Oslob to limit whale shark watching to 800 people daily

CEBU, Philippines — After a consultative meeting, the number of guests who can go whale shark watching in Oslob on a daily basis has been reduced further to 800 from the present 1,000 visitors.

Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale explained that the number was agreed among the tour operators, boatmen, and government agencies that regulate the tourism activities in the area. She said the welfare of the environment should not be taken for granted to maximize economic gains.

"Di ta maghuwat nga ang President pa ang moingon nga i-close ang Oslob for rehabilitation like in Boracay," she said.

The agreed number of allowable tourists will then be divided accordingly to the 182 boatmen in Barangay Tan-awan.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) suggested putting up a reservation center to centralize the booking of guests. Magpale said that the system will be patterned after that of the booking system of the underground river in Palawan.

The deliberation on what other measures will be put in place will continue in the next couple of weeks. With the capped number of tourists, the income of each boatman is also expected to decrease.

At present, a boatman earns P3,500 per day on the average. In general, the attraction earns about P1 million daily.

Magpale shared that there are only three areas in the whole world which offers fish feeding and whale shark watching: two in Indonesia and one in the Philippines, which is Oslob town.

The boatmen requested to increase the rates for whale watching but the vice governor said that it will only take place when the facilities and other amenities are already in place.

Magpale said that having accessible comfort rooms and parking spaces for the big bulk of tourists are some of the concerns raised by the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATOS).

At present, a one hectare lot proximate to the whale watching orientation center was seen as a potential parking area. However, the vice governor said that the price for the lot is too high. — FPL (FREEMAN)