MANILA – Malacañang assured Negrenses that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is closely monitoring two major issues affecting Negros Occidental’s agriculture and fisheries sector, the spread of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) in sugarcane farms and the United States’ restrictions on Philippine blue swimming crab exports.
Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos said Tuesday, July 28, that President Marcos has been regularly updated on both concerns.
“I have heard the problems about the pest and the blue crab. The President is on top of this,” Abalos said during an interview in Malacañang.
He added that his office will coordinate with the concerned government agencies to follow up the issues.
“Our office will try to follow up on it,” Abalos assured.
The Palace statement comes as Negros Occidental continues to grapple with the RSSI outbreak, which has affected thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations and prompted the provincial government to declare a state of calamity to accelerate pest control measures and provide assistance to affected farmers.
Government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), have since rolled out intensified interventions such as drone-assisted insecticide spraying, financial assistance, surveillance, and long-term biological control programs to contain the infestation.
The province is also facing uncertainty over the United States’ import restrictions on Philippine blue swimming crab products, a move that has affected one of Negros Occidental’s key fisheries industries.
The restriction took effect after U.S. authorities found that the Philippines had yet to fully meet monitoring and reporting requirements under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act for the country’s blue swimming crab fishery.
The issue has prompted consultations between the provincial government, exporters, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and industry stakeholders to identify measures that would help restore access to the U.S. market while strengthening sustainable fishing practices.
The DA has also introduced new regulations for the blue swimming crab fishery aimed at aligning Philippine standards with U.S. requirements and protecting export markets.*
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