ILOILO – A widespread insect infestation that has caused an estimated P1.181 billion in damage to sugarcane plantations and affected 9,491 farmers across 27 municipalities has pushed Iloilo closer to a province-wide state of calamity declaration, a move intended to unlock financial assistance for thousands of struggling farmers.
The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) approved on Tuesday afternoon, October 13, a resolution recommending that the entire province be placed under a state of calamity as the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation continues to wreak havoc on the local sugarcane industry.
The resolution will be forwarded to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) for deliberation and formal approval of the proposed declaration.
RSSI is a sap-sucking pest that attacks sugarcane plants, feeding on their juices and weakening their growth. Heavy infestations can reduce sugarcane yields and sugar content, resulting in substantial economic losses for farmers.
The PDRRMC recommendation underscores the severity of an agricultural problem that has already prompted three local government units — Passi City, San Enrique and Dueñas — to declare their respective areas under a state of calamity.
During the PDRRMC meeting, Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) acting head Geron Magbanua presented the latest assessment showing that the infestation has affected 10,342 hectares of sugarcane plantations, with estimated losses reaching P1.181 billion.
The damage has directly affected 9,491 farmers in 27 municipalities, highlighting the widespread impact of the infestation on agricultural livelihoods.
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias said one of the principal reasons behind the proposed province-wide declaration is to facilitate the release of financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Banias disclosed that during a recent visit to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed the agency’s readiness to extend financial assistance to farmers affected by the infestation.
However, the assistance would require the province to be formally placed under a state of calamity, Banias explained.
The provincial government is seeking to extend to other affected sugarcane farmers the same financial assistance already distributed to beneficiaries in Passi City.
On October 5, Gatchalian personally led the distribution of cash assistance to 1,163 sugarcane farmers in Passi City whose livelihoods had been affected by the RSSI infestation.
Each beneficiary received P10,325 in financial assistance.
Provincial officials are hoping that a province-wide calamity declaration will pave the way for similar assistance to reach thousands of other farmers struggling with the infestation’s economic consequences.
The financial aid distribution forms part of the national government’s response to the RSSI infestation crisis affecting agricultural communities in Western Visayas.
The PDRRMC resolution, titled “A resolution recommending to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Iloilo the declaration of a state of calamity in the entire province of Iloilo due to the widespread infestation of the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI),” formally recognizes the extent of the agricultural emergency.
With the resolution now awaiting action by the provincial legislature, the proposed declaration could become a crucial step toward mobilizing additional government assistance for affected farmers.
For thousands of sugarcane growers whose plantations and incomes have been severely affected, the declaration represents an opportunity to secure much-needed financial relief as the province grapples with the continuing infestation./PN
