DESPITE his tendency to express his thoughts in many words, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is adamant about separating his public life and his personal affairs. This is probably why few people who know the mayor dared to ask him about his love life.
For instance, the grapevine was abuzz with talk about Catbalogan, Samar Mayor Stephany Tan’s presence on stage during Mayor Rama’s State of the City Address.
Those who dared to ask got Rama’s standard answer: “Wa’y labot ang lungsod ana (That has nothing to do with the City).”
The mystery kept many curious. And the curious took whatever sign to verify the real state of Mayor Rama’s love life. They found one in Mayor Rama’s iPhone, an “usie” of him and Mayor Tan, which serves as wallpaper of the device.
Those privy to the Cebu City mayor’s use of technology know that the local official was not always updated with the latest gadgets. Before the iPhone, the mayor had a legacy phone. But according to talks, a lady friend of the mayor convinced him to get the latest Apple gadget.
Observers said that Mayor Rama should not have migrated to a phone with a camera if he really wanted to keep his private life private. If he had a legacy phone with a tiny screen and no camera, there would not have been an “usie” of him and Mayor Tan for the curious to notice.
***
Tour adjustments
Stakeholders of the whale shark tour in Oslob, Cebu have made quite a few changes aside from the prices.
Tour operators and the local government limited the tour orientation to visitors who will get into the water. Those who will stay on the boat do not have to hear the basics in proper whale shark interaction.
What tour operators failed to factor in is that some visitors decide later to get into the water. And tour guides and boatmen rarely conduct impromptu briefings for these visitors.
What has not changed is the practice of feeders—fishermen who feed the sharks with krill or tiny shrimps—of throwing in food near swimming tourists. The practice defeats the purpose of warning tourists not to get too close to the sharks.
The need to keep humans away from wild creatures, including sharks, is not only to keep humans safe. Whale sharks do not eat humans or anything bigger than a tiny shrimp so there is no danger of them having tourists for breakfast.
Frequent interaction with humans have been observed to alter the behavior of the sharks. This change in behavior puts the lives of the sharks in danger.
A study made by the Large Marine Vertebrates Project Philippines (LAMAVE) noted that some of the whale sharks sighted in Oslob had propeller cuts and scars from bumping their head on the hulls of boats. The injuries were noted on sharks that were found often in the tourist interaction area, which means that these were the individual creatures that have grown to associate the hulls of boats with food.
Wildlife conservationists frown at feeding whale sharks, which are migratory species. The whale sharks in Oslob can be found in the tourist interaction area every morning.