Speaking at a forum of environmental experts on biodiversity, Alcala said coastal waters are polluted because there is no program to govern on waste management.

“We do not have in the whole country a general program for taking care of our waste coming from toilets, washrooms, kitchens, etc., and where do they go? They go to coastal areas and pollute our coastal areas,” Alcala said.

He cited the case of Mactan Island in Cebu where wastes go direct to the shorelines.

“Mactan island has no soil, so when you build toilets, and even if you enclose a space as a toilet, all the organic matters are washed away to the shorelines. And you can see this all the way. You can see the implications that the coastal waters are polluted, plenty of algae, no corals can exist there because corals dislike polluted waters,” he said.

He told the forum arranged by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) that an effective water waste program would help preserve corals and spare coastal areas from pollution.

Alcala claims only five percent of the country’s coral reefs from 1970s has been preserved because of the lack of political will to protect them.

“And with this, it means that when a reef is degraded, that means no fish or barely no fish is left,” he said.

Coral reefs are the breeding ground for water biodiversity. They are often called the rainforests of the sea due to the vast amount of species they harbor, and the high productivity they yield.

Gabriel Mabutas, Manila Bulletin