Bacolod declares state of calamity over RSSI infestation

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The city government has declared a state of calamity due to the severe agricultural and economic crisis brought about by the rapid spread of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI).

The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) recently approved the urgent request of Mayor Greg Gasataya for the formal declaration of a state of calamity, citing infestation damage affecting 65.45%, or 2,000 hectares, of the city’s 3,056 hectares planted to sugarcane.

Gasataya sent a letter to the SP requesting a review of the official damage certification from the City Agriculturist’s Office, which detailed the widespread devastation of local sugarcane plantations.

Gasataya noted that the declaration is vital because it will allow the city government to use the Quick Response Fund (QRF) to immediately deploy urgent agricultural interventions, provide financial and material relief, and initiate recovery programs to normalize conditions in the affected agricultural sector as quickly as possible.

In a media interview, Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairman of the SP Committee on Agriculture, said this is a critical time, considering the effects of RSSI on sugarcane, which may cause about PHP 100 million to PHP 200 million in damage.

Sayson stressed that government assistance would cover only sugar farmers and workers.

“This is not for all,” he said, adding that the final list of those who can avail themselves of the assistance will be coursed through the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and the City Agriculturist’s Office.

He also mentioned assistance for farmers from the national government through the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The DA earlier announced a PHP 235 million allocation for affected sugarcane farmers and RSSI response efforts in the Visayas, including PHP 200 million in emergency cash assistance for an initial list of more than 12,000 small sugar farmers, which may expand to 20,000 beneficiaries who could receive PHP 10,000 each.

The RSSI, a sugarcane pest first detected in the Philippines in 2022, produces honeydew that promotes fungal growth on leaves, reducing photosynthesis and potentially lowering yields.

The provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental have also declared states of calamity due to the RSSI infestation affecting the sugar industry.

While Negros Oriental supported aerial spraying, Negros Occidental adopted an environmentally friendly approach by supporting biological control instead of aerial pesticide application to combat RSSI.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED) is urging sugar industry stakeholders — especially farmers, laborers, and mill workers — to actively demand real and lasting solutions to the industry’s worsening problems beyond controlling the RSSI infestation.

CONFED called on the DA and SRA to pursue transparent and proactive governance through stakeholder consultations and work on measures to address major threats such as competition from imports and sugar substitutes, high production costs, low millgate prices, widespread RSSI infestations, the looming threat of a super El Niño later this year, and the loss of confidence among affected producers in the future of sugarcane farming.

The group cited the latest SRA supply and demand report, which showed estimated sugar industry losses of more than PHP 15 billion due to the crisis.

“Given the staggering losses already suffered and the prospects of further losses, the sugar industry’s lingering crisis will have far-reaching consequences,” the group said.

The group warned that failure to stop the industry’s decline could trigger increased security concerns and the need for massive social safety nets.

“Because these systemic issues threaten the vast majority—not just individual farmers or one sector—CONFED challenges the industry to speak out and demand effective solutions – aside from temporary palliatives – from the DA and SRA, working in concert with industry stakeholders,” the group said.

The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) and its allied organizations expressed strong support for the enactment and harmonization of the Tunay na Ugnayan, Buhay, at Oportunidad sa Asukal (TUBO) Act of 2026, filed by Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez.

NACUSIP considers the proposal a timely institutional response to persistent instability, unequal representation, weak transparency, and inadequate protection for those whose labor and livelihoods sustain the Philippine sugar industry.

House Bill No. 9088, or the proposed TUBO Act of 2026, seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10659, or the Sugarcane Industry Development Act of 2015, to address persistent volatility in sugar production, pricing, and supply that stakeholders attribute to gaps in regulation, import policy, and program implementation.

The measure also seeks to establish a more responsive, data-driven, and inclusive framework for the sugar industry, which remains a key source of livelihood in rural communities.

“Reform must be measured not only by the stability of sugar supply and prices, but also by
whether it improves the dignity, security, participation, and future of the people who sustain the industry,” NACUSIP said.