AN OARFISH, locally known as "liwit," was washed ashore in Seaside, Barangay Poblacion, Compostela, Cebu Monday, June 24, 2019.
Residents who found the fish said it first appeared in big rocks near the dike. They tried to catch it by pulling the head, but the head was torn away from the body.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Compostela said in a Facebook post that the oarfish was 13.9 feet long and 1.6 feet wide.
Residents believe that the appearance of oarfish precedes a calamity like an earthquake, because they live in deep water.
"Gituohan sa kadaghanan nga ang pagtumaw niining maong talagsaong isda usa ka sinyales nga anaay nagdangadanga nga katalagman kay sigun sa mga talaan nga kining maong klase sa mananap, anaa nag puyo sa yuta ilawm sa tubig og mogawas kini kung anaa kiniy mamatikdan nga mga paglihok sa kayutaan nga ilang gipuy-an," the MDRRMO's post stated.
The MDRRMO advised the public to pray and prepare for any calamity.
According to seismologists, though, there are no scientific instruments yet that can predict when an earthquake will occur and more studies are needed to prove that oarfish can predict tremors.
READ: In the know: Can oarfish predict earthquakes?
(SunStar Philippines)