Groups to PH gov’t: Protect Verde Island Passage for climate survival of Filipinos

Ahead of thematic days for oceans and biodiversity at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Brazil, civil society groups urged the Philippine Government to “ensure that the protection of the Verde Island Passage (VIP) and the health of Philippine seas and coasts are a critical part of our country’s response to the climate crisis.”

In an open letter, multisectoral groups led by Protect Verde Island Passage (Protect VIP) stressed the critical role played by the VIP and our ocean in sustaining food and livelihood security, regeneration of marine life, and resilience of the country amid an intensifying climate crisis – including recent scientific findings on the breach of the first climate tipping point: the unprecedented dieback of coral reefs in warm waters.

“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,” the letter read.

The spill plunged thousands of fisherfolk, their families, and adjacent sectors into hunger and poverty, while polluting the coasts and waters of multiple provinces, with Oriental Mindoro suffering the heaviest damage. 

“Without a 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”, the groups warned.

The groups challenged the government to respond to these concerns by designating the Verde Island Passage as a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas Systems (ENIPAS) Act – a move backed by both local communities and the United Nations. 

“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),” the letter added.

In its review of the Philippines during its 77th session last February, the CESCR recognized the protection of the VIP as a key measure for advancing the country’s climate mitigation commitments. Its conclusion report, released in March, specifically recommended “designating the Verde Island Passage as a protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area Systems Act” as part of the Philippines’ climate actions and ambition. 

The letter further called 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.”

The call is endorsed by civil society and people’s organizations, including the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), Living Laudato Si’ Philippines, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Greenpeace Philippines, Oceana Philippines, Liga ng mga Mangingisda Para Sa VIP (LIMA Para Sa VIP), Bukluran ng Mangingisda sa Batangas (BMB), and Energy Shift SEA.

Ahead of the climate conference, COP30 President Brazil issued a Blue NDC challenge – a global call for all Parties to the Paris Agreement to integrate ocean-based climate solutions into their new iteration of Nationally Determined Contributions. The Philippines has yet to submit its new NDC.

“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,” the groups said. ###