TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite, Philippines — The invasion of the black bug in agricultural lands of Cavite province has moved provincial officials to fight the pests in the areas.

Engineer Mario C. Silan, provincial agriculturist, said that the sap-sucking bugs swarmed ricefields in at least nine municipalities of the province and have destroyed palay (rice) produce worth millions of pesos.

Officials of the towns of Naic and Maragondon have declared a state of calamity due to the massive destruction caused by the bugs in their lands.

Others affected by the bug plague are the towns of Carmona, General Trias, Imus, Tanza, Kawit, Noveleta and Dasmariñas City, said Silan.

The phenomenal bugs, the size of rosary beads, have infested planted crops in the fields. The pests prefer sucking the bases of rice stems causing the plants to weaken and die.

Heavy infestation causes stunted growth, formation of white heads, halffilled or empty grains and bug burn or browning of the plants.

The bugs multiply rapidly as they lay eggs on the plants. The pests transfer from one plant to another as it died. The bugs attack the fields in multitude, it was gathered.

In an unprecedented move, the 17-man Sangguniang Panglalawigan (Provincial Board) led by Vice Governor Recto M. Cantimbuhan approved outright the release of P2-million fund that will be use for the anti-bug action.

The move came after Silan reported lengthily on the plague during the Board’s Monday session at the Capitol in this city. The agriculturist earlier recommended action and requested a fund from the Office of the Governor.

In his report, Silan said that the bug attack in Cavite has reached alarming proportion “which have to be given much-attention.”

“The bugs are destroying the palay harvest in Cavite, the farmers are getting restive on the problem. The bugs have affected the produce much,” Silan said in part in the vernacular.

Silan claimed that in Naic and Maragondon alone, more than 1,240 of 2,400 hectares of farm lands planted with palay have been severely infested by the bugs “not to mention those in other towns.”

The agriculturist said that to get rid of the bugs, which have infested the fields in the last six months, the farmers or field caretakers would need more light traps and pesticide.

He has already informed the Department of Agriculture (DA) about the plague. The agency initially gave his office nine light traps, it was learned.

Light traps are materials placed in the fields to attract and hold the bugs.