A sperm whale died a few hours after it was found stranded at a public beach in Barangay Sta. Maria, Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat over the weekend.

Beachgoers were surprised to see the massive whale morning on Saturday, March 21, 2026.

Some residents approached the animal in an attempt to push it back into the deeper part of the sea. However, the whale struggled after several individuals climbed onto its back.

“Ang nangyari yung mga ibang tao doon, sumakay, sinakyan nila yung likod nung balyena, doon na parang nag-struggle na yung balyena kasi yung belly niya naka-scrape na sa seafloor,” a resident who uploaded the video online, Hazi Masukat, said.

The whale was also reportedly blocked by pump boats, preventing it from swimming away.

Personnel from the local government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and other agencies responded to rescue the whale.

However, the situation worsened when low tide set in, and the whale died eventually in the afternoon.

“Talagang parang ayaw niya mag-move, bumabalik at bumabalik pa rin, inabot na siya ng low tide. Lalo kameng nahirapan hinintay na naman mag-high tide ulit. At hinila na naman ayaw talaga,” Kalamansig Mayor Ronan Eugene Garcia said.

The local government added that the whale was estimated to weigh around 20 tons and measure approximately 54 feet in length.

The weight of people riding the whale was reportedly unlikely to have directly caused its death due to its massive size. However, authorities emphasized that such actions are inappropriate.

“The shared size hindi maka-cause ng stress sa kanya yun para bang elepante sinakyan ng tao. It’s actually stress na siya before that. But you know there is a protocol, kung totoo may sakit siya, we don’t do it that way,” Garcia added.

The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Kalamansig is investigating the incident.

Authorities reminded the public that whales are protected under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 (RA 9147).