Oslob Mayor Ronald Guaren defended the town's whale shark tourism operations after the endangered species' four-day absence from Friday, May 22 to Monday, May 25, 2026, caused a temporary activity pause.
Guaren rejected criticisms over local operators feeding the animals, stating the practice is not for nutrition but merely a minor intervention to entice or lure the migratory species to surface from deeper waters.
The mayor noted that factors like typhoons, sea temperature drops, and deep-sea food affect seasonal sightings, while asserting that town collections are regulatory revenue used to protect marine resources from exploitation.
OSLOB Mayor Ronald Guaren has defended the municipality’s whale shark tourism operations following a recent four-day absence of the endangered species from the town’s interaction area.
The absence of whale sharks during the early morning hours from Friday, May 22 to Monday, May 25, 2026, prompted a temporary pause in the tourist activity.
Guaren said the absence of whale sharks from the interaction area was a natural, seasonal occurrence influenced by environmental conditions rather than a permanent disappearance.
The mayor also rejected claims that local tour operators feed the whale sharks as their primary source of nutrition, saying instead that it is only done to entice the gentle giants “to come out on top, to surface.”
“Actually, it is not feeding, it is just to entice or lure them to surface because if you do not give them a little, they will not come out and so how can we show them,” Guaren said in Cebuano as he addressed criticisms regarding the practice of feeding the animals at the site.
The mayor said without this intervention, the whale sharks would simply stay in deeper waters.
“Because if you no longer give them a little (food), they won’t come out anymore. They’re already down below; they’re migratory. They just suddenly appear or simply pass by,” Guaren said in an interview with SunStar Cebu.
Guaren explained that the local tourism industry is not solely dependent on whale shark interactions, saying Oslob is prepared for the unpredictable behavior of wildlife.
“We are ready. It’s nature. It’s natural. It’s a species that we can’t control,” Guaren said, adding that the local government cannot assure tourists of the constant presence of whale sharks because the animals are wild and free to come and go anytime.
He also addressed misconceptions that the same whale sharks occupy the interaction area daily.
Citing a past study by a non-governmental organization, he said different whale sharks cycle through the waters of Oslob every day, although there have been times in the past when the ocean giants were temporarily absent.
“It’s not the first time. It’s seasonal. There are seasons that they don’t show up,” Guaren said, noting that sea temperature changes and typhoons disrupt regular sightings.
According to the mayor, factors such as heavy rains, typhoons, drops in water temperature, and an abundance of deep-sea food sources cause whale sharks to stay away from the shoreline.
Considered the largest fish in the world, whale sharks are an endangered species, with global populations declining due to fishing pressure, bycatch, habitat loss, and human disturbances.
The town’s collections from the whale shark attraction are treated as regulatory revenue to protect marine resources rather than commercial
corporate income.
“We will not say income. That’s revenue. It’s a regulatory issue. If it’s not regulated, it will be exploited. You have to protect the resource,” Guaren said.
He encouraged tourists to still visit the municipality, highlighting other natural destinations such as Sumilon Island, Tumalog Falls, and monkey-viewing sites.
“If you go to the whale shark (site), there are still a lot of beautiful sites to visit in Oslob.” / CDF