THE Cebu Provincial Government will meet with several agencies next week to address the presence of a swarm of flies in six barangays in Asturias, Cebu.
Provincial Health Office (PHO) head Rene Catan said among those they will meet are representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Asturias Municipal Government, poultry owners and residents.
Gov. Hilario Davide III said that residents from the six barangays are eating their meals inside mosquito nets to keep the flies away from them and their food.
They blamed the presence of three poultry farms for the proliferation of flies.
Ofelia Seblos, one of the residents of Barangay Bago, has been complaining about their situation.
“Kung magkape ka, mauna ang langaw sa imong kape bisan init. (Flies are hovering over our coffee even if it’s hot),” she said.
Barangay Bago is one of the barangays that have an active poultry farm.
Evangeline Gaviola, 42, said she is worried over the health of their children.
“Kung matug, mapuno ang bata sa langaw. (When we sleep, flies are all over our children),” she said.
She said a fly had gone inside the ear of a child in their area and the child was rushed to the clinic.
Although the operation of poultry farms is under the discretion of the local government unit, Catan said they need to assist the residents since they sought the Provincial Government’s help.
Last Thursday, Barangay Councilors Robotsiano Hermoso, Eufemio Paraiso, Maria Flor Tomarao and Elsie Cuizon accompanied several residents to the Provincial Capitol to seek help from Davide.
According to Catan, broiler chickens draw flies.
He lamented that poultry farms don’t harvest their chickens simultaneously.
Catan said they harvest chickens one after another until new chicks are raised.
This prolongs the existence of flies, he added.
He said the poultry farm owners are trying their best to address the problem by spraying chemicals but it is still not enough.
He said the number of flies around the surroundings of the poultry farms are still many compared to the flies that had died.
Yesterday, Catan said that PHO sent a team to conduct misting in the affected villages to at least minimize the flies’ presence.
The swarm of flies has been proliferating in several villages of Asturias since 2014 yet.