• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Amid the recent United States import ban on Philippine blue swimming crabs, key stakeholders from the government, business sector, civil society, and small-scale fishers are converging for the Visayan Sea Regional Policy Forum and Workshop on the Blue Swimming Crabs (BSC).
The two-day summit, set July 29 to 30 at L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City, is organized by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)-Negros Office and the Panay-Negros-Guimaras Crab Fishers Alliance, the largest small fishers network in the Visayas, in collaboration with the NGOs for Fisheries Reform.
Senator Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform, has been invited as the keynote speaker.
Marked as the first-ever civil society-led initiative for the Visayan Sea concerning the BSC crisis, the event brings together around 70 leaders and multi-sectoral representatives spanning 20 coastal local government units, six provinces, and three regions.
The forum aims to establish a unified understanding of the causes and effects of the ongoing crisis triggered by the US ban, build consensus among stakeholders, and map out strategic responses and initial action plans moving forward.
Organizers noted that the regional workshop will also review ongoing campaign activities against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
PRRM-Negros area manager Edwin Balajadia said the unprecedented public-private-civil society gathering serves as a crucial stepping stone to safeguard the livelihoods of small fishers and secure the future of the Visayan Sea’s blue crab industry. | GPB
