A Pasay-based pet shop has turned one of the country’s most hated household pests into a paying business, selling live cockroaches to schools and other buyers for research and academic projects.
Marsha’s Pet showed the unusual sideline in a video displaying a large perforated bottle packed with live cockroaches. The seller said one customer ordered 130 insects, but the shop sent 155 after adding extra pieces for free.
“Meron pa kaming nakatabi dito,” she said, indicating that more cockroaches were still available.
The shop said the insects are sold mainly for school research and projects. In the video, the seller opened the container and explained that the cockroaches still needed to be fed while being kept alive.
“’Yong ipis po, gagawin naming pera,” she said.
The business appears to have a real market. Marsha’s Pet said in the comments that a school bought 1,000 cockroaches from the shop the previous month for ₱9,000, or about ₱9 per insect. The seller stressed that the operation was more than social media content and had already attracted paying customers.
There is one obvious downside. The seller acknowledged the strong odor coming from the container and asked that it be moved farther away.
“Doon mo na ilagay sa malayo-layo. Talagang amoy-ipis,” she said.
Even that has not stopped the shop from keeping the insects as part of its business.
“Pati ipis po, aming pinapatulan,” the seller said.
In a follow-up post, Marsha’s Pet thanked people who had inquired about its services and pushed back at those mocking the cockroach trade. The shop identified the insects as American cockroaches, or Periplaneta americana, a large species commonly found around homes and other human environments.
Cockroaches also have legitimate scientific value. Filipino entomologist Cristian Lucañas of the University of the Philippines Los Baños has documented cockroach species in the country and explained their ecological role as detritivores that help break down dead organic matter and serve as food for other animals.
