THE entire province of Negros Occidental has been placed under a state of calamity due to tropical storm “Crising” and the outbreak of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), affecting sugarcane plantations in the province.
The declaration was announced by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday, July 25, 2025, following the approval of the Provincial Board’s Resolution 0771, Series of 2025, on Thursday, July 24, declaring the entire province under a state of calamity.
The resolution, authored by Provincial Board Member Genaro Alvarez IV, stated that the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) of the Province of Negros Occidental per Resolution 6, series of 2025 recommended the declaration of a state of calamity due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Cyclone "Crising," and the outbreak of the RSSI affecting sugarcane plantations in the province.
Concurrent with the storm's aftermath, there is an alarming outbreak of the RSSI, Pulvinaria tenuivalvata, a highly destructive and invasive pest that attacks sugarcane crops, which are vital to the province's agricultural economy, the resolution added.
The RSSI outbreak had rapidly infested 2,876.28 hectares of sugarcane plantations, adversely affecting 1,574 farmers across 112 barangays in the province.
The simultaneous occurrence of both natural and biological calamities has caused massive agricultural losses, endangering food security, employment, and overall economic stability in the province.
The declaration of a state of calamity is imperative to enable the immediate release of emergency funds, stabilize process of basic goods, and facilitate swift rescue, relief, recovery, and rehabilitation interventions, the resolution stated.
Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Ascona expressed gratitude to Lacson, Vice Governor Joben Alonso, and the Provincial Council for taking cognizance of the problem the sugar industry is facing, not just with the catastrophic effects of Crising in Negros Island, but also the massive infestation of the RSSI.
Ascona said he already ordered a reassessment of infested fields to see whether the storm has somehow reduced the presence of RSSI from the sugar canes and to proceed with the field testing of organic solutions like the fungus for long term use.
“This declaration from the Province will allow SRA to hasten procurement of pesticides as the first defense based on the research from the National Crop Protection Center of UP,” he said.
He added that they can now move forward to utilize the P10 million assistance from the Department of Agriculture so that the farmers, especially the small ones, can start working on their fields and make sure that their canes can recover or are protected from RSSI. (MAP)