ZAMBOANGA CITY (PNA) – Department of Agriculture (DA) Sec. Emmanuel Piñol is visiting this city and Basilan province to check on the progress of the treatment against the coconut scale insects commonly known as “cocolisap.”
At the same time, Piñol will also meet with the concerned stakeholders in the agriculture sector as well as turn over fishery projects.
Piñol was scheduled to plane in from Davao City yesterday afternoon where he was supposed to be met by local agriculture officials headed by DA Regional Director Constancio Alama.
BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona, DA Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan and Assistant Secretary for Operations Federico Laciste Jr., who will arrive Sunday morning from Manila, will join Piñol.
Piñol and party will travel to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) facility in Sitio San Ramon, Barangay Talisayan for a briefing on the interventions to address the cocolisap infestation to include the extent of damages, methods to address the infestation, schedule time of implementation, and briefing of the activities for the visit the next day in Basilan province.
Piñol and his party will sail to Basilan on Monday, Oct. 10, to visit the Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (LARBECO) in Barangay Limook, Lamitan City.
They will turn over five units of four-wheel drive farm tractors and 70 units of motorized fibreglass fishing boats.