E.B. Magalona Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon said he has issued three executive orders to address the economic crisis caused by the United States’ ban on blue swimming crabs from the Philippines and the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) attack on local sugarcane crops.
About 40 percent of E.B. Magalona’s economy has been affected by the U.S. ban on blue crabs, with hundreds of jobs lost, Malacon said at a press conference on Thursday, July 30.
Executive Order 32 created an RSSI Task Force to arrest the spread of the pests. The municipality has also established a nursery in Barangay Alicante to grow a new sugarcane variant that is much more resistant to RSSI, which will be distributed to small farmers, he said.
Executive Order 33 created the Municipal Crab Industry Task Force to identify mitigating measures to aid those affected by the U.S. ban, which include tax exemptions, Malacon said.
Executive Order 36 focuses on finding alternative markets for E.B. Magalona’s blue crabs and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for residents affected by the ban, he added.
SABADO NIGHTS
E.B. Magalona will also hold “eat-all-you-can” blue crab Sabado Nights to generate additional income for fisherfolk and vendors, as well as boost local tourism.
He said that for P300, guests can eat unlimited crabs.
Malacon invited everyone to join the Sabado Nights at the E.B. Magalona public plaza from 5 p.m. to midnight every Saturday in August.
“If the demand is high, we will extend it,” he said.
Malacon also hopes that through Sabado Nights, they will be able to promote E.B. Magalona as the home of blue crabs in Negros Occidental.
Malacon said the buying price of blue swimming crabs has dropped from P320 per kilo to P140 because of the oversupply, which is why alternative markets are needed to help affected fisherfolk.*
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