By CESAR JOLITO III
The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) has raised alarm over the worsening spread of the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), warning that failure to contain the infestation could cripple the sugar industry and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 2, GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho urged the national government to immediately intensify efforts against the pest, saying delays in intervention could further worsen damage already reported in sugar-producing areas across Negros Occidental, South Cotabato, Bukidnon, and parts of Mindanao.
Sancho said the infestation has already reduced sugarcane yields by an estimated 20 to 40 percent in affected farms as the insects cause leaves to curl, weaken stalks and prevent crops from reaching full maturity before milling.
He warned that if the infestation continues unchecked, the sugar industry’s decline could result in widespread unemployment affecting hacienda workers, sacadas, truck drivers, mill workers, packers, and other sectors dependent on sugar production.
Beyond employment, GAWA said the infestation also poses a threat to food security and industries relying on sugar, including food manufacturing and ethanol production.
The labor group called on the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration to establish a dedicated RSSI task force that would oversee coordinated pest control operations, including the deployment of biological control agents on affected farms.
Meanwhile, GAWA has also appealed to a state-run bank to provide zero-interest calamity loans, production input subsidies, and crop insurance to farmers affected by the infestation to help sustain sugar production and protect jobs.
Sancho warned that ignoring the growing threat could have serious economic consequences, stressing that the sugar industry remains a major source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of Filipino workers.
“The time to act is now,” he said, calling on government agencies and industry stakeholders to unite in preventing the RSSI outbreak from developing into a larger social and economic crisis./CCJ, WDJ