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Apr 10, 2005
An Encounter With the Dark Side of Philippine Tourism
What was originally thought of as a wonderful encounter with the gentle giant, Butanding, turned out to be an encounter with the dark side of Philippine tourism.
We left Pioduran, Albay for Donsol, Sorsogon at around 8am in the morning hoping to get a good look of the famous butanding or whale shark.
Upon reaching a part of Donsol, just near the Pioduran-Donsol border, we spotted a group of pumpboats full of toursits circling the seas. Siyempre, lumapit kami kasi we're sure nandun ung maraming mga butanding feeding on krill. At sa malayo pa lang, kitang-kita na namin ung mga matatabang puting turistang tumatalon sa kanilang pumpboat kung nakaturo na yung kanilang spotter sa dagat...I suppose, may nakitang butanding. So without much further delay, binilisan ng operator ang pumpboat at nakisali naman kami sa saya. And sure enough, may nakita nga kaming 2 maliliit na butanding. Ung first one, medyo malabo kasi medyo makulimlim. Ung pangalawa naman ang medyo ok kasi lumabas na si sun at medyo mas malaki ng konti...kitang-kita ung puting spots niya pati ung round head ng butanding. Nakaka-enjoy...lahat ng kasama namin nakangiti. C Mrs. Lorino nga, ung retiring principal ng San Lorenzo Academy, was ecstatic...tagal na raw kasi siya hindi nakakita ng butanding because the last time she saw one was when she was cooking it. Hehehe.
Then suddenly, nilapitan kami ng isang pumpboat with three persons on board and who introduced themselves as officials from Philippine Tourism Authority. They said na may bago daw'ng municipality ordinance ang Donsol at kailangan daw na magparegister sa PTA. Since we don't know na may existing ordinance palang ganun, we opted to leave the place na lang. They got our names and ayaw pang maniwala ung tagaPTA...nagalit ang gago at nagmura pa. Since, we don't want anything to do with them na kasi nga mga bully, we left the place. And after a few meters away, we heard a gunshot from their direction at ung kasama niyang goon was pointing the gun at us! Tuloy ung isang kasamang teacher namin napasigaw ng: "Ser, may baril! Sama na lang tayo kahit sandali lang!" I felt my head froze and felt that the gun was pointed at me...kahit hindi ako ung nag-negotiate...feeling ko tuloy that's the end of my life.
Now this lawyer from a prominent family in Gumaca (who was the one who negotiated with the PTA) started shouting: "Hindi kami sasama sa iyo! Binaril nyo kami! We are unarmed civilians at takot kami sayo! May kasama pa kaming mga babae at bata! You have no right to detain us!" Looking at him, I wondered...ganito ba matakot ang mga lawyers ngayon? Tapang pala kung matakot...Napaisip tuloy ako na kumuha ng law after my MA para matapang ako kung natatakot. hehehe.
And after the shouting match, pina-alis na kami...bilib ako sa pumpboat operator, tulin ng takbo ng boat...kinabahan kasi.
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The incident led me to question why Philippine tourism is still having a difficult time until now (kahit na may opportunity kasi devastated pa ang Indonesia and Thailand from the tsunami).
Does the PTA have the right to detain people? Or worse, discharge weapons? Do the officials have the right to bully local tourists? What a great way to attract and welcome tourists, right? Register now or I'll shoot you!
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Of course, I do have a few reflections (funny ones...can't help being Filipino. hehehe.):
1. Always secure a permit. Sa La Salle nga kung wala ka entry permit lalangawin ka lang sa labas ng gate.
2. Always have a camera or a videocam with you to document any harassment. Unfortunately, when I was trying to record everything on videocam, di ko pala napindot ung lecheng "record" na yan...wala tuloy nakuha. There goes my evidence...buti na lang ung lawyer's father was able to record everything. So, kailangan din ng...
3. Presence of mind. During that time, present nga ung brain ko but my mind was drifting somewhere else. Sa stress probably. Speaking of stress...
4. Being under stress is a good justification to do stupid things. I forgot to click that stupid 'record,' Mike allegedly lost the list of names when we heard the gunshot, two kinds of guns (9mm and a revolver) were reported although there was only one gunman, and the lawyer's father unwittingly boarded the PTA ship (which of course is a bad idea kasi baka biglang tatakbo ung boat at mapilitang mag-dive.)
And lastly,
5. Consider taking law studies...makes you fearless in times of fear. hehehe.
Posted at 04:55 pm by chimp
 | Posted by Rex @ 12/01/2005 03:21 PM PST | | | Hi "Name"! Thanks for the post and the tip! I've visited your recommended site already and found it inviting. I will talk with friends and organize a trip sometime summer of next year. | |
| Posted by Name @ 11/30/2005 01:01 PM PST | | Btw,
Let's all put all these lip service into action! If indeed we want our government to give us better service, let us also do things within our sphere.
I invite you to also get interested in protecting the Manta Rays of ticao, an island of Masbate. The rays are found within the same sea/area where we find the butandings. If interested pls visit this site: http://www.bluezoo.ticao-island-resort.com/ | |
| Posted by Rex @ 04/29/2005 12:35 PM PDT | | Thanks "tourist" for your comment. I agree with you...government people should wake up...as in wake up now. Pinapabayaan kasi eh.
I hope this would serve as a lesson to that gun-wielding dimwit and other LGU officers who doesn't know anything about customer service. ;-) | |
| Posted by a tourist in donsol @ 04/27/2005 11:57 PM PDT | | Great Shame indeed!
My take:
the pio duran boat captain did not know the proper way to handle the approach to the whale shark (as in racing towards the shark! - its a major mistake). Maybe thats one of the reasons the boat was accosted. Unfortunately, only the Donsol boats got the proper training. So may yabang and self righteousness factor ang donsol folks dito.
the donsol people saw the pio duran boat as a threat to their livelihood. I just don't know if there was already an agreement between Donsol and neighboring municipalities on the conduct of boat entry to Donsol. If there was, the pio duran boat captain would be at fault for not observing the protocol. If there is none, then this incident will be repeated a lot of times, while our government people are sleeping with their butts out.
donsol has a long history of being an NPA country. Meaning, firing guns would be second nature to a lot of folks there. You may argue with this, but tourism may have "tamed" this area quite a lot.
The solution really is for the local officials of donsol and neighboring areas to talk seriously about utilizing this huge goldmine (well, people are known to kill for a few grams of gold). Because if they don't, well, everybody has heard of the goose that laid golden eggs...
Meron pang isa - for the people of Donsol - dapat talagang isipin nila na hindi lahat ng bagay nadadaan sa away.
Hay naku talaga.
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| Posted by Rex @ 04/20/2005 01:35 PM PDT | | | Thanks Taikee for the enlightenment on Butanding watching...I accept, in my personal capacity, that we do have a few violations because no information was received in other Port areas. Personally, that doesn't justify shooting a gun at our direction. | |
| Posted by Taikee Calleja @ 04/19/2005 12:40 PM PDT | | Objectively speaking, indeed there were several violations on your end.
A. Use of an unauthorized vessel (PIO-Duran registered, Pio Duran is an albay municipality, 3rd district, Ligao is its City. Mind you, its not even part of the province of Sorsogon);
B. No B.I.O (Butanding Interaction Officer),the WWf trained BIO is a requirement by the WWF and the local council. These BIOs facilitate the interaction with the creatures and the snorkellers. There are some Dos and Donts when interacting with the whalesharks. Mishandling of the creatures can have some deleterious effects (i.e. health of the shark, feeding);
C. The boat captain must also be briefed and skilled in approaching the creatures, unskilled or inexperienced boat captains are the chief causes of injured sharks (apart from hunting). Remember that Philippine motorized bancas have open propellers.
D. Your group definitely did not pay the permit (its P50 per head and P300 if a foreigner);
E. There is a possibility that your banca is overloaded. The rule in whaleshark interaction is 6 pax per boat (excluding the BIO, spotter, Boat captain and crew);
F. There is a possibility also that your boat lacked the required flotation/ life saving device as required by law;
G. Based on your account, the PTA officers asked your group to register but your group chose to leave, thus you heard a warning shot. You failed to heed the order to register;
H. You were able to view 2 whale sharks. In most likelihood, it took some substantial amount of time, thus your group IMHO is liable to pay for the permits. The decision to leave was a signal for the PTA to apprehend/ accost you to their office;
I. Quiet possibly also, there is a rule that only 3 vessels are allowed per whaleshark at a time. If your group's vessel was the 4th then that could be additional violation;
PLease do not misinterpret my comments as condoning the Harsh treatment you got from the PTA officals. PLease do understand however that the people of Donsol especially the boat operators see your group as violating their law and encroaching in their livelihood. It is not surprising that they are overzealous in protecting their turf.
In behalf of my kabayans, apologies. Rest be assured however that if you go through the regular tourist route of Donsol, you will get the real whaleshark of an experience.... | |
| Posted by amee @ 04/12/2005 02:32 AM PDT | | | hahaha.. mr lor! sakto na dah.. | |
| Posted by Rex @ 04/11/2005 09:20 PM PDT | | | Jor, wag ka nga "Mr. Lor" dyan. hehehe. Thanks for dropping by! | |
| Posted by jor @ 04/11/2005 06:32 PM PDT | | Mr. Lor:
Mag-law ka nga after your MA, suportahan taka :) Tama yung reflection mo eh; power should not come out of the barrel of the gun! | |
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Why worry about life? We won't survive it anyway.
Might as well live it well!
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