Town regulates coco products to stop pests

The Pilar municipal council has moved to regulate the entry of coconut and other palm materials and products to ward off pests.

Municipal councilor Eufracio Maratas Jr., who sponsored Ordinance No. 2 Series of 2007, said that personnel from the local government unit who are assigned to the municipal wharf should strictly inspect the entrance of all plants, seedlings and palm products entering the municipality.

The coconut Cadang-cadang viroid and Brontispa Longissima or coconut leaf beetle are pests that are now widely distributed in the Bicol peninsula, Masbate, Catanduanes, Northern Samar and other smaller islands near Pilar.

Maratas explained that small islands in the neighboring island of Camotes have already been infected by palms pests. He said northern Cebu, including Camotes islands, has already been identified as vulnerable areas due to its proximity to Masbate and Leyte.

The municipal ordinance has been submitted to the Provincial Board committee on laws for final approval. If the ordinance is approved, it will be known as the “Municipal Coconut Pests Prevention Ordinance of Pilar.”

The coconut leaf beetle attacks palms of all ages, especially the tender, unopened central leaves. Fruit shedding will then take place resulting to loss of yield.  In most cases, central leaves were brown and newly formed leaves were very small, and the trees appeared ragged and ultimately die.

The Coconut Cadang-cadang viroid infestation can be recognized by a generalized yellow-bronze color.

Under the ordinance, the bringing of nuts or coconut planting materials from outside of the municipality carries a fine of P1,000 for nut or seedlings, P2,500 for palm seedlings or mature palms of any kind. 

Palm products like tuba, lambanog and virgin coconut oil are excluded.

Under Section 6 of the ordinance, the administrative fine sharing scheme will be 30 percent to the barangay and 70 percent to the municipal government.  — Garry B. Lao/BRP