by Recto I. Vidal
Members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Kalibo being led by Hon. Soviet Russia dela Cruz are interested to replicate the Diwae Festival in Capiz. The said festivity will boost the capital town’s tourism industry and generate more revenues for local folks in Barangay Caano who are likewise engaged in the harvesting of said exotic delicacy. Capiz province which claims to be the seafood capital of the Philippines celebrates Diwae Harvest Festival annually.
During a recent SB session, Dela Cruz who earlier authored a municipal ordinance calling for the regulation in the harvesting of "Diwae", bared that he will lead a delegation tasked to go on a study tour in Capiz, dubbed as the "country’s seafoods capital" for the group to immerse themselves on the best practices of said festival.
"We hope to learn valuable lessons from them in the hope that we could somehow adopt their success story and avoid pitfalls that could spell doom if and when this valuable resource is not properly managed," dela Cruz told his colleagues who later unanimously passed the said ordinance.
The Diwae Harvest Seafood Festival in Capiz is held every 2nd weekend of July. Diwae is a rare bivalve shell found abundantly along the coastal waters of Roxas City and Capiz.
Ten years ago, it disappeared from the waters of the City and Province because of illegal harvesting practices and pollution. Now, after an intensive research, seeding and strict fishing and harvesting process, Diwae is now in abundance. The effort of the city and province is paying off.
The festival is first celebrated this year and will be celebrated annually. The Diwae is known for its sweet and juicy qualities. It has immaculate white elliptical shell, hence the name "Angel Wing" shell.
Every year during the festival, tons of bivalves are harvested and sold in the open market. There are seafood festival, with drinks and music, and lots of partying in thanks-giving to the Almighty for the great and rare bounty that is Diwae.
The two-day celebration fits its national image as the seafood capital. Diwae, popularly known as "Angelwings" is one of the most sought after bivalves for its sweet, juicy and tender taste.
To recall, Diwae was first harvested in commercial quantity back in 1994. Its abundance triggered wanton harvest that wrecked havoc to its natural habitat. The destruction caused the depletion of Diwae for almost a decade.
Later, a research team from the Institute of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas came to the rescue in cooperation with the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Capiz provincial government.
The Roxas city government, on the other hand, funded the study on "Habitat and Reproductive Biology of Angelwings, Pholas Orientalis (Gmelin) eventually restored the natural habitat that brought back Diwae from years of absence. /MP
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