With just five days before its Butanding Festival, Donsol town in Sorsogon province had limited its whale shark interaction due to sightings of the deadly box jellyfish in local waters. Mayor Josephine Alcantara-Cruz, in an advisory on Friday, said minors and those with “compromised health conditions” would not be allowed to snorkel in the waters of Donsol, which is famous for whale sharks, locally known as “butanding,” to avoid injuries from Chironex fleckeri, a venomous species of box jellyfish. Nonie Enolva, spokesperson for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Bicol, said this species of box jellyfish produces “extremely potent venom” that could kill a person in just a few minutes.

Ostoria, R. M. (2019, May 13). Jellyfish sighting sours 'butanding' season. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A12.