Every day at 9 a.m., divers scour the waters off Mayor’s Island in the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) in Alaminos City in Pangasinan province, to look for fragments of live coral that could still be nurtured at the coral nursery or planted in the sea bed. They intend to rebuild the coral reefs—colorful gardens under the sea where marine life thrives—which are often damaged by bleaching brought about by global warming. What the divers are doing is part of the coral regeneration program financed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research (PCAARD) and implemented by Pangasinan State University and the Alaminos City government.

Sotelo, Y. (2016, October 5). Coral regrowth is new crusade. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A10.