LUCENA CITY, Philippines – Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas has rallied Governor David Suarez and the 21 town and city mayors of Quezon to unite and get their act together in the fight against “Cocolisap,” a new wind-borne insect that has infested and killed thousands of coconut trees in the province and nearby areas.
“It requires a collective effort on the part of all local chief executives, including your constituents in the barangay level and other stakeholders to join hands in the fight against Cocolisap,” the DILG chief said in a speech delivered Tuesday before local and national government officials at the Bulwagan Kalilayan located in the city.
“We should all heed the advice of all concerned agencies in eliminating the Cocolisap. Kailangan na sabay-sabay nating harapin ang problema na ito para hindi na lumala. We should all play our part,” he added.
According to Roxas, any sign of lack of unison in the campaign against Cocolisap would mean economic problems for the people whose livelihood depends on coconut plantation and harvesting.
“This (problem) is an economic threat that would result in further problems such as loss of jobs and income, rise in criminality, among others, kung hindi natin ito maaagapan” he explained.
Roxas and former Sen. Francis Pangilinan, the recently-designated Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, met with local officials led by Quezon Gov. David Suarez, regional officials of the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Philippine National Police, among other agencies, to discuss the Cocolisap problem and other local concerns.
The DILG chief and Pangilinan spoke before the “Konsultasyon Kontra Cocolisap” held at the Bulwagan Kalilayan where both gave assurance of the national government’s all-out support to the people of Quezon and other affected areas of Southern Tagalog on the Cocolisap infestation.
“Kani-kanina lang po ay tumawag sa akin si Pangulong Aquino upang alamin ang tunay na kalagayan dito. Tintiyak ko po ni hindi namin kayo pababayaan. Sama-sama po nating haharapin ang problema na ito,” Roxas said.
For his part, Gov. Suarez thanked Roxas and Pangilinan for their visit to his province, saying this indicated that the government is really concerned and would extend its all out help to address the Cocolisap problem in the Calabarzon region.
Cocolisap (scientific name: aspidiotus rigidus) is also called Coconut Scale Insect (CSI), a leaf sucking pest which is considered an invasive species with a life cycle of around 28-32 days.
The presence of Cocolisap was first discovered in March 2010 in two barangays of Tanauan, Batangas. It describes that the attack showed yellowing and drying of leaves of coconut palms until the trees die.
In the Southern Tagalog area alone, the Cocolisap has affected the towns of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon, affecting 55 municipalities; 425 barangays; and 6,697 farmers. To date, Cocolisap has already infested more than one million coconut trees.
Although coconut is the preferred host, cocolisap has also recently infested fruit tress such as avocado, breadfruit, mango, guava, papaya, coca, cassava, cotton, oil palm, rubber, sugarcane, mangosteen and tea.
