The Philippines government has partnered with three of the nation’s biggest conglomerates on the conservation of a 1.4-million hectare vital waterway, though some observers expressed concern as the same three firms recently started building an LNG facility in the area.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DOE) signed the partnership with Aboitiz Equity Ventures (EAV), the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), and San Miguel Corporation (SMC).
Together they committed to protect and conserve the Verde Island Passage (VIP), a crucial stretch between the Luzon and Mindoro islands that provides habitat for 1,700 marine species, including over 60% of shore fish species globally and 300 coral species.
The parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that initially will go for five years, but with an option to extend.
“As a framework for joint stewardship and sustainable development, this historic initiative not only underscores the collective commitment to environmental preservation but also heralds a new era of public-private collaboration aimed at ensuring the longevity of one of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems,” said Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, the environment secretary.
All the involved parties will contribute funding towards protecting the VIP, though a more detailed work plan and long-term financing strategy will be hammered out over the next month.
The Verde Island Passage – a key area in the so-called Coral Triangle spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and the Solomon Islands – has been announced as protected by the government, but that lacks legal backing.
Conservation International has said it is coming under increasing threat from illegal and destructive fishing, pollution, unsustainable land use, and irresponsible tourism.
GAS FACILITIES
While observers mostly welcomed the announcement, some also noted that the three conglomerates agreeing to act as VIP stewards along with the government are the same three that recently secured permission to build a $3.3-bln LNG terminal in Batangas province, one of seven provinces sharing the coastline along the passage.
“By building more fossil gas power plants in the VIP, it is exposing the marine corridor and adjacent communities to pollution, biodiversity and livelihood disruption, and exacerbated effects of the climate crisis,” Gerry Arances, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development think tank and co-convenor of NGO Protect VIP, said in a statement.
According to local media outlet Rappler, the three companies are the main investors in the Philippines’ growing LNG import business, and the Batangas terminal will be used to receive, store, and process LNG for two nearby power plants, with the gas supplied by Singapore’s Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Co.
At least seven LNG terminals are expected to be built on Luzon all in all, according to Rappler.
Even so, Secretary Loyzaga stressed that the VIP MoU was aligned with the government’s ambition to use cleaner energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“It has always been our earnest commitment to help safeguard our environment and uplift the welfare of the communities, in this case the people surrounding and are dependent on the Verde Island Passage for their livelihood. Its preservation is of paramount interest and once again the Aboitiz Group, MVP Group and San Miguel Group are working together to do our part,” said Sabin M. Aboitiz, CEO of the Aboitiz Group.
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