SAMAL, Bataan — Third-termer mayor Generosa “Gene” Malibiran-Dela Fuente and the rest of this town’s local officials led a more exciting Samal’s 378th year founding anniversary “Grand Parade dubbed as, “MAGDIWANG: Street Dance Competition and Kapis Land Float Parade” held Thursday afternoon till almost dawn.
The parade route along the major roads here were filled with hundreds of spectators- local and tourists alike, who all lined up and stood in awe as colorful land floats and younger generation of street dancers from different clustered villages paraded and danced to high-spirited music.
The groups carried various themes in their float presentations that all leaned toward the promotion of their local products made of kapis, a type of seashell that is abundant in this coastal town.
The parade ended at the makeshift stage located at the Samal public market compound and a housing subdivision being managed by the local government unit here.
The basic criteria for the contingents is to show a performance based on native culture and practices and the life of locals depicted through various body movements or dances, wearing of the native attire, use of traditional musical instruments showing the abundance of beautiful and colorful artworks made of kapis.
Way back in 2008, being in a dying state, the kapis shell industry of Bataan was revived from an apparent death to get back to its former reputation as foremost dollar-earning industry in the province.
In a report published by the Philippine Information Agency, the industry was in a dying state for several years because of the pollution in Manila Bay as well as the prevalent collection of gasang or small shells that served as foods to prawn, where young kapis are indiscriminately collected or damaged.
Last October 2006, a pilot project that has a purpose of bringing back the population of kapis in Manila Bay was founded at Barangay Tabing-ilog here.
The report stated that a rectangular enclosure for kapis production measuring 50 meters by 20 meters and made of bamboos was constructed near the mouth of the river.
Some 500 fishermen in Samal were benefitted from the income of kapis production. Kapis products such as lamp shades, wall frames, wall panels, chandeliers and wind chimes are exported to Japan, U.S.A., West Germany and other European countries.
An income of millions of pesos was gained from an initial investment of Php49,800. The gaining of wealth of the pilot project on kapis production in Samal was allegedly duplicated in barangay Landing, in the coastal area of the historic town of Pilar in the second congressional district of Bataan.
It was expected that other pilot projects for kapis production will be established in other possible places of others towns of Bataan but Samal town’s efforts, accomplishments and success were reportedly never equalled due to the “untiring sacrifices and wholehearted dedication” of the first lady mayor (also the first three-termer local chief executive) of this municipality.