AMID warnings of a “new wave” of red tide hitting several coastal communities, Sen. Edgardo Angara  cautioned the public against eating seafood from affected areas.

Water samples taken from five provinces in Central Luzon and Northern Mindanao tested positive for the red-hued toxic algae. Authorities  warned the residents of the affected provinces to avoid eating shellfish as these are the first to become poisonous after being exposed to red tide.

Angara noted that because the Philippines is an archipelago, the nation boasts of a very rich marine environment, “providing a constant source of food for our people.”

However, Angara said one of the few disadvantages of being surrounded by so much water is the susceptibility to water-borne toxins such as the red tide.