Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said it is up to local government units whose sugarcane farms have been hit by red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI ) to decide whether to declare states of calamity.
It is really up to the LGUs concerned, if they declare a state of calamity they will be expected by the farmers to shell out funds to address the problem, Lacson said on Monday, June 23.
The red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI ) infestation has expanded to more than 1,505 hectares from 87 hectares in less than a month, with the bulk of the areas hit located in Negros Occidental, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) reported on Thursday, June 19.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona urged local government units, especially with highly infested areas, to declare a state of calamity as this will help the SRA in “expediting procurement of pesticides that can be immediately distributed to help abate this infestation.”*