For five years now, between the months of June and August, an iridescent tangle of green algae has been showing up in the shallow waters off Macajalar Bay, 30 kilometers west of Cagayan de Oro City. At first, residents of this seaside community were more puzzled than worried at the sudden proliferation of what they called bitukang manok (chicken intestine) and lumot (moss).

Reyes, L. S. (1999, September 20). Algae scourge triggers hunt for culprit. BusinessWorld, p. 14.