Residents of a coastal village in Maasim town of Sarangani province described the deluge of sardines along some 2- to 4-kilometer stretch of shoreline in the area a “blessing from above” that must be shared with everyone. But some villagers, who noted how the photos and videos of the sardine deluge became viral on social media, were worried what the phenomenon could mean, wondering if it was an omen of bad things to come. Mark Baya, a resident of Maasim, feared that a new calamity was upcoming and that the beaching of the sardines could be an “advance notice.”

Fernandez, E. O. (2024, January 9). Deluge of sardines delights, worries Sarangani folk. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A5.