The Negros Occidental provincial board and local export and industry stakeholders are calling for immediate national government intervention after the United States suspends imports of Philippine blue swimming crab products. In Bacolod City, the provincial board adopts a resolution expressing deep concern over the sudden economic impact on thousands of people involved in fishing, crab picking, and work in processing plants in Negros Occidental and across Western Visayas. Local exporters’ group PhilExport Negros also warns that the suspension could affect livelihoods in multiple coastal communities.
Both groups link the restriction to an action by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. The ban takes effect on June 11, according to the statements, and closes the U.S. market to Philippine blue crab products. Stakeholders say the immediate priority is to engage U.S. and Philippine authorities to clarify the grounds for the suspension and address the issues that prompted it, with the aim of securing a resolution that would allow trade to resume.
