“Honestly, what I love most about my work is the privilege of promoting my hometown, Donsol,” said Louise Jane Lita, Sales and Marketing Associate at Whale Shark Adventure and Tours.
Lita’s days revolve around travelers, questions, tides, and the long anticipation of whale shark season. She speaks about her hometown with familiarity shaped by childhood and the steady glow of pride in her work.
It was a gray afternoon in Barangay Dancalan. The kind that presses the air down with salt and promise. When the weather is almost as nice as this, I usually make coffee and grab my favorite horror novel, but for the locals, the rain is a sign. When the monsoon stirs, and the rivers swell, the whale sharks are not far behind.
These gentle giants follow the food too small for the eye. The planktons feed on nutrients washed down from the rivers. These waters, darkened by mangrove roots and rich with decomposing leaves, are alive with microscopic movement. Krill, or locally known as ‘bolinao,’ gather where freshwater meets the sea. And when that happens, the whale sharks follow.
Scientists call it a seasonal phenomenon. But for the people of Donsol, it’s a rhythm of life. The rains bring plankton. The plankton bring butanding. And the butanding brings this hometown to the world.
With the collective efforts of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Donsol, the rivers stay clean enough to keep the cycle alive. As the water flows toward the sea, it allows mangrove trees to thrive and hold the soil in place.
Their roots serve as a filter and slow the flow of dirt to the bay. Because of this, the bay stays rich with food without choking. This balance creates a chain of life that later brings the biggest fish in the world. This just proves that everything boils down to how mindful humans are of their actions toward the environment
Every November, when the air cools and the river mouth clouds with nutrients, the whale sharks return.
The season lasts until June. By then, Donsol hums with activity again. You will see tour boats line up along the beach. The spotters climb to their posts. Dive masks are rinsed and readied.
“Pag mid-season na, sobrang alive ang office,” Lita said. “Coordinating boats, arranging schedules, assisting walk-in guests. Organized chaos, pero masaya,” she added.
Tourists must remember these three things before the encounter: distance, respect, and patience.
“Una sa lahat, respect the whale shark,” she firmly said. This automatically translates into these reminders during the briefing: No touching, no feeding, and no crowding. Swimmers should stay three meters from the body and four from the tail.
The same discipline shapes the work in the Tourism Office. Christine Arellano spends her days inside the moving parts of these preparations. “Every day feels meaningful,” she said.
Arellano’s role in marketing helps her share the places and people at the heart of Donsol. She loves promoting local spots and supporting small businesses. With her love for her craft, she sees tourism as a bridge between livelihood and identity.
Indeed, this awareness reaches beyond government and tourism groups. It guides the daily work of locals who built new opportunities for themselves and businesses as Donsol grew.
A perfect example is Julius Marcos, known in town as Kuya J, started as a small business owner. He cooks, manages stalls, and creates content about food and community life.
“Nahikayat akong mag-umpisa sa maliit na negosyo dahil sa magandang ekonomiya na dala ng butanding,” he shared. Visitors brought opportunity, and this opportunity brought growth. Now he has four food stalls and a platform where he promotes not just his dishes but his hometown.
Kuya J’s pride in local food shines as he confidently enumerates them. He wants tourists to try dishes that carry the flavor of the town. The traditional Donsol kinunot, adobadong native manok, the ‘Giant Squid’ or locally known as tamisan, kinilaw na pusit, tablea, and mulidong pili.
Kuya J also talks about his belief that caring for the environment is the most important part of helping the local government of Donsol to prosper, most especially with the welfare of the whale sharks at stake.
“Sana mas mapanatili natin ang kalinisan [ng ating bayan], hindi lang sa ating bahay. Iwasan natin ang pagsunog ng mga plastic at sumunod sana tayo sa pinapatupad ng ating local government na waste segregation. Dahil kung mapapangalagaan natin ang ating kalikasan hindi lang tayo ang (magbebenipisyo), kundi maging ang mga susunod na henerasyon,” he shared.
If the land stays clean, the bay stays alive. If the bay stays alive, the whale sharks will come back. And when they come back, life in Donsol keeps moving.
Donsol was once a quiet fishing community. Now it is a model of community-based ecotourism. Still, the sea remains the same: vast, patient, and easily disturbed. The people of this town know this, which is why many here speak not of profit, but of responsibility.
Indeed, ecotourism carries that message across the shoreline. Lita urges the younger generation to start with awareness. Use their voices. Share accurate information. Support local guides. Stay proud of their stories.
Arellano mirrors that message through her passion for work at the Tourism Office.
Meanwhile, Kuya J lives it through entrepreneurship anchored in local cuisines and community engagement.
“I want people to know Donsol for its soul, the warmth of our people, the authenticity of our experiences, and the adventure waiting in every corner,” Lita fondly shared.
When the whale sharks return, everything follows. The tide of life, the hum of work, and the pulse of pride.
