Green groups wary as gov’t partners with gas giants for VIP protection

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday announced a partnership with the country’s three largest conglomerates to protect and conserve the Verde Island Passage (VIP), a move met with concern due to the companies’ gas projects in the area. 

Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) agreed to assume joint stewardship of the marine corridor between the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the DENR and the Department of Energy (DOE). 

“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,” Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said. 

The VIP, located at the heart of the Coral Triangle, is home to over 1,700 marine species, including 60% of the world’s shore fish species and 300 coral species. 

The critical waterway encompasses provinces of Batangas, Marinduque, Romblon, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. 

A key provision of the MOU requires the establishment, in partnership with higher educational institutions, of a marine science biological research station with facilities in the VIP and across the five surrounding provinces. 

According to the DENR, the partnership with the conglomerates aims to improve the lives of communities who depend on the VIP, ensuring their voices are heard through open dialogue, and promoting sustainable access and use of coastal and marine resources. 

It will also contribute to achieving the long-term goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a key outcome of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said that protecting the VIP goes hand in hand with the government’s agenda of ensuring affordable and reliable energy access.

“We must make sure that—in our quest to provide clean, reliable, and affordable