Listen Up: Philippine town in Manila puts bounty on dengue-carrying mosquitoes
Practise your English with our short listening exercises: play the audio, answer the questions, and check the answers at the bottom of the page.
Village captain, or chief officer, Carlito Cernal examines a plastic jar that previously contained mosquito larvae caught and collected by a local resident. Photo: EPA-EFEQuestions
1. What problem were residents in Addition Hills trying to solve?
A. lack of money
B. overuse of pesticides
C. rise in dengue cases
D. all of the above
2. How many mosquitoes must be collected to get one peso?
A. one
B. five
C. seven
D. 10
3. Which word can replace “curbing” in the podcast?
A. limiting
B. breaking
C. avoiding
D. quitting
4. What is the “death chamber” mentioned in the story?
A. a sealed storage room
B. a special laboratory
C. a mosquito trap
D. a UV light machine
5. What does Candasua plan to do with the peso he earned?
A. spend it on food
B. donate it to the village’s fire station
C. save it to get a cellphone
D. buy a machine for killing mosquitoes
6. How many people in the Philippines died from dengue in 2023?
A. 575
B. 1,040
C. 28,200
D. 167,355
7. Based on your understanding of the podcast, which of the following best describes Anthony Leachon’s response to the Addition Hills project?
A. He recommends it.
B. He thinks it may help to some extent.
C. He discourages other villages from doing the same thing.
D. none of the above
8. If you do something “intentionally”, you do it …
A. by accident.
B. on purpose.
C. without thinking.
D. because someone told you to.
9. What does the “haul” at the end of the podcast refer to?
A. flower pots
B. water
C. money
D. mosquitoes
10. What did Rachel Estoque find in her flower pot?
A. mosquito larvae
B. mosquito eggs
C. adult mosquitoes
D. dead mosquitoes
11. Listen to the podcast again and complete the following summary. (4 marks)
Dengue is usually not (i) ________, but it can make someone sick with fever and headaches. A spokesperson from the Philippines Department of Health says the best way to stop dengue is to clean around the house, keep areas dry and remove (ii) ________ water. People can also protect themselves by spraying (iii) ________ and wearing shirts with (iv) ________.
Answers
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. C
6. A
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. A
11. (i) fatal; (ii) stagnant; (iii) insect repellent; (iv) long sleeves
Script
Adapted from Agence France-Presse
Voice 1: Residents in central Manila lined up last month to collect a bounty – one peso for every five mosquitoes, dead or alive. Carlito Cernal, the village captain of the Addition Hills neighbourhood, started this awareness-raising project as dengue cases have spiked nationwide in the Philippines. He said it could have a “huge impact” on curbing the spread of the tropical disease when combined with local clean-up efforts.
Voice 2: Some Philippine health officials and experts were less convinced. But residents remained enthusiastic, carrying pails, cups and other containers filled with the dengue-spreading mosquitoes to the village hall, ready to exchange them for cash.
Voice 1: Iluminado Candasua brought three live specimens in a sealed plastic cup. Village officials duly counted and transferred the catch to their so-called death chamber, a glass-enclosed UV light machine. Candasua said it was very hard to capture mosquitoes and that he strategically chose a darkly lit fire station and used a cup to manually trap the insects against a wall. He said the peso he got for his efforts – worth about 14 Hong Kong cents – would go into a piggy bank he was using to save for a cellphone for his child.
Voice 2: The World Health Organization ranked the Philippines as the country most affected by dengue in the Western Pacific region in 2023, with 167,355 cases and 575 deaths. The tropical disease, while rarely fatal, has symptoms ranging from fever and headaches to swollen glands.
Voice 1: According to Department of Health spokesman Dr Albert Domingo, the country has seen an “unusual rise” in cases this year, with 28,200 patients recorded as of February 1. That is a 40 per cent increase from the same period last year. Five cities and municipalities have declared outbreaks.
Voice 2: Domingo cautioned that local communities should consult health authorities before launching efforts, adding that returning to the fundamentals would address the problem best. This includes cleaning your surroundings, overturning containers and ensuring the areas where stagnant water collects are dry. He also urged residents to protect themselves with insect repellent and long sleeves.
Voice 1: Public health expert Anthony Leachon said that while he welcomed all anti-dengue initiatives, the Addition Hills round-up would have “little or no impact at all”. Some residents, he warned, could even exacerbate the problem by farming mosquitoes for coins.
Voice 2: While Rachel Estoque did not intentionally breed mosquitoes, the haul she turned in came from a source of stagnant water in her home. The 45-year-old housewife said she woke up early to catch mosquito larvae growing in water in her flower pot. The 20 larvae earned her four pesos, enough for a tiny packet of cooking oil. But like others waiting to trade in their catch, Estoque said the money was less important. She took part in the projects because her child had suffered from dengue before.