BACOLOD CITY—The Negros Occidental Provincial Board asked the national government to urgently intervene after the US banned the entry of Philippine blue swimming crab products, a move that threatens thousands of livelihoods in the province and across Western Visayas.
Board Member Hope Marey Depasucat on Thursday said that the provincial board had passed a resolution expressing “deep concern” over the immediate economic impact of the ban on fishers, crab pickers and processing plant workers.
The restriction, imposed by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, took effect the same day.
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The baord resolution clarified that the ban was not related to food safety or product quality issues but stemmed from the Philippines’ failure to meet US requirements on marine mammal protection and fisheries monitoring.FEATURED STORIES
