Malaysian prince visit to highlight 156th Isabela Day

By Merlito G. Edale, Jr.

Wednesday 25th of April 2012

ILAGAN, Isabela, April 25 (PIA) -- The prince of Malaysia was invited by the provincial government to be the guest of honor during the 156th founding anniversary of Isabela set on May 10 to 11.

Atty. Eduardo Cabantac, executive director of the 156th Isabela Day celebration, said Governor Faustino G. Dy III formally invited Prince Tunku Naquiyuddin Ja’far, son of the 10th King of Malaysia Tuanku Ja’afar, during the founding anniversary, which he said would draw spectators from Isabela but also from neighboring provinces.

Cabantac said this founding anniversary is different from previous celebrations since a foreign royal family member will be coming to the province just for the anniversary and for exchange of views in eradicating dengue in the province, unlike in previous celebrations that the provincial leaders invite politicians or high-ranking officials of the country for the event.

He said Naquiyuddin Ja’far is expected to be in the province on the 10th of May and the provincial government will be tendering a cultural show in the evening for the prince at the capitol amphitheater.

Cabantac said that the Malaysian prince set visit in the province is part of partnership of the provincial government during the visit of Governor Faustino G. Dy III to the said country to observe the dengue advocacy of Nanquiyuddin Ja’far in Malaysia.

Prince Tunku Naquiyuddin Ja’afar, son of the 10th King of Malaysia Tuanku Ja’afar, spearheaded last October 2011 the launching of “CounterStrike Lamok,” the local version of his global advocacy for an integrated mosquito management program involving the government, the business sector, and local communities.

Naquiyuddin presented what at first appeared to be a plastic packet of rice husks that can kill five generations of mosquitoes.
He said a dengue-carrying female Aedes Aegypti mosquito can lay at least five clutches of eggs in its 30-day life span and if these pests are killed as early as in their larval stage, five generations of offspring can be essentially wiped out.

A former diplomat, Naquiyuddin is into environmentalism as a committee member of the World Wide Fund for Nature in Malaysia. He is also the founder of Yayasan Tunku Naquiyuddin, a global non-profit organization engaged in raising awareness on dengue prevention and control.

The Malaysian prince had initiated a similar campaign in his home country called “Stop Dengue Mission,” which he said had four components collectively dubbed REAP, for “reduction of the mosquito population, education, awareness, and prevention of mosquito bites.” (TCB/MGE-PIA 2, Isabela)