Who Wants Tuko?

This strange-sounding name keeps ringing my ears for the past few months. Not to mention the sound it made, tu-koo tu-koo, every morning in an apartment I used to stay a few years ago. This particular tuko, which was hidden, chirped, “tuck-oo tuck-oo,” eleven times, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon; we never knew where the clicking sound came from; we only knew that it was a tuko. The times when the tuko trade didn’t exist yet.

And just the other day, we saw one here at our backyard. My roommate Norman, one of the people who look for these valuable reptiles, said it’s still young and small. Better wait for it to grow older and bigger before he can catch it. Hehe. Had the tuko been big, Norman and I would have been millionaires right now. Haha!

I first heard about this tuko craze on a radio in Davao a few months ago, where an announcer talked about the hoax of selling this lizard for 100,000 to 200,000 Pesos. I was ought to believe what the announcer said. It was then I eventually learned that it was indeed true. Some friends were telling me about it, that they spend time looking for tuko in hopes of becoming an instant millionaire. I should have considered of doing it, but since I was preoccupied on other things I didn’t bother to engage on it; also, I’m not really fond of becoming a millionaire out of pure luck. I believe in hardwork and creativity. Same as I don’t believe in gambling which can produce you big amounts of money in a snap of a finger, that if you have all the luck in the world.

Tukos, also called as gecko lizards are being sold now for 100,000 Pesos to One-Million-Pesos; some are lower and higher, depending on the weight. Tuko can be found in the woods, in the forests and even in your backyard.

It has been believed that the gall bladder and the tongue of a tuko can heal certain illnesses like asthma, cancer, and even AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). But no medical doctors have claimed this, it was plain rumors.

Some people believe the information about gecko lizards that can cure diseases is only a front. The real truth is that big time syndicates are the ones who want to buy these tuko to be used as instruments for transport of illegal drugs. They said these syndicates actually let the tuko swallow grams of cocaine, opium, marijuana and shabu. And that the detectors can’t identify what’s inside the bellies of the tukos due to the color and its resistance to any kind of detectors. Still these are only rumors.

Whatever the truth is, people here in the Philippines are crazy about these gecko lizards for sale. The trouble with this, according to some experts, there would be probabilities of extinction of these tuko in the Philippines if large amounts are sold and brought to other countries. The ecosystem will lose its balance and harmony. These tukos are the ones who eat harmful insects like mosquitoes and flies, insects that can also cause some diseases like malaria. It is dangerous for the country’s environment if the trade of tukos won’t be stop.

Despite of this warning, do you think Filipinos will listen? Do you think they will care about the ecosystem more than their immediate need of money? I don’t know. Perhaps congress can create a bill to put to a stop.

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