As much as we want Boracay to recover now, we can’t use the presence of butandings or whale sharks in its oceans as a measure for the cleanup’s success.
“Butanding sighting is a regular occurrence in Boracay, using it as an indicator of the health of the sea is fake news, as whale sharks are migratory species,” Greenpeace said, quoted by The Freeman’s May Miasco.
The environmental group made the clarification on Tuesday, Jun. 26 after the whale shark sighting blew up on Facebook, reaching news websites, and the Malacañang. Last Saturday, Jun. 23, Boracay resident Reagan Cahilig posted on his Facebook account photos and a video of a whale shark in the channel between the island of Boracay and Laurel while on a motorbanca noontime.
Two days after the sighting, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque took pride in the presence of the endangered sea animal. “If you’re able to attract a whale shark, that means we must have pristine waters anew in Boracay. Congratulations to those involved in the rehabilitation of Boracay,” he said during a press conference in Cagayan de Oro.
But Greenpeace dismissed Roque’s statement as “fake news.”
“The government should stop hyping on wrong metrics to the rehabilitation and instead speak of the details of the rehabilitation plan, what was achieved, and what is still needed,” the environmental group said.
Featured image courtesy of Steve De Neef, contributor for Philippine Daily Inquirer
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