CEBU CITY – The local government of Oslob, Cebu has suspended all paragliding activities in the town following the death of an American paraglider on Sunday (May 15).

Ma. Lester Ybañez, Cebu’s Provincial Tourism Officer, said the suspension was imposed while the death of Peter Clifford Humes, a 63-year-old native of New Jersey in the United States, is still being investigated.

“We temporarily stopped paragliding activities because there is no clear conclusion yet in the investigation,” said Ybañez.

Humes died after he plunged into the mountainous terrains of Sitio Can-aw, Barangay Poblacion last Sunday.

The fatal accident also prompted the Provincial Tourism Office to urge tourism stakeholders and tour operators to review and reassess their safety policies to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

“This is a wake-up call,” Ybañez said.

“We’re really saddened about this tragedy, especially that he was here to help the expansion and improvement of paragliding in Cebu,” Ybañez said.

Ybañez said initial investigation showed that pilot error may have been the cause of the accident.

The American, who was the education and safety director at Paraglide Tandem International based in Ocean City, New Jersey, USA, was equipped with new paragliding equipment when he took off.

According to the police, Humes and fellow expert paragliders arrived in Oslob to help improve the town’s paragliding activities.

Humes was hired by the Oslob Cebu Paragliding Development Co. which began offering paragliding to tourists and professionals in 2021.

For safety purposes, the company’s operations were limited which means their clients shall be accompanied by professionals in doing paragliding, said Ybañez.