• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has approved a resolution recommending the declaration of a state of calamity across the province following the continued infestation of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI).
The destructive pest that has severely affected sugarcane plantations in several local government units and the infestation continues to threaten the province’s sugar industry and the livelihood of thousands of farmers.
The PDRRMC recommendation is up for concurrence by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Data of Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showed the RSSI has already infested about 1,465 hectares of sugarcane farms across 56 barangays in Negros Oriental.
Affected areas include the cities of Mabinay, Bais, Bayawan, and Guihulngan as well as nearby municipalities.
As part of the province’s response, Governor Manuel Sagarbarria has created a provincial task force dedicated to combating the RSSI infestation, following a dialogue between him, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, and United Sugar Producers’ Federation of the Philippines president Manuel Lamata.
Joined by provincial and local government officials and other stakeholders, they discussed strategies to address the growing threat across Negros Island.
Sagarbarria said the task force will be patterned after the existing anti-RSSI task force in neighboring Negros Occidental, with modifications to address the specific conditions in Negros Oriental.
During the meeting, Azcona emphasized the importance of a unified and coordinated response as the infestation continues to spread rapidly across sugar-producing areas.
To strengthen containment measures, Sagarbarria committed an initial P15 million for the procurement of pesticides that will be used in efforts to control the pest and protect remaining sugarcane farms. | GPB
