MANILA -- After the Bureau of Customs confiscated hundreds of corals from poachers who probably explored 7,000 hectares of coral reefs or double the size of Manila, the Makabayan Coalition urged President Benigno Aquino III to immediately stop further environmental degradation.
"Environmental criminals are not only poachers of marine life and coral reefs. There are also big commercial mining and logging companies and power plants using fossil fuels who degrade our environment," Makabayan Vice President Liza Maza said in a statement.
According to government data, only five percent of some 27,000 square kilometers of coral reefs in the country are in excellent condition.
Experts said the Philippines and the coral triangle region is “the center of world marine diversity” – an area where a single square kilometer can keep on producing over 40 metric tons seafood year on year which can feed billions, the group pointed out. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)