Caritas Philippines expressed alarm over the reported large-scale destruction of corals in Bais Bay in Negros Oriental caused by toxic water dumped into the sea. According to the survey, coral destruction in Bais Bay has reached 69%. This threatens local biodiversity and coastal fishing communities’ livelihood.

The destruction came after wastewater from used molasses spilled into Bais Bay on October 27, 2025. This was after the cthe wall of the 20-hectare containment lagoon of Universal Robina Corporation’s distillery collapsed. The leak damaged around 6,000 hectares of sea within the Tañon Strait between Cebu and Negros Island. The strait serves as an important feeding and breeding ground for marine mammals, fish, and crustaceans.

Caritas Philippines’ July 19 statement said that coral destruction is not only an environmental issue but a moral issue. Corals nourish fisheries, protect coasts, support countless marine species, and provide livelihood for thousands of families living along the shore. Coral deaths harm many, especially the poor who depend on a healthy sea.

“As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, ‘everything is connected.’ The death of coral reefs, the suffering of fishers, the decline of marine resources, and the future of our children are inseparably linked,” Caritas Philippines president Bishop Gerardo Alminaza explained.

The organization urged all concerned government agencies to respond with urgency, transparency, and accountability. If ongoing pollution is indeed continuing, every necessary legal and regulatory measure must be taken immediately to stop further damage, determine responsibility, ensure full compliance with environmental laws, and the restoration of affected ecosystem.

“Future generations will judge us not by our intentions, but by the seas, forests, and communities we leave behind,” Bishop Alminaza said in closing.

In October 2025, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya, or National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organizations in the Philippines)-Negros Island and the environmental group Hakson Inc. also called for accountability from URC. They demanded compensation from URC for the full rehabilitation of Bais Bay and for the lost income of affected communities.