‘Let’s test neonicotinoids treatment for infested coco plants on my farm’

This is a reaction to the July 5 commentary of former UP Chancellor and National Scientist Emil Javier and the Inquirer editorial in connection with the coconut scale insects (CSI) infestation, particularly in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

First of all, I agree with Chancellor Javier: “The government can take vigorous measures to arrest/contain the spread of CSI, with chemical, organic and botanical pesticides, as appropriate.”

Likewise, I fully support his proposal to require all research agencies to “ramp up their scientific work to identify the most effective natural enemies of CSI, facilitate their mass-rearing and determine their most cost-effective deployment.”

Finally, I am willing to subject my coconut farm, part of which are now infested with CSI, to neonicotinoids treatment.

Precisely, I am one with researcher Celia Medina of the UP Los Baños Crop Protection Cluster in the view that in “using neonicotinoids the probability of risk to humans is almost nil.”

—CRISOSTOMO B. VILAR,

former vice mayor, Pagsanjan, Laguna, and chair, Cocofed Pagsanjan Chapter