In early June, a Chinese fishing vessel dropped a parachute anchor at a depth of nine meters, around 2.6 kilometers east of Pag-asa Cay 1 in the Kalayaan Island Group, within the West Philippine Sea.
Full story: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/chinese-vessel-damaged-coral-pag-asa-island-july-2025/
00:00What took nature decades to build was destroyed quickly, not by explosives, but by something quieter, more precise, and possibly intentional.
00:09In early June, a Chinese fishing vessel dropped a parachute anchor at a depth of 9 meters, around 2.6 kilometers east of Pag-asa Key 1 in the Kalayaan Island group within the West Philippine Sea.
00:20The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development says the vessel damaged at least 464 square meters of living coral reef, worth an estimated P11.1 million.
00:31Officials say the incident highlights ongoing marine threats and rising concerns over repeated intrusions into Philippine waters.
00:38The PCSD's Habitat Management Section Chair Mark Ace De La Cruz says,
00:41We observed fragments, soft and hard corals, crushed in a pattern consistent with dragging, not impact.
00:47Officials say a parachute anchor was the cause, and it is typically used to slow vessel drift in open water.
00:53The PCSD adds the affected reef, which took decades to form, was home to marine life such as clownfish, shrimp, and coral polyps.
