The spread of the destructive Red-Striped Soft Scale Insects (RSSI) in Negros Island has quadrupled in eight days and is now considered “alarming”, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said on Monday, June 2.
The SRA, in a press statement, said it is seeking “emergency powers” and the help of other government agencies to contain its spread in Negros Island, which accounts for over 60 percent of the country’s sugar produce.
The SRA is seeking emergency powers to quarantine movement of cane and planting materials, and for the immediate the purchase of pesticides to contain the RSSI.
Gov, Eugenio Jose Lacson said the Negros Occidental provincial government is in no position to provide the needed treatment versus RSSI but has alerted agriculture offices of the local government units whose farms have been hit by pests.
Pest attacks are part of the expenses that sugar farmers face every year, Lacson said.
RSSI’s presence was first noted in end of March in northern Negros Occidental and was declared an infestation on May 22 when it spread to over 87 hectares, the SRA press statement said.
After informing sugar farmers, the spread reached 191 hectares as recorded on May 26 and to 255 hectares in May 28.
SRA’s recent records dated May 30 showed infestation almost doubled to 424.82 hectares in a matter of two days, prompting the agency to seek the help of other government agencies, particularly the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Negros Occidental provincial government and affected local government units and the Bureau of Plant and Industry (BPI) for quarantine measures, the press statement said.
In an inter-government agency meeting Monday, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona called for strict quarantine measures on the movement of canes and planting materials as studies show that the pests, which were earlier monitored in Luzon, might have been accidentally brought to Negros.
“RSSI was first observed in Luzon in 2022 and contained by SRA and the DA in 2024. It is surprising how it got to Negros where 65 percent of the industry is present and I am asking the DA and BPI to disallow entry of planting materials whether it’s for commercial or research purposes without a certification from SRA, and or the DA”, Azcona said.
SRA Deputy Administrator Ignacio Santillana also said they will need a policy for emergency use to fast-track procurement and distribution of pesticides given the strict regulations of the Commission on Audit regarding procurement.
“We currently want to utilize P1.5 million for pesticides purchase while we are waiting for the assistance from the Department of Agriculture but our hands are tied unless there is a policy in place for emergency purchase and considering the rate of spread, this is an emergency,” Santillana said.
SRA believes the infestation is wider than what was reported given the limitations they have with manpower to verify reports from the field, which is also why they need the help of local government agriculturists.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist also said that they will seek the guidance of Lacson on how they can help put a policy in place so that a coordinated response from all government agencies can be implemented as soon as possible.
OPA and SRA will also coordinate with the chief executives in the Victorias Milling District, which covers the cities of Victorias and Cadiz and the town of Manapla, that accounts for almost half of the infestation covering 219 hectares.
Thirteen towns and cities in Negros Occidental reported the presence of RSSI.
Mabinay in Negros Oriental also reported some spread and Anilao in Panay. This, said Azcona, warrants the help of BPI to ensure that while the infestation is not contained, there should be no transport of planting materials between islands and affected areas.
“ I am confident we can arrest this with the help and cooperation of everyone, but if we don’t, this is hitting the sugar industry at its heart because Negros is also the major source of sugar for the country. Negros also supplies high yielding cane points for Mindanao, and all the more why we need to come up with regulations and policies in place because somebody has to take responsibility for what is happening now,” Azcona said.
With the absence of a concrete policy, BPI said their hands are tied as well, saying they tried to stop the transport of planting materials from Escalante, Negros Occidental, to Panay Island recently but could not hold back the shipment because there is no policy in place yet.
SRA’s research center said that based on their study and from literature, RSSI can make significant damage to sugarcanes and high temperature has been identified as a key factor in its rapid population increase.
Santillana said prevention is key and advocates for farms that do not have the presence of RSSI yet to start spraying their canes. He also thanked BPI and DA who offered to start spraying identified fields this week so they can present some positive results when they conduct a public forum/orientation for farmers on Monday, June 9.
In the absence of a second study that will help draft protocols to mitigate the problem, SRA is recommending that farmers must refrain from purchasing cane points from identified areas with infestation and to soak their planting materials in pesticide before planting these.
The SRA research arm is also looking into natural predators that can attack RSSI with the hope that this can be phased out due to natural means and not through the use of pesticides which will increase production cost again of farmers.
Meanwhile, Azcona said that they already sent a letter requesting a P10 million assistance from the DA and this was well-received by Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu-Laurel who has been apprised of the situation.
Azcona also tasked the agency to study the use of drone in spraying pesticides as “it might be worth using drones for its wide range of application and speed to contain the infestation.”
RSSI has been observed to grow in the underside of sugar cane leaves and if drone use can reach the area, “we are ready to tap the private sector for drone use as it can spray at least 50 hectares per day.”*
