Cagayan’s Buguey town celebrates Crab Festival

By Vince Jacob Visaya

TUGUEGARAO CITY — About 2,000 individuals feasted on a 1,000-kilo mud crab meat to go with other viands during the Buguey Crab Festival in Cagayan on Friday, October 27.

    Mayor Licerio Antiporda 3rd said that the cooked metric-ton crabs served to villagers, guests and visitors were a manifestation of the town’s moniker “Crab Capital of the North” where high-quality crabs are produced.
    “This is a thanksgiving for crab farmers and others to promote our products,” he added.
    The town has also earmarked funds for crab farmers through its “crab industry development research regulatory extension and livelihood assistance” to boost the industry.    
    We will be working to produce frozen crabs which are export-quality,” the mayor said.
    The mayor earlier asked the villagers not to transport crab outside Buguey for five years to improve production and hasten its population.
    “We have big crabs but we also have medium and small ones which should be protected. They lay their eggs along the sea and then come back to the rivers,” he added.
    The Buguey event also featured competition on crab dancing and street dancing, Mr. and Ms. Teen Crab Buguey, and crab cooking contest.