LGUs urged to monitor areas where whale sharks are found

CEBU, Philippines - Vice presidential candidate and Senator Francis Escudero is calling for proper regulation and monitoring of key areas where giant whale sharks or “butandings” can be found.

Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said whale shark tourism has become highly profitable and while it continues to prosper as industry the local government units must ensure that tourists are properly informed on how to deal with the gentle giants of the Philippine ocean.

Escudero made the call during his visit in Cebu after authorities have confirmed that the 24-feet whale shark, which was found dead in Surigao del Norte last month, was the 930th whale shark identified in the country.

He said that this unfortunate incident should serve as a lesson to local government units to be more watchful and stricter in implementing rules on fishing in areas where there are whale sharks like Oslob town in Cebu.

Escudero said there are only less than a thousand whale sharks in the country and we cannot afford to see these marine animals, which are helping our tourism industry and are keeping balance in our ecosystem, face deaths because of the lack of monitoring and implementation of our existing laws.

The vice presidential candidate lamented that despite the existence of a law protecting whale sharks, fishing continues to be the biggest threat to the world’s largest fish.

Butanding is a protected species in the Philippines under the Republic Act No. 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act and Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code. 

Under these laws, it is unlawful to wound or kill a whale shark, an endangered species, in the course of catching other species of fish. — (FREEMAN)