Workers spray water-based insecticides in a community at Barangay Old Balara in Quezon City on August 22, 2024, to combat mosquitoes that cause dengue fever. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA -- As the rising dengue cases in Quezon City and other areas raises fresh concerns, the Department of Health says it understands why some barangays have resorted to measures like offering a P1-reward for every five mosquitoes as well as releasing frogs in waterways and open areas as a means to eliminate dengue-carrying mosquitoes. 

Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong will begin rewarding adult residents with P1 for every 5 mosquito and larvae that they turn over on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Barangay Old Balara in Quezon City was mulling on releasing frogs similar to what it did in 2018, 2019 and 2023. 

READ: Mandaluyong barangay offers P1 for every 5 mosquitoes, larvae caught

Allan Franza, captain of Barangay Old Balara, explained that they observed cases went down when they did this.

"Nakita naman natin itong mga chemicals na pinapakawalan natin mukhang imbis na pawala eh parami pa. Binubugaw lang naman niya. Itong palaka, napakasimple ng gagawin. Pag nakain yung  lamok may nakitang itlog ng lamok, kakainin na niya yan. 

(Instead of killing mosquitoes, the chemicals that we released only seemed to shoo them away. But frogs did so much more by feeding on mosquitoes and their larvae.)

Franza says Barangay Old Balara is among the list of 10 areas with the highest incidence of dengue at 45 cases since the beginning of the year. 

But Department of Health spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo explains that while the intent of these measures are good, it may have other implications not just on one's health but even on the ecosystem.

He stressed the availability of evidence-based interventions. 

"Sana po, ano na lang, bring me basura. Bakit bring me basura? Kasi pag naglinis ang kapaligiran, ibig sabihin, nawawala ng ipunan ng tubig. Or pwedeng palinisan ng barangay. Anyway, namimigay din naman ng premyo si chairman. So, maglagay tayo ng contest," he suggested. 

(Maybe they can do 'bring me garbage' instead. Why this? Because if our surroundings are clean it means there will be no place for stagnant water. Or they can also have a competition for the cleanest areas in the barangay.)

READ: DOH reports 'concerning rise' of dengue cases in 9 LGUs

-- Dengue is dangerous --

Data from the DOH reveal that in the first month of 2025, the country has logged more than 28,000 dengue cases and continues to be on an upward trend. This figure is observed to be at least 40 percent higher compared to the same period last year. 

Domingo emphasized the importance of seeking early consultation and not wait for the warning signs of the disease to appear. Delayed action usually results in the virus affecting one's fluid balance. 

"Nagkakaroon ng internal bleeding, naglilipat-lipat. Marami kasi mga compartments yung katawan natin. Pag ang pagdurugo nangyari, mahirap siyang pigilan. And in fact, yun yung mga nakikita natin na simptomas na nagdurugo yung ilong, yung ating gilagid. Pag sinabi namin na nagbago yung kulay ng dumi, kasi nagdurugo rin yung sa ating intestines, doon sa ating bituka."

So far, there is no FDA-approved vaccine in the Philippines. This means management of the disease has no definitive treatment and is only supportive. 

"Self-resolving siya. Ibig sabihin, kusang gumagaling. Depende sa iyong resistensya. Anong ginagamot natin? Yung mga sintomas. May mga maririnig po kayo, tawa-tawa, pito-pito, dahon ng papaya. Wala pong gamot sa dengue," Domingo said.