Aired (October 27, 2024): Kapag sinabing animal encounter sa Bohol, tarsier o dolphins ang unang maiisip. Pero alam n’yo ba na puwede na ring maka-bonding ang mga butanding o whale shark dito? ‘Yan ang susubukan ng ating OG Biyahero Drew. Panoorin ang video.
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00:00When we say animal encounter in Bohol,
00:02we think of Tarsier and Dolphin.
00:04But Bierros, did you know that there's also a whale shark encounter in Bohol?
00:08I don't know.
00:10You're careful, right?
00:11Really? Somewhere in islands?
00:14Yup, you're not in Sorsogon.
00:16This is the town of Lila in Bohol.
00:19Bierros, it looks like there are a lot of
00:22butanding tourist destinations in the Philippines.
00:26The first time we featured butandings,
00:28it's been a long time, but in Sorsogon, Oslob, Cebu,
00:32I think there's one in Leyte,
00:34and a few other places.
00:36But we're here in Lila, Bohol,
00:39and from the looks of it,
00:41it looks like there are a lot of tourists.
00:44Specifically, I think our Korean friends.
00:47Every single time we feature these gentle giants,
00:51when we see them,
00:53it's always, you know, a pleasant experience
00:56because they're big.
00:59They're like the size of a bus,
01:01but they're not that big.
01:04So, shall we try the Lila, Bohol, butanding experience?
01:10Okay.
01:12Every summer, they say that there are the most butandings in the area.
01:16They disappear during the summer,
01:19or in the months of August to September.
01:23Can we see them now?
01:27Remember, travelers,
01:29when you try a whale shark encounter,
01:31there are rules to follow.
01:33First, and most importantly,
01:35whale sharks are not allowed to be touched.
01:38Keep a safe distance from them.
01:41Second, always listen to tour guides or spotters.
01:44They're the ones who know the behavior of the butandings.
01:47And if you're lucky, and you see them,
01:50don't panic.
01:51They're big, and they don't bite.
01:54They don't bite.
01:57After waiting for a few minutes,
01:59let's go.
02:11Oh, hello there, gentle giant.
02:25Easy for the tourists to spot and experience the butandings.
02:29Well, let's talk about the passpoints.
02:33From the briefing area,
02:35you just have to wait for a few minutes,
02:38and the butandings are already here.
02:41When I was studying at a university,
02:44this Bohol, especially this Lila,
02:47is a pathway for migrating whale sharks.
02:50I asked the old fishermen here,
02:54and they were still able to catch whale sharks here.
02:58They're doing it for livelihood.
03:00But then, because of the advent of a new law,
03:03which prohibits them from hunting and killing it,
03:05it's gone.
03:07So, LGO has diverted the way
03:10so that the livelihood of the fishermen here
03:13will not be lost.
03:15It will just be a tourism site,
03:17and they will be employed.
03:19The old fishermen were waiting for the butanding,
03:21and they're still waiting now,
03:23but it's for their livelihood and food.
03:25At that time, the whales were already at our viewing site,
03:30and our viewing area wasn't open yet.
03:33We fed them a little bit,
03:35so that when they come,
03:37they'll have food.
03:39We feed them little by little,
03:41until we take the food away.
03:44The guests are already interacting
03:46because they're attracted to the bubbles.
03:49It's just a totally different experience
03:51if you're weighing out things.
03:53Time goes by faster.
03:55If you're okay that you're feeding the butanding,
03:57then fine.
03:59If you're the purist type,
04:01or if you're the type to weigh in,
04:03and you want a little challenge,
04:05you have time to spare,
04:08then I guess
04:12the search for the butanding in the wild
04:16is for you.
04:18I guess the downside of this experience is
04:21that you have to weigh in
04:23on how much food you're feeding the butanding.
04:28But I guess that works for the tourists,
04:31the operators.
04:33It's legal, and I guess it works.
04:35Especially if you're trying to be efficient
04:37with your itinerary.
04:39I have a meeting this Friday.
04:41All you gotta do is just subscribe
04:44to the YouTube channel of JMAPublicAffairs
04:46and you can just watch all the Behind the Drew episodes
04:49all day, forever in your life.
04:51Let's go! Yee-haw!