Negros Occidental under state of calamity

Negros Occidental is under a state of calamity due to tropical cyclone "Crising" and outbreak of the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) affecting sugarcane plantations in the province.

- By GLAZYL MASCULINO

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved Resolution No. 771, Series of 2025, on Thursday, July 24, upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC).

The resolution stated that the province experienced heavy rainfall due to the southwest monsoon or "habagat" enhanced by Crising, causing severe damage to property, displacement of families, and disruption of livelihood.

Twenty-one out of 31 local government units (LGUs) were severely affected, comprising 184 barangays and 35,312 families, with extensive damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and local economies, the resolution said.

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, it said.