DENR, 5 provinces want Verde Island Passage to become a legislated protected area
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the governors of provinces surrounding the Verde Island Passage (VIP) are calling for the declaration of the marine corridor as a legislated protected area.
Parts of VIP are currently marine protected areas, but governors want the marine corridor to be declared a protected area through legislation, according to DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga.
Loyzaga said the protected area status “will keep VIP a sanctuary to thousands of marine species and off limits to business activities that will threaten its pristine ecosystems.” The extremely rich but already fragile marine corridor is currently being threatened by the oil spill off Oriental Mindoro.
VIP is dubbed as the “Amazon of the oceans” because it is home to more than 300 coral species, 170 fish species, and thousands of marine organisms such as sharks and turtles. It also supports the livelihoods of over two million people.
The marine corridor is surrounded by the provinces of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon.
The call to declare VIP a protected area through legislation was agreed upon during a meeting among Loyzaga, Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr.
Loyzaga also met with the board members of the Verde Island Passage Marine Protected Area Network and Law Enforcement Network to discuss the development of a VIP-wide disaster prevention and response plan.
It was decided during the meeting that the DENR will convene the interim Protected Area Management Board for the legislation of VIP as a protected area.
Currently, there are 112 legislated protected areas nationwide.
Gerry Arances, executive director of sustainability think tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development and con-convenor of Protect VIP Network, welcomed the call.
“The ongoing oil spill showed that VIP suffers from insufficient protection. We hope this push to declare the Verde Island Passage as protected area will be championed by our authorities to the fullest extent, paving the way for stringent measures to keep biodiversity thriving and to empower coastal communities,” Arances told Philstar.com
Development projects
Loyzaga noted a number of proposed development projects like submarine cable or pipe laying and jetty construction will be implemented within VIP.
“With this, there is a need to study what possible regulations may be imposed to ensure that there is a balance between development and conservation,” she said.
The country’s gas expansion is also seen to exacerbate the threats faced by VIP. Five of the country’s existing gas plants are found in Batangas City. Batangas is also the site of eight proposed gas plants and seven planned LNG terminals.
Groups such as CEED and Protect VIP earlier warned the influx of liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Batangas increases the possibility of another oil spill threatening the rich waters.
“Threatening practices like shipping of oil and other toxic cargo, and construction of destructive industries like a planned fleet of new gas projects should have no place in the VIP,” Arances said.
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