Relampagos orders halt to ‘unlicensed’ whale shark watching in Lila town
Whale shark watching will already be prohibited in Lila town in Bohol province until such time that an ordinance is passed to ensure the protection of the these marine animals. | Inquirer Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The provincial government of Bohol has ordered for a halt of whale shark watching activities in the town of Lila citing the lack of business permit and policies to protect the marine creatures.
Acting Bohol Governor Rene Relampagos, in an executive order issued on December 23, 2019, direct Lila Mayor Arturo Piollo II to issue a moratorium against any whale shark activity until such time that a municipal ordinance regulating this tourism activity is passed and approved by the Provincial Board.
The policies should be crafted in consultation and in consonance with environmental and sustainable tourism policies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Department of Tourism (DOT), he added.
According to Relampagos, unregulated interaction with the marine mammals may result in the disruption of their migration path and lead to their extinction.
“The Provincial Government of Bohol fully acknowledge our role as parens patriea and that includes protecting the whale sharks who cannot speak for themselves,” he said.
Relampagos said that the Bohol Environmental Management Office (BEMO) started their investigation on the whale shark activity in Lila town following receipt of a letter request from the Kahugpungan sa Bol-anon Guides asking them to inspect the legality of the whale shark activity in the town.
BEMO, he said, found the lack of an approved resolution by the municipal council that lays down policies in the whale shark interaction.
“It was also discovered that the private operator of this whale shark activity has not even secured a business permit but there were already boats docked at the shoreline which were allegedly used in whale shark interaction,” Relampagos said. / dcb
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