New Zealand PM see Pamilacan Whale hunters' transformation

By REY ANTHONY CHIU

.WITH her government's crucial involvement in community empowerment work here in Pamilacan, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Elizabeth Clark see for herself the transformation of Bohol 's whale hunters. Former traditional fierce and fearless whale hunters now opt to become whale keepers, all in the name of conservation and conviction that sustaining the environment is doing their little share for the world. In fact, aside from the bilateral talks and state dinner honors, the first ever state-honore and reception outside Malacanang, the next big reason why Prime Minister Clark is in Bohol is to witness the dolphins and whales. It would have been different had she been here minus the technical and financial assistance that her country lent to the people of Pamilacan.

Traditionally a whale hunting village right at the marine super highway that serves as the shortest route towards the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean , Pamilacan fishers see a bigger income in the bigger fish. Of course, they mean the gentle whales, which offer almost little resistance compared to the more rabid sharks here. Pamilacan is taken from a local term for an oversized hook pilak which the local fishers use to catch the whales and other cetaceans. And no bait. At least, whale hunting by pilak is offering oneself as a bait, for another vicious predator: sharks. Whale hunting by pilak means swimming beside the whale carrying that oversized hook tide with a rope to a buoy. It means manually tagging the whales with about six to ten hooks to a buoy, climbing on top of the whale and butchering it as it swims in a pool of blood amidst a shark feeding frenzy. Wanting to implement the international Citation for International Trades on Endangered Species (CITES) and the international whale ban, the Provincial Government and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Marine Mammal Protection (IATFMMP) set its rudders to Pamilacan to offer alternative livelihood.

The World Wildlife Foundation and its local counterpart, the Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas started with the IATFMMF information education and communication programs on marine conservation. The move led to the Pamilacan Island Dolphin and Whale Watching Organization (PIDWWO), a group of fishers convinced that going sustainable is the “in” thing. Form whale spotters and hunters, fishers now have and alternative livelihood by becoming tour guides and spotters offering their services to local and foreign tourists and spreading the word about environmental advocacy. The income is not yet comparable to old time fishing, but with the way it is picking up, we see good signs, says PIDWWO Chairman Leo Sumalpong. Launched in 1997 but fizzled due to lack of continuing support, PIDWWO soon re-launched in 2003, this time with the New Zealand technical and multi-component financial assistance and support. “Technical assistance by way of funded trainings proved to be very beneficial to the organizations who were on to a rough start, Leo Sumalpong said in an interview. New Zealand assisted trainings include marine mammal biology and ecology, Pamilacan marine biology and ecology, cetacean guide course, snorkeling guide course, tourism quality control and safety, marine mammal tour interpretation skills, boat captains and spotters interpretation, public speaking course, food and beverage and tour guiding with environmental interpretation.

With a measly 11 tours in 2002, after the New Zealand assistance, we jumped to 95 tours in 2003, 174 in 2004, 216 in 2005 and we have an average of 30 tours a month for the past three months, Sumalpong shared. We are not making money, but we are allowing our people to have a few pesos to spend for their needs and cope with life, he said. Learned now in the ways of the business courtesy of New Zealand , Pamilacan has found a better way of living, and that is luckily fishing for tourists in the conservation advocacy. This year, the Pamilacan Marine tour competes with 3 other finalists in the international Tourism Awards for 2006 on conservation category, and winning or not, the people's experience have already handed them the greatest award.