It’s summer in the Philippines! The blazing heat index makes us want to go to the nearest (or maybe farthest) beach resort and get that beautiful Instagram-worthy picture while also getting some well-deserved rest.
In some cases, we also want to tick one of our bucket list items to do free diving or snorkeling with beautiful sea creatures – usually, with Corals in the background.
YES, THEY’RE ALIVE – AND THEY’RE ANIMALS
You’ve probably seen them: branching, brain-like, flower-shaped beings in rainbow clusters beneath the sea. Maybe you’ve called them Reefs at one point. Maybe you thought they were rocks or plants. Maybe you’ve never stopped to wonder at all.
Here’s the thing: Corals are animals! And they are long overdue for a little respect. We always talk about what Corals do for us. Maybe it’s time we ask, who are they, really?
WHAT IS A CORAL, ANYWAY?
Corals are often the background characters in our underwater stories. They do not swim, bark, chirp, or purr. But like the more familiar animals we love, they eat, poop, fight, cuddle, and even dance with their food.
They are not decorations. Certainly, they are living beings with bodies, needs, and of course, personalities.
Instead of roots, they have tentacles. Instead of stems, they have soft, squishy polyps that build homes for themselves out of limestone. And even though they do not move around much, they are some of the most socially complex marine animals out there.
CORALS AND REEFS
Corals are marine invertebrates who form the foundation of Coral Reefs. They are tiny animals called Polyps who secrete calcium carbonate to build their skeletons, which accumulate over time to form the Reefs.
We’re talking about thousands (or millions!) of these Polyps living together and building huge, rock-like structures over generations.
According to Moberg and Folke in Ecological Economics, Coral Reefs support approximately 25% of all known marine life, despite covering only 0.1% of the ocean floor.
A PEEK INTO THE LIFE OF CORALS
What makes Corals special isn’t just what they do for marine ecosystems. It is how they exist in them. Corals are sessile animals, which means they are fixed in one spot for life. This immobility might seem like a disadvantage, but it is actually their evolutionary strategy.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website, they build limestone fortresses and form long-term symbiotic relationships with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae. These algae live inside the Coral’s tissues, feeding them through photosynthesis while getting room and board in return.
Corals provide shelter to Fishes, Crustaceans, and countless other marine creatures who depend on them for food and shelter.
And yes, they even do their part to fight climate change by storing carbon in their limestone structures, helping stabilize our warming planet.
But here’s the catch: Because they’re stuck in one place, Corals are incredibly vulnerable to stress caused by water pollution, sedimentation, boat traffic, and changes in temperature.
WHITE CORALS, RED FLAG
The NOAA announced that 83.7% of the world’s Coral Reef area documented a devastating milestone of bleaching-level heat stress between January 2023 and April 2025.
Their strength is in their stability, but that also makes them delicate. And when that balance is disrupted? They bleach. They starve. They die.
THE SAMAL-DAVAO BRIDGE CROSSROAD
One of the hottest topics right now is the proposed Samal Island-Davao City connector, which is a massive bridge project that could irreversibly damage local Coral Reefs. Netizens are not quiet about this, too!
In a bold, unprecedented legal move, Filipino residents, youth, scientists, and environmental groups have filed a petition for a Writ of Kalikasan before the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
The petitioners are invoking the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology to halt construction that’s already damaged two ecologically critical Coral ecosystems: Paradise Reef in Samal Island and the Hizon Marine Protected Area in Davao City.
“We are witnessing 400-year-old [C]oral [R]eefs being reduced to rubble in a matter of weeks. Paradise Reef is not just beautiful—it feeds us, it protects our shores, it teaches us balance. It deserves the protection that the Constitution guarantees,” said Atty. Mark Penalver, Executive Director of Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability, Inc.
DO WE EVEN NEED THIS BRIDGE?
Marine biologists and NGOs aren’t alone in this fight. Lawyers, law students, and community members are all in. Their arguments? That the Environmental Compliance Certificate was invalid, that the ongoing activities violate multiple environmental laws, and that the destruction is irreversible and unjustifiable.
Francis Gideon Tagnong, an early-career marine biologist focusing on marine conservation and community-based initiatives, shared that the construction of this bridge consists of dredging, blasting, sedimentation, and all the usual suspects that smother and stress Corals.
On top of that, the increased boat traffic and pollution could push the nearby Reefs past their tipping point, again leading to bleaching events and outbreaks of Coral diseases.
Yes, the bridge might shorten commutes and help traffic. But at what cost? “The convenience of a shorter drive shouldn’t come at the expense of centuries-old life,” Francis added. “Alternative solutions like upgrading ferry systems or investing in greener infrastructure exist. And they do not come with the same ecological price tag!”
CORALS ARE NOT SILENT; WE JUST DON’T LISTEN
We talk about saving Corals as if they’re distant, fragile decorations of the sea. But they’re more than scenery.
They’re resilient marine architects who have built homes for millions of sea creatures. They’ve done it for centuries without asking for credit. Because when the last Coral dies, it won’t be just the Reef we lose. It’ll be one of the ocean’s most extraordinary animals.
Let’s not reduce them to what they can do for us. Let’s see them for who they are. So the next time you swim past a Coral, don’t just look. Acknowledge. You’ve just met a fellow animal.
They don’t need to bark to be heard. Their presence (and their destruction) should be loud enough.
