IF Dagupan City has mosquito fish in stagnant waters to help contain the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, San Manuel town has frogs in the farm lands to do it.

This was revealed by Mayor Kenneth Perez whose town still has zero dengue deaths so far and attributed this partly to the presence of frogs that eat mosquitoes.

Perez said the frogs helped contain breeding of mosquitoes literally by their disappearance.

 He said there were suspected cases but all proved negative.

He said a 16-year female student from this town died from dengue in Bulacan but her wake was held in the town.

Another high school student from this town studying in Baguio City also contracted dengue and this is believed to have contracted the disease there. The patient is still confined in a hospital in Baguio City, the mayor said.

He said they follow the 4S strategy of the Department of Health to fight dengue.

Last year, there were also no dengue-related casualties, said Salvador Perez III, a municipal consultant on health and sanitation at the local government here.

The mayor is positive that the frogs loudly croaking at night in rice field indicate that they are busy eating the mosquitoes.

He said the presence of frogs is also an indication that the place is not polluted.

Perez said frogs multiply during the rainy season and boost the fight against the mosquitoes – during this period.

Toward this end, the mayor plans to introduce an ordinance that will ban or minimize catching frogs for human food. This will also help in bio-security, he added. “Because they really eat mosquitoes,” he said.

The town’s agricultural area comprises 80 percent of the town. (PhilStar Wire Service)

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