I was five years old when I got to see my first coral reef back in Bantayan Island off Cebu, where my Yaya Yoly was from. I didn’t know how to swim then, so all I could remember from the experience is the few minutes of terror it took before I was pulled back into the boat. I did not see a reef again until I was a first-year college student. By then, I was much better skilled to savor the beauty and wonders found in the reefs of Puerto Galera. The same way that one’s first love serves as the standard against which subsequent interests are judged, the first coral reef one sees defines what is good and beautiful about a gem of our coastal waters.

Licuanan, W. (2019, February 29). A love affair with coral reefs. Manila Standard, p. B3.