Did Bohol fishermen kill the pilot whale? Rescue unit for marine wildlife reconstituted

BIEN-UNIDO, BOHOL, Philippines — A marine mammal, identified as pilot whale, was allegedly butchered by residents and fisherfolk in Sagasa island of this coastal town in Bohol, according to an information from Phylasus, a non-government organization working for saving marine wildlife.

Efforts to contact Mayor Rey Nino Boniel for comments on the incident proved futile, but Dr. Alessandro Ponzo, president of Phylasus, said his group had no details about it either and it could not be determined whether it was a case of stranding or otherwise.

In another development, Phylasus and fishermen successfully rescued and released a stranded 4.2 meter-long male whale shark (Rhincodon typus), popularly known here as "balilan."

A report of the Phylasus and the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BAFR) stated that the whale shark got entangled in the fishing net of a certain Nerio Jacob who in turn brought it ashore.

Jagna town officials, led by Mayor Fortunato Abrenilla, Cantagay barangay officials headed by Barangay Chairman Joel Rosario, and municipal agriculturist Roderick Virtuozzo supervised the release of the whale share back into the sea.

Meanwhile, Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), BFAR and Phylasus joined hands last Friday at the BFAR office to convene a meeting of core members for review and to make recommendations for reconstituting the composition of the Bohol Rescue Unit for Marine Mammals (BRUMM).

The reconstitution of this unit was in line with the proposed executive order, to be signed by Governor Edgar Chatto, citing it as necessary considering that 14 out of 28 marine mammal species in the Philippines have been sighted and documented in Bohol.

The conveners, including Ponzo and BFAR provincial officer Cres Pahamutang, have proposed to change the unit's name to Bohol Rescue Unit for Marine Wildlife (BRUMW), and define the functions of the new group.

The proposed BRUMW will have an expanded membership to include representatives of 30 coastal towns and other national agencies.

The expansion of the BRUMW was prompted to quickly respond to protect and save marine wildlife, including endangered sea turtles, stranded in Bohol seawaters as proven by documented cases, said the BEMO.