Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, August 24, that the attack of aspidiotus regidus, also known as cocosilap, on coconuts trees in two cities and two towns in Negros Occidental has been contained.
The scale pests had attacked coconut trees in Bago and La Carlota cities and the municipalities of Murcia and La Castellana early this month prompting Lacson to issue an executive order designating the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) as the lead agency in the battle against the cocolisap.
“Cocolisap is contained so that’s a positive sign. It’s still there but its not like when it started,” he said, adding that it has not spread to other local government units.
“We were attacked, right now were doing counter attack and are headed to victory,” he said.
Lacson said pruning of infested leaves has been among the measures adopted to curb the infestation.
The governor had also ordered the establishment of checkpoints and quarantine stations to prevent the transportation of unprocessed/ untreated parts of coconut, coconut seedlings and other host/vector plants.*