquitoes to claim their reward: one Philippine peso (about 1.7 US cents) for every five mosquitoes handed in.

Organizers distributed coins while using an ultraviolet mosquito zapper to kill the live insects. One resident walked away with nine pesos (approximately 15 US cents) after turning in 45 mosquito larvae.

Village chair Carlito Cernal explained in a social media post that the initiative was introduced due to a surge in dengue cases in the area.

Dengue cases have been climbing nationwide, with over 28,000 infections recorded in January—marking a 40% increase compared to the same period last year. Earlier this week, the health department flagged a “concerning rise” in dengue cases across nine areas, and Quezon City—the country’s most populous city—declared an outbreak on Saturday after reporting 10 deaths since the beginning of the year.

However, health officials and social media users have raised concerns about the unintended consequences of the program. Department of Health spokesperson Albert Domingo warned that offering cash incentives for mosquito collection might backfire if people start breeding the insects for profit.

Domingo stopped short of condemning the initiative but suggested alternative incentives, such as cleanliness competitions where neighborhoods compete to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.

The project has also sparked debate online, with critics urging a reassessment of its effectiveness. “We need to ensure that our solutions are sustainable and don’t create new problems,” one social media user commented. Another called for a reevaluation of the initiative, saying it might not be an effective long-term strategy.

In response to the backlash, Cernal took to Facebook to clarify his intentions, stating that the program was launched in good faith and aimed solely at reducing dengue cases in the community.