By CESAR JOLITO III
Despite the widespread damage caused by the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) on sugarcane fields, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said there is no immediate plan to declare a state of emergency or calamity in the province.
Lacson believes that such a declaration would place a burden on local government units (LGUs).
However, Lacson said he is drafting an executive order to form a task force that will closely monitor and coordinate all responses to the infestation as RSSI continues to threaten sugarcane plantations.
The task force will coordinate with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to help tackle the issue of the infestation.
This development comes as the RSSI spreads to nearly 3,000 hectares of sugarcane fields across Negros and Panay, based on the latest SRA data.
Negros Occidental is the most affected, with 2,876.28 hectares of infested sugarcane fields, impacting 1,574 farmers in 113 barangays across 21 towns and cities, data showed.
In late June, Lacson said the declaration of a state of calamity would depend on LGUs.
“When declaring a state of calamity, it is expected that the LGU is capable of allocating funds to address the issue,” Lacson said.
“By doing so, their constituent farmers may expect financial assistance from the concerned LGUs,” he added.
Meanwhile, the SRA reported that 237.66 hectares of sugarcane have been recovered from the infestation, which includes 110.91 hectares in Manapla town, 22.25 hectares in Victorias City, 22.52 hectares in Bago City, 26.76 hectares in Murcia town, 38.62 hectares in E.B. Magalona town, and three hectares in Silay City.
In Negros Oriental, three farmers in a barangay in Mabinay town reported RSSI damage to more than 3.5 hectares of sugarcane.
Meanwhile, in Panay Island, RSSI hit 29.15 hectares of land farmed by 13 farmers in seven barangays in the municipalities of Anilao and Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo province.
In Capiz, 22 farmers in six barangays from the towns of Sigma, Panit-an, Pontevedra, and Dao reported infestations across 23.20 hectares.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona pointed out that most of the affected cane fields were located near roadways, possibly due to contamination from passing trucks transporting harvested sugarcane already infested with RSSI.
Azcona also expressed concern over the sudden resurgence of the pest.
“From 13 percent last week, the infestation rate has jumped to 23 percent,” he said.
Still, Azcona offered some hope, reporting that over 300 hectares of previously affected fields have begun recovering — signaling that mitigation efforts may be starting to work.
As the province holds off on a calamity declaration, all eyes are now on the planned task force and its role in delivering timely interventions to protect sugarcane growers across the Visayas.
According to the SRA, if left undetected and unmanaged, the RSSI can spread rapidly from one field to another, causing severe crop damage and potential economic loss for farmers.
The pests could reduce sugar yields by up to 50 percent, based on studies from the University of the Philippines.
RSSI was first detected in northern Negros Occidental at the end of March and was officially declared an infestation on May 22./CJ, WDJ