"Aumentado had previously established a task force to find and arrest the whoever was writing graffiti on a separate colony of plate coral in September of 2024. In that case, divers had carved names including "Mojak" and "Min" into the flesh of the otherwise healthy coral, prompting Aumentado's task force to offer a 50,000 peso reward for information leading to the vandals' arrest."
"Per Divernet, a local snorkel-guide later copped to the 2024 incident, admitting a female tourist had asked him to carve her name into the magnificent coral. "Yet more corals being vandalized by irresponsible people - [it] seems like there are some who enjoy destroying our natural resources or not understanding our tourism needs," Aumentado said of the latest incident. "Those who violate [conservation laws] will be punished, including dive-shops and guides.""
An act of vandalism damaged a plate coral at Napaling Reef near Panglao, Philippines, with the words "JUST DIVE" carved into the colony. Provincial governor Erico Aris Aumentado previously created a task force after a September 2024 incident in which divers etched names into another plate coral; that case prompted a 50,000 peso reward. A local snorkel-guide later admitted a tourist had requested a name be carved. Aumentado warned of penalties for violators, including dive shops and guides. The recent vandal remains unidentified, and officials fear additional damage to the fragile reef ecosystem.
Read at Futurism
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