Truemors
This inter action with the whale sharks 'butanding' has been experienced both by the locals and thousands of tourist nearby, who have been flocking to Donsol in increasing numbers for the past five years. Previously marine scientists thought that whale shark 'butanding' --the world's largest living fish that could be anywhere from six to 18 meters long -where found only in waters around Bohol island, in Northern Mindanao, and some parts of the Visayan island. Donsol was never mentioned until 1998, where from out the blue, Sorsogon province launced a campaign to stop killing of 'butanding' or whale sharks.
Butanding, known as the gentle giants of the deep, had been sighted and slaughtered, in some coastal towns of Sorsogon. I remembered that one 'butanding' or whale shark is also encountered in the shore of Rizal Beach, during the 1990s, but instead killed and slaughtered by the local fishers, the local resident told. A 'butanding' can sell for as much as P20,000 apiece, its fins are used for soup. Buyers, however, do not really go for the epicurean pleasure offered by soft 'butanding' meat, which has a consistency similar to tasteless 'tofu', and meat is used also as ingredient for perfumed and scented candles must preferred by some Asian traders. But since that campaign to save the whale sharks, the townsfolk here have seen that they could live off the 'butanding' without having to kill them. This sighting of 'butanding' are a magnate for tourists, both locals and tourist abroad, who brought the town much needed bussiness, from being a fith-class town in 1998.
Donsol is now on its way to becoming a third-class municipality. Local officials, on the prodding of green groups, passed municipal ordinances to protect the whale sharks 'butanding', they included regulating and supervising the entry of visitors into Donsol's waters.
Interaction Officers or BIOs, usually local folks are trained divers and who can give tourists literal in-your-face experience with 'butanding'. Donsol, now, has pretty much existed on its own as an ecotourism haven, with minimal supervision from the Department of Tourism (DOT)
Whale shark interaction season begins in Donsol
Submitted by: dannyboy!
Whale shark interaction season begins in Donsol
The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) for the Bicol Region has announced the start of the butanding season this month of January until May of this year for the Whale Shark Watching and Interaction tours in the rustic town of Donsol in Sorsogon province.
Bicol Tourism Director Nini Ravanilla confirmed that all roads and transportation as well as accommodations are ready for local and foreign visitors, who would like to interact with the “gentle giants” -- the butanding or whale sharks -- in Donsol, Sorsogon.
Donsol’s pride
Donsol Mayor Salve Ocaya beams with pride as she reveals that the butanding interaction tours by local and foreign visitors has brought about 75% increase in the livelihood of the townsfolk since 2004. “We would like to let people know that Donsol is one of the best known and best equipped places in the world where you can have a “blind date” with one of the ocean’s genuine leviathans. Every butanding interaction will be an experience that is unlike any other and one that will never be forgotten,” Ocaya enthused.
“There has been more than 11,000 visitors who have joined the butanding interaction tours since these have been instituted in 2002. Moreover, boat rentals and registration fees for the butanding interaction tours have reached P 50 million once we add the income from the resorts, restaurants and transport services,” Ravanilla revealed.
Butanding Festival
The municipality of Donsol has also come up with a month-long festival in April to honor the butanding and as thanksgiving for the townsfolk’s additional jobs and livelihood derived from local and foreign visitors’ interaction tours with the “gentle giants”. During the Butanding Festival, the local people and visitors participate in a celebration of the holy mass, motorcade, trade and beverage fair, beer plaza, band concert, marathon and swimming race, regatta, sividan pumpboat race, basketball, mural painting, bingo, fashion show, fireworks display and the butanding extra challenge, where local and foreign participants will compete as to the most number of butanding sightings during the day. There is also a job fair, cooking demonstration, the body watch swimwear and the film showing on how to save the “gentle giants.”
The festival culminates with a regatta exhibition and maritime parade consisting of more than 50 boats with banners and giant images of the butanding along the Donsol River. There is also a street parade along the town’s main thoroughfares consisting of life-size images of the butandings on floats accompanied by village (barangay) delegations, brass bands, drum and bugle corps, and the festival street-dancing contingent winners from other Bicol provinces.
Sorsogon’s accessibility from Manila
Sorsogon is an hour away via excellent roads from Legazpi City, which is turn is 12 hours by land or an hour by air from Manila. Tour packages under “The Philippines: Explore. Experience. Return.” program can be downloaded in the travel planner of the program’s portal www.experiencephilippines.ph, where interested travelers can directly book with agents in the United States and Canada.
For individual travelers, there are several vans for hire at the Legazpi domestic airport as well as passenger vans and public utility buses at the Legazpi City bus terminals going to Donsol, Sorsogon. Resorts in Donsol, which have been accredited by the PDOT, include Amor Farm Beach Resort (mobile phone # 63 917-8233802), Vitton Resort (mobile phone # 63 927-2330364) and Woodland Beach Resort (mobile phone # 63 921-9699544). For more information, check the PDOT website at www.wowbicol.com or through telephone number 63 52 435-0085 and email address dotr5@globalink.net.ph. The Donsol Tourism Office in Dancalan headed by Salvador Adrao, Jr. can also be contacted through mobile phone # 63 927-2330364. Snorkeling gears can be rented from the resorts.
Beyond the butanding experience
After the exhilarating butanding experience, individual travelers may want to visit other places near Donsol like the Tangkulan Mangrove Eco-Tour Park, the magnificent pinnacle rock and coral formations in Catundolan, Nahulugan Falls in Barangay San Rafael, the Grotto Chapel in Barangay San Antonio, the Astillero Shipyard Archeological Site in Barangay Dancalan and the magical firefly watching tour in the evening at a sanctuary along the wide and clean Donsol River.
Tour packages include trips to Bulusan Volcano and Lake, river trekking and swimming and picnic at Bayugin Falls. Or a Sorsogon countryside extension tour consisting of a visit to Mayon Volcano’s 17th century Cagsawa Ruins, the centuries-old baroque Daraga Church, Rizal Beach Resort, San Rafael Bee and Citrus Farm, and the Purok Bacolod Mineral Pools. There is enough time to savor the unforgettable Bicol native delicacies like the pili nut, pinangat and fiery bicol express dish at a local restaurant.
Nature of whale sharks
The whale shark (rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest fish. Known in Donsol as “butanding” and as “balilan,” “kulwano,” “tawiki,” and “toki” in other parts of the Philippines, whale sharks are known to grow to lengths of up to 18 meters, weigh up to 40 tons and live up to more than 100 years.
Whale sharks appear in Donsol waters in considerable numbers between December and May of each year taking advantage of dense food concentration of plankton, krill, small fish, squid and invertebrate larvae. With Donsol as a seasonal feeding ground for whale sharks, scientists and environmentalists have the opportunity to study them more. The whale sharks’ arrival also prompts the host community to provide butanding interaction tours, where visitors have the chance to swim alongside these majestic creatures.
Donsol’s protection for butanding
Despite being massive, whale sharks are really graceful, gentle and innocent. In fact, they are one of the world’s most endangered species. Their numbers are threatened by the export of their meat, skin and fins, which are delicacies in other countries. Through the Fisheries Administrative Order No. 193 of March 1998, the Philippine government banned both killing and harming of whale sharks as well as the export of by-products. The town of Donsol has also protected its whale sharks through guidelines and local ordinances that must be strictly followed by the local community and visitors, whose primary responsibility is to ensure that their actions do not disturb or upset the whale sharks’ natural rhythms as well as to abide by the Code of Conduct in interacting with the whale sharks.
Generally, the whale sharks at Donsol swim very close to the surface of the water, Some basic snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel, fins and a water vest) are about you'll need in the water to experienced swimming among them...
Getting there: Donsol, Sorsogon is approximately one-hour drive away to Legazpi City. The roads all the way to Donsol are well-paved, scenic and very accessible. There are several taxis available that make daily routes from Legazpi to Sorsogon.
Saving Sorsogon: The Province boast of fantastic beaches, and its white sand and clear waters, centuries old churches, and the most spectacular sighting of whales sharks, but mining and over development are treatening Sorsogon's long-term tourist potential.
source: Luz Rimban/ http://www.pcij.org/imag/Environment/sorsogon.html and www.sorsogonweb.com
Also:
Butandings: The Gentle Giants of Donsol, Sorsogon (Posted by Gloria Gamat on 05.02.07/http://www.pinoytravelblog.com/summer-hot-spots/561/butandings-the-gentle-giants-of-donsol-sorsogon)
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