More of Andy’s Whaleshark (Butanding)

About this time of the year till December to May, the Butandings (Rhicodon typus,) the huge whale sharks come around to their usual haunts in Bicol in the farthest tip of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Many sightings of these gentle creatures which can grow to about 15 to 40 feet are in Sorsogon Province particularly in towns of Donsol, Pilar, Castilla, Magallanes, but may occasionally be encountered in the neighboring seas like in Camarines Sur, Albay and as far as Bohol in the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.

Harmlessly docile and friendly, the butandings allow people to go near and swim with them. With characteristic white spots (reminiscent of leopards,) on their gray-blue bodies, they quietly feed on minute planktons and krill abundant in the area at certain times of the year.

Supervised tours to see this giant wonders of the sea are available in the area. For more information, check the PDOT web site at http://www.wowbicol.com, call (63) 52 435-0085 or e-mail dotr5@globalink.net.ph. The Donsol Tourism Office in Dancalan headed by Salvador Adrao Jr. can also be contacted (0927) 233-0364. Snorkeling gears can be rented from the resorts.=0=

Bicol Gubatnon or Southern Sorsogon Bicol

Decades ago i dread going to Bulan, Sorsogon. Though fluent in many Bikol dialects I really can’t follow what the residents of Southern Sorsogon speak. I came to know later that residents of that area also have difficulty following the spoken dialects of Daraga, Albay and Legazpi City once they go in those places. I just told myself, “Hah, Bikol dialects are really much different from each other.”

Decades later I came across the website “Ethnologue” which is one of the most-known language classification services, widely-cited and used by some official agencies.  And, lo and behold, (surprise! surprise!) it classifies Bikol Gubatnon or Southern Sorsogon Bikol as a Waray dialect. I asked myself, “How can that be?”.

Trying to resolve the puzzle I texted a friend in Gubat, Sorsogon. I asked her if she can understand Samarnon. She answered, “Yes, almost entirely.” Wow! “We can talk with Samarenos directly without translation.” “Do you realize Ethnologue classifies your dialect as Waray?”. “Oh, I didn’t know that!”.

I am wondering now what Ibalonians coming from Southern Sorsogon have to say on this.

(Map credit: globalpinoy)