Laong nila an taga Tago kuno para-away pero hanugay. Mamingawuni naman ganahani mandahap-dahap nan notisya. Naman ini na pabyon inhimo para kita na mga Tagon-on magkasinusihay, magka-binayluay nan mga gilaong, nan notisya, nan kaayuhan.
As a child I always believed that crabs would never run out in Tago, my hometown in Surigao del Sur, even if they were peddled in the streets morning, noon and night. Back then crabs were readily available that if a surprise visitor arrived minutes before lunch, my mother would tell our maid to boil water before leaving in haste. Just as the water began to bubble, she would be back with crabs dangling in her hand in one hefty bunch.
Then about three years ago, supply began to dwindle for no apparent reason. Alarmed, Mayor Hermenegildo P. Pimentel Jr. investigated and learned that juvenile crabs--- matchbox-sized crabs that swim or walk on the muddy bay bottom ---are being transported on the sly to Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Capiz Province, where they’re sold as seedlings to fishpond operators. This explains why our crabs have become smaller, dearer and rare that we have to order them days in advance.
Realizing that Tago’s repute as Surigao del Sur’s crab capital was at stake, Mayor Pimentel met with crab gatherers and traders and pointed out to them that in effect they were selling crabs to extinction because if these crablets wouldn’t reach maturity, then who would mate to create the next generation of crabs in the freshwaters of Tago? He also stressed that this practice, if not stopped, would threaten the balance of ecology and Tago’s legitimate crab industry, and would make losers in all of us. But these concepts proved complex to crab gatherers who sell crablets at P10 each to survive. “Three crablets already mean a kilo of rice for our family,†they said.
The municipal agriculturist reported that about 10,000 crablets scurry out of Tago weekly. Let’s do Math: if a crablet is left to mature in the wild, it would weigh an average of 900 grams. And if a crab sells at P200 per kilo, then each crab is worth P180. Multiply that with 10,000 crablets and you have 1.8M in foregone sales weekly or 93.6M yearly. Just imagine what this amount would do to the economy of Tago, a third class municipality of 37,000 people with a measly IRA of 45M.
Aware of the problem’s enormity, the Sangguniang Bayan enacted on 13 March 2006 an ordinance that prohibits the catching, selling, and gathering of crablets and berried mud crabs and stipulates a penalty of P1,500.00 or imprisonment of six months or both. But it seemed the ordinance, like its duplicate passed by the Provincial Board, lacked administrative feasibility because the crustacean diaspora continued, even metastasizing to other crab-rich towns like Hinatuan and Bislig.
Tagon-ons were quick to proffer solutions. One was for LGU to buy these crablets at a competitive price, partner with NGOs, and go into innovative system of captive crab culture in pens among mangroves that abound in Tago. Another idea however was so out-of-the-box the mayor could only chuckle because it called for crabs to apply for exit visas. This way, they said, Tago could earn some bucks for itself.
Poverty being the overriding issue, everybody thought he’d never see the end of this dilemma. Then early this year, in what many believed at first to be mere attempt at sound bytes, Governor Vicente T. Pimentel Jr. and Mayor Pimentel launched an offensive that both deploys the police to crack down on violators and dangles an attractive reward system for informants. So far the approach is getting positive results and gaining community support as thousands of crablets had been confiscated and returned to their natural habitat where they’re expected to grow to adulthood, which means, having a carapace of at least 10 cm.
Crabs are back in the streets of Tago. And as supply increases steadily, Mayor Pimentel thinks of brokering a marketing agreement between crab gatherers and owners of hotels, resorts, and restaurants in Manila, Cebu and Davao. “This way, the crab gatherers could earn good money,†he said.
But these changes aside, Mayor Pimentel remains on his guard. “The battle is far from over because I still receive reports of crablets going out of Tago,†he said. But then he was quick to add that it’s now down to a level that doesn’t make him crabby.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
i just received a call from the Inquirer that the above post will be printed tomorrow, Sunday, 31 August 2008, ALL IN A MATTER OF 3 DAYS. am so blessed, thank God!
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
i just received a call from the Inquirer that the above post will be printed tomorrow, Sunday, 31 August 2008, ALL IN A MATTER OF 3 DAYS. am so blessed, thank God!
K-Spy,
What did I tell you? You owe me pal (bet)
Congrats. Texted Manila paga unahan ko si Daddy kay fascinated yaon siya nan articles bahin sa ato except about gunot nan MNLF.
In hatag ko kan Alexa an Ist Draft and the final copy. Paga estudyohan niya. Salamat kono she (and I) learned alot from your editing skills. Thank you.
And oh, we're going to the Asian Market. To celebrate, crabs for dinner tonight. Yummy....
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that matter... don't mind and those that mind... don't matter." Dr. Suess
Since si Dindo pa an yakabasa sa amo duha nan article mo sa PDI sunday issue,
yadin iya komento para sa imo... "Very well written. lumabas yung pagmamahal nya
sa Tago and its environment, and his constractive comment on those crab mentality
fishermen."
Congratulations!
Don't get disappointed when God doesn't give you what you want... For he knows the
best time for you to have it...
(inin sigbinan na philcom, amo ISP ngadi sa mangagoy, down kay---tukda unoy rason? inkutkot nan ambaw an wire!@#$$@##. an masakit kay isa ka semana kuno ini na talimad-on laong nan philcom. salumabitch laong pa ni yo kikoy, amo silingan sa sapa. kadayaw nan inin mga ambaw sali na sa baya mangintra nan Friendster.
Naman yadi ako sa internetan, gaangot nan ka bar-os kay mga bulitching inin mga mayudmud na amoy paga una inin pag hampang nan pingkuter an pamawnas amoy wara. )
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
"the crustacean diaspora in surigao del sur" came about because of the call made to me by mayor jun pimentel on the night i hosted a dinner for terry and judy. that night he said he wanted me (or DTI for that matter) to help him identify buyers of crabs. i also learned that he and governor pimentel led a crab raid last july (sadly, Inquirer used a different accompanying pic) which resulted to crablets being set free in tago river. this is the reason why, he said, crab supply is on the rise. i agree; mambobot had been ingesting large crabs filled with oligue.
i said we need to do either one of these things: a) organize the crab gatherers because it will be impossible for crab buyers in davao, cebu, and manila to negotiate with crab gatherers individually, and b) identify a consolidator (someone who buys all the crabs from gatherers) but make sure to intervene for a guaranteed price for crab gatherers. you see, experience tells us that it's the consolidators (we have many in tago; your neighbor edith latoja and her brother tibor, to name just two) who make a killing because they buy the crabs from gatherers at giveaway prices.
i suggested to mayor JP to call a consultative meeting soon with crab traders and gatherers. he said he'd call me.
my phone hasn't rung yet.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
Texted Manila 
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
) 
