• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The municipality of E.B. Magalona, known as the blue crab capital of Negros Occidental, launched the “Sabado Nights: Eat-All-You-Can Blue Crabs” program on Aug. 1, drawing an overwhelming crowd who consumed 800 kilos of freshly cooked blue crabs within two hours.
More than 800 visitors attended the inaugural event, far exceeding the organizers’ expectations and highlighting strong public interest in the municipality’s newest tourism and livelihood initiative.
Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon described the opening as a huge success, with the event generating an estimated P240,000 in entrance fees alone from the unlimited blue crab feast, which was priced at P300 per person.
Sales from à la carte offerings were also brisk, although the municipality has yet to consolidate the total earnings.
“We never anticipated such an overwhelming turnout on the first night,” Malacon said.
The mayor apologized to visitors who were unable to enter the venue, including those who had traveled from distant areas.
Following the successful launch, the municipal government plans to increase the crab supply to one metric ton for the succeeding Saturdays of August and reorganize the covered court venue to accommodate more diners.
Malacon said organizers will continue gathering feedback from customers to further improve the event throughout its remaining run.
He emphasized that the program was created primarily to benefit the municipality’s blue crab fisherfolk by creating a stronger local market for their catch.
“All the proceeds from the activity go to our blue crab fisherfolk. The local government unit earns no revenue from this. By increasing local demand, we are helping increase the value of blue crabs and improve the income of our fishermen,” he said.
The initiative also complements ongoing efforts to strengthen the local blue crab industry while the national government works to restore Philippine blue swimming crab exports to the United States.
Malacon expressed optimism that with the support of Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez and national government agencies, the export market will eventually recover, providing long-term stability for the province’s blue crab industry and the livelihood of coastal communities. | GPB
