• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental will not support or fund aerial spraying to combat the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation, opting instead for a biological and environmentally-friendly approach.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday, July 14 ruled out the proposal for island-wide aerial chemical spraying since the province will not finance such operations due to concerns over public health and the environment.
“We will go natural. We will support fungal production. That will be the stand of the province,” Lacson said.
He emphasized that the provincial government will “go green” in addressing the pest outbreak and future agricultural threats.
“For sure, we will not support that. We will not fund aerial spraying. We will go green, and we are in favor of biological control,” Lacson stressed.
The governor noted that many sectors have expressed concern over the risks of large-scale aerial spraying, particularly because wind direction could carry pesticides beyond target areas.
“There are sugarlands beside barangays that are densely populated as well as areas near aquaculture and livestock farms. You don’t know the wind direction,” he said.
The province’s position comes as the RSSI infestation continues to spread across Negros Island, with more than 30 percent of the island’s 250,000 hectares of sugarcane farms already affected.
The United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) has been advocating the use of aerial chemical spraying to contain the infestation.
UNIFED president Manuel Lamata defended the proposed aerial spraying program, saying it incorporates strict safety measures.
Lamata said only specialized systemic chemicals approved as safe for humans, animals, vegetation, and beneficial insects would be used.
He added that the formulation adheres to sugarcane leaves to eliminate RSSI without leaving harmful residues.
Lamata explained that the aircraft would maintain a mandatory 200-meter buffer zone from residential communities while avoiding poultry farms, fishponds, and other environmentally sensitive areas.
He also said that precision drones would be deployed in locations too close to populated areas or inaccessible to aircraft
Former Negros Occidental governor Lito Coscolluela also voiced reservations about the proposed P200-million island-wide aerial spraying program.
While recognizing the urgency of controlling the pest, Coscolluela questioned the practicality of aerial pesticide application, particularly the difficulty of preventing chemical drift caused by wind.
He warned that widespread pesticide application could affect beneficial insects essential to integrated pest management and contaminate rivers, groundwater, and drinking water sources.
Meanwhile, the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP) criticized the SRA’s previous drone and aerial spraying operations, describing them as ineffective.
NACUSIP-TUCP national president Roland de la Cruz said the pest primarily inhabits the underside and lower portions of sugarcane leaves, making overhead spraying ineffective.
“The reliance on drone technology and conventional aerial spraying has proven to be an expensive failure on the ground,” De la Cruz claimed. | GPB
