The Sangguniang Panlalawigan declared the entire Negros Occidental under a state of calamity Tuesday, June 30, due to the outbreak and continuing spread of the highly destructive Red Striped Soft-Scale Insects (RSSI) in the province’s sugarcane fields that has reached “critical levels.”
Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria on Tuesday also said a state of calamity will be declared in Negros Oriental where sugarcane fields have also been hit by RSSI.
The Negros Occidental SP’s declaration of a state of calamity was in response to Resolution No. 5 of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) recommending the declaration, which was submitted by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson to the SP on June 26, Board Member Marxlen de la Cruz said.
The entire province of Negros Occidental had been placed under a state of calamity due to Tropical Storm “Crising” and the RSSI outbreak affecting sugarcane plantations in July 2025.
The new declaration no longer includes Tropical Storm “Crising.”
The PDRRMC, in recommending that the SP place the entire province of Negros Occidental under a State of Calamity, cited a situational report from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showing that the RSSI infestation has reached critical levels.
Out of the province’s total 190,314.19 hectares of sugarcane land, approximately 61,242 hectares—or 32.18 percent—have been affected, the PDRRMC said.
The pest, scientifically known as Pulvinaria tenuivalvata, extracts sap from the sugarcane and promotes the growth of sooty mold, which significantly reduces crop vigor, sugar yield, and overall productivity, directly jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and agricultural workers, it said.
The council said the declaration is based on the guidelines set by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum Order No. 60, series of 2019.
Under these protocols, a local government unit qualifies for a state of calamity declaration if at least 30 percent of the means of livelihood in the agricultural sector are affected.
By surpassing this threshold, the province meets the criteria required to trigger emergency measures, facilitating necessary government intervention to prevent further economic losses and irreversible damage to the agricultural economy, it said.
A declaration of a state of valamity will grant the provincial government access to emergency funds, enable the implementation of price control measures, and expedite recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
The move also aims to strengthen inter-agency coordination among the SRA, the Department of Agriculture, and other relevant bodies to enforce strict quarantine, surveillance, and information campaigns.
NEGROS ORIENTAL
Meanwhile, Sagarbarria, in a dialog with SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona in Dumaguete City Tuesday, said a state of calamity would also be declared in Negros Oriental.
Sagarbarria also ordered the creation of a provincial task force against RSSI and said ₱15 million would be allocated for the purchase of insecticides to fight the pests.
The task force was formed following the dialog also attended by United Sugar Producers’ Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) President Manuel Lamata, provincial and local government officials, and other stakeholders to address the RSSI infestation in Negros Oriental.
Lamata thanked the governor for his swift and decisive response to the crisis.
Azcona said about 31.42 percent of Negros Oriental’s nearly 49,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations have already been affected by the sap-sucking pests.
Negros Oriental has 48,901.43 hectares planted with sugarcane, with 15,367 hectares already infected by RSSI.
Azcona stressed the need for a coordinated response as the infestation continues to spread rapidly across sugar-producing areas.
Sagarbarria said Bais City and Mabinay, which are among the areas hardest hit by the RSSI infestation, are expected to declare states of calamity soon. Bayawan City and Tanjay City may also make similar declarations.*
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