MAASIM, Sarangani (May 27, 2022) – Danilo Pontillas, 59, a fisherman from barangay Kamanga, shows how a crown-of-thorns is properly retrieved from underwater. Through the use of tongs and other alternative COTs collecting gears, the COTs are removed from the corals underwater and buried ashore but above the high tide level. The COT is a large starfish that preys upon hard, or stony, coral polyps. Covered in long poisonous spines, they range in color from purplish-blue to reddish-grey and green. On May 26, locals of barangays Kamanga, Tinoto, Malbang, and Colon simultaneously joined in the COT Community Collection activity in Maasim. The COT collection was one of the highlight activities of this year’s Sarangani Bay Festival anchored to the theme #WakeUpSarbay in line with the festival’s comeback after its two-year slumber due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Martin Fernando Bernad Jr.-Jori Mae Samillano/SARANGANI PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE)