BACOLOD City – Nearly 1,000 visitors flocked to E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, on Saturday night, August 1, for the town’s first-ever eat-all-you-can blue crab feast, providing a much-needed boost to the local blue crab industry reeling from the recent United States import ban on Philippine blue swimming crabs.
Held at the town’s covered court as part of the revived “Sabado Nights” program, the P300 unlimited crab buffet featured more than 800 kilos of freshly harvested blue swimming crabs sourced from E.B. Magalona’s nine coastal barangays.
The event, spearheaded by Mayor Matthew Louis “Matt” Malacon and Vice Mayor Marvin Malacon, exceeded expectations as visitors from across Negros Occidental filled the venue from 5 p.m. until midnight.
Mayor Malacon thanked residents, tourists, government employees, barangay officials, media partners, and bloggers for supporting the initiative, saying the strong turnout reflected the public’s support for the municipality’s blue crab industry.
Due to the overwhelming response, the supply of crabs was eventually exhausted, prompting the mayor to apologize to those who were unable to avail themselves of the buffet.
He said the municipal government would increase its preparations for the succeeding Saturdays to accommodate the expected influx of visitors.
Malacon said the unlimited crab feast was launched as an immediate intervention to cushion the economic impact of the U.S. restriction on Philippine blue swimming crab exports, which has significantly reduced demand and caused local crab prices to decline.
The initiative aims to strengthen the domestic market while providing an alternative source of income for local fisherfolk and crab pickers.
More than 2,500 fisherfolk and crab pickers in E.B. Magalona have been affected by the export setback, while at least five crab processing plants in the municipality have ceased operations.
Known as the Blue Crab Capital of Negros Occidental, E.B. Magalona produces four to five tons of blue swimming crabs daily during the peak season from July to October, with Barangay Tomongtong as the town’s largest producer.
Department of Agrarian Reform–National Irrigation Administration Regional Director Jose Albert Barrogo, who attended the event, said the public response demonstrated the strong potential of the local market to help sustain the blue crab industry.
He said similar initiatives could also succeed in larger markets, such as Bacolod City, and suggested that government agencies partner with the municipality to promote E.B. Magalona’s blue crabs during the Organic World Congress, which will be held in Bacolod next year.
The successful launch also marked the return of “Sabado Nights,” a weekend tourism and livelihood program first introduced under the administration of then Mayor Marvin Malacon from 2016 to 2019 and now revived by Mayor Matt Malacon.
The eat-all-you-can crab buffet will continue every Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight throughout August. After the month-long run, the municipal government will assess whether the program can be sustained as a regular attraction and a stable local market for the town’s blue swimming crab industry./PN
