An open letter to the Philippine Government: A Call to Protect the Verde Island Passage for the Climate Survival of Filipinos, and as Critical Part of the Philippines’ Climate Action

Our country is home to one of the world’s richest marine habitats – the Verde Island Passage (VIP). Nestled between the provinces of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, and Marinduque, the VIP provides food and sustenance to millions of Filipinos, and plays a vital role in the regeneration and diversity of life in our seas.

The health of the VIP becomes even more critical in the face of the climate crisis. Our oceans are essential to mitigating the impacts of climate change, absorbing about 25% of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Marine and coastal ecosystems also provide shelter and protection to sea creatures and coastal communities alike in the face of calamities. Yet our coasts and seas are also heavily impacted by acidification and warming, with global scientists reporting that the first climate tipping point – the unprecedented dieback of coral reefs in warm waters – has now been breached.

For climate-vulnerable Philippines, the plight of our seas is intrinsically linked with the food security, livelihood, and climate resilience of Filipino communities. Today, however, the Verde Island Passage – our “Amazon of the oceans” – confronts threats from polluting industries, whose effects mutually exacerbate the impacts of global warming.

As the Philippine Government takes its place among world leaders gathered in Belem, Brazil for the 30th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), we urge you to ensure that the protection of the Verde Island Passage and the health of the Philippine seas and coasts take a large part in our country’s response to the climate crisis.

We ask you to recall the first environmental disaster that the administration under President Bongbong Marcos encountered: the catastrophic oil spill from the sinking of MT Princess Empress in this critical marine corridor. It drove thousands of fisherfolk, their families, and adjacent sectors to hunger and worse poverty, and caused massive pollution along coasts and in waters of multiple provinces – Oriental Mindoro being the hardest hit. Lingering socio-economic and ecological impacts of the oil spill have yet to be accounted for. With no clear and strict policy to protect the marine corridor, the 2023 oil spill may not be the last disaster to befall the VIP – especially as it serves as host to a large concentration of fossil fuel facilities and other destructive industries, and massive plans for new gas power generation. Here lies a stark contradiction: this marine corridor that is vital in our climate fight is being developed as a hub for a fossil fuel that would further intensify the climate crisis, while risking worse harms for host communities and ecosystems. Meanwhile, communities along the VIP are hard-hit year in and out by increasingly devastating typhoons, floods, and other climate impacts, made worse as polluting and destructive activities chip away at the resilience of the environment they live in.

We cannot continue on this path. We must protect the Verde Island Passage and the seas of our country with decisive action that places vulnerable communities and ecosystems at the forefront.

We urge the Philippine government to take the crucial step of designating the VIP as a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act. This action is grounded not only in the lived experiences of frontline communities but also in the recommendation of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR). In its 77th session review of the Philippines, the CESCR recognized the protection of VIP as one of the key measures through which the state can advance its climate mitigation commitments. We further call for an end to fossil fuel and other destructive and exploitative developments in the VIP and other critical ecosystems in the country, to clear the way for a just transition to renewable energy sources and sustainable ways of living. Doing so aligns with the Philippines’ commitment to accelerate global energy transition under the Paris Agreement.

We, the undersigned stewards of Creation, fisherfolk, the church, and coastal communities, stand behind this recommendation, as the VIP and its communities continue to bear the brunt of environmental destruction. This UN recommendation is a testament to the urgent need to put forward stringent protection for the VIP under national laws.

The Philippines is at a critical juncture for survival in the face of a worsening climate crisis. Communities across the country are already enduring its devastating impacts, the worst in recent years. As an archipelagic nation, the Philippines has the opportunity to turn the tide and harness the strength of our oceans in fighting for survival in the face of the climate crisis.

The Philippine government may stand in solidarity with other world leaders and vulnerable nations at COP30 and other multilateral spaces on the need to protect the oceans and respond to climate change — but without concrete and ambitious action at home, such a championship would ring hollow. We call on you to uphold the duty entrusted to you by the people, and to exercise said duty with integrity by protecting the VIP and putting forward policies that will secure a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for present and future generations.

Signed

Protect the Verde Island Passage Network (Protect VIP)

Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED)

Living Laudato Si’ Philippines

Laudato Si’ Movement Pilipinas

Freedom from Debt Coalition

Greenpeace Philippines

Oceana Philippines

Energy Shift SEA

Liga ng mga Mangingisda Para Sa VIP (LIMA Para Sa VIP) 

Bukluran ng Mangingisda sa Batangas (BMB)

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