The 10-metre-long (33-foot-long) whale washed up at the pier late on Monday and was tied to a coast guard boat while authorities searched for a crane to haul it out to assess the cause of death.

The whale may have died of natural causes or may have been hit by a boat before being washed up, said Mr Lem Aragones of the state university's institute of environmental science and biology.

The exact species was yet to be determined as the carcass was bloated and still half-submerged but it was believed to be either a Minke or a Bryde's whale, said Mr Aragones.

Coast guard authorities said it was the first time in recent memory that a dead whale had washed up in Manila Bay, which is a major shipping channel. -- AFP