BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental is establishing emergency measures to control the spread of cocolisap (Aspidiotus rigidus).
The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) confirmed cocolisap bug infestation in the cities of Bago and La Carlota and the towns of Murcia and La Castellana. Around 5,000 coconut trees were affected.
Cocolisap bugs feast on coconut leaves, fruits and flowers until only the trunk is left.
In Executive Order (EO) No. 23-36 series of 2023 issued on Aug. 10, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the infestation poses a very serious threat to the coconut industry and to the livelihood of those who depend on it.
There is thus a need for comprehensive measures to effectively control and eventually eradicate cocolisap, he stressed.
Under the EO, the PCA shall be the lead agency in the province-wide effort to contain the cocolisap infestation in partnership with the provincial government, local government units, and partner agencies.
The PCA, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), shall also formulate appropriate emergency measures and methodologies in the treatment of coconut trees and other host plants.
Checkpoints and quarantine stations will also be formed to prevent the transport of coconut leaves, fronds, coconut saplings, and other raw or unprocessed coconut products, and the PCA will be given exclusive authority to grant permits for transportation.
Negros Occidental has over five million coconut trees, half of which are bearing with a potential income of P18.7 million and providing livelihood for some 13,958 coconut farmers and their dependents.
According to PestNet, a network that helps people obtain rapid advice for crop protection, cocolisap infestation in the country was first detected in 2009 in Batangas, although scientists traced its origin to Sangi Island in Indonesia in the 1920s.
Since then outbreaks of cocolisap had taken place in the country – the worst was in 2014 when as many as 2.1 million coconut trees were affected in the Calabarzon region and in parts of Mindanao.
Dr. Dina Genzola, OPA officer-in-charge, said they, along with several partner agencies including the PCA, are continuing the investigation.
PCA maintains a Biological Control Laboratory in Barangay Mailum, Bago City. Local agriculturists and farmers are being trained to culture predators that specifically target pests. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
