North Cotabato town wages war against rats

MLANG, North Cotabato – Still reeling from the damage wrought by rodents during the previous cropping season, this town has declared a new war on rats.

In his first executive order this year, Mayor Joselito Piñol instructed the chiefs of 37 villages or municipal districts to make sure the campaign against rodents was implemented before the new cropping begins in the third week of this month.

He said that aside from hunting down rats, farmers should also strive to synchronize their planting.

“We are doing this to prevent these pests from wrecking damage to our crops,” he said.

To boost the campaign, Piñol said the local government will also give rewards to those actively involved in the campaign, such as a kilo of rice in exchange of 20 rat tails.

“The LGU has allotted some P500,000 for purchase of rice,” he said.

Piñol also urged other residents to join the campaign, saying food security was not just the concern of farmers.

“With this program we will help our farmers combat the rodent problem in our town. At the same time, it would ensure that our harvest will not be compromised,” he said.