The House Committee on Natural Resources began deliberations on Wednesday on four bills seeking to declare the Verde Island Passage (VIP) a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS).
The measures provide legal protection for the marine corridor, which spans waters off Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro and Marinduque.
Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Arnan Panaligan, Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javi Benitez, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and Batangas 3rd District Rep. King Collantes filed the bills.
The proposed legislation would also establish a multisectoral management board to oversee the protection and management of the passage, coordinate enforcement and compliance, and regulate activities considered harmful to its marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
‘This hearing is the result of the longstanding call from communities and organizations working to protect the Verde Island Passage,’ said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of the Protect Verde Island Passage (Protect VIP) campaign network.
‘From fisherfolk to scientists and environmental advocates, the call has long been clear: the VIP needs long-term and legal protection,’ he said.
Oil spill highlighted
The push for legislation gained urgency following the 2023 MT Princess Empress oil spill, which affected fishing communities and marine ecosystems in Oriental Mindoro.
The disaster prompted congressional inquiries into the environmental and livelihood impacts, including House Resolution No. 00854 authored by Panaligan.
For fisherfolk in the affected communities, protecting the VIP is closely tied to food security and livelihoods.
‘Pagkain, kabuhayan, at kinabukasan ng mga komunidad namin ang nakataya dito,’ said Aldrin Villanueva, a fisherfolk leader from Pola, Oriental Mindoro, and president of the Koalisyon ng mga Mangingisdang Apektado ng Oil Spill.
‘Kaming mga mangingisda, itong mga katubigan ng VIP ang bumubuhay sa mga pamilya namin. Kami ang mga pangunahing tagapangalaga nito, at kami rin ang unang maapektuhan sa mga sakunang nangyayari dito,’ Villanueva said.
(The VIP gives livelihood to us fisherfolk, so we are at the front line of its protection because we will suffer first when a disaster strikes the marine passageway)
‘Legal protection must come with clear safeguards, meaningful enforcement, and the participation of communities who depend on these waters,’ said Gerry Arances, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development.
He said the proposed VIP legislation should provide a framework that protects both marine ecosystems and the communities whose livelihoods depend on them.
Protect VIP said fisherfolk, coastal communities, scientists, faith groups, youth organizations and local governments would continue participating in discussions as Congress considers the proposed measures.