The Verde Island Passage

Environmental group advocate Protect Verde Island Passage (Protect VIP) on Monday welcomed [MV1] the cancellation of a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Batangas City, which would have contributed to coastal and near-shore ecosystem degradation and increased shipping activities in the highly biodiverse marine corridor.

A group of environmental advocates, fisherfolk, and civil society groups on Wednesday raised concern over policy inadequacies in protecting the Philippines’ seas from oil spills and in exacting accountability from polluters.

“We are reminded of the importance of environmental protection for our only home.." said Gariguez.

“Our fight does not end today and we will not cease to fight until we see a clear path towards its recovery, which would only be possible if justice is served, polluters are held accountable, and communities are properly compensated,” added Fr. Gariguez.

“We hope that this water quality testing will expedite the accountability and just compensation from the polluters that we have been insisting on since day one,” said Gariguez.

“The DOE reportedly cleared 175 power generation projects to conduct system impact studies (SIS) in 2023, the biggest of which is Vind Energy Corporation’s 3,038-megawatt (MW) NOM FL1 offshore wind farm in Batangas and Occidental Mindoro,” said Protect VIP in a statement.

“Care for Our Common Home, Care for the Verde Island Passage,” Bishop Moises M. Cuevas.