Philippine government inks deal with First Gen for Verde Island Passage protection
First Gen has four natural gas-fired power plants located in Batangas, one of the five provinces surrounding the Verde Island Passage
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DOE) inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lopez-led power company First Gen Corporation and the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. for the protection of the Verde Island Passage (VIP).
This comes a week after three of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines signed a MOU with the DENR to protect the VIP. (READ: Tycoons’ massive LNG facility and the Verde Island Passage: What’s it all about?)
First Gen has four natural gas-fired power plants located in Batangas: Santa Rita, San Lorenzo, Avion, and San Gabriel. The company prides itself in paving the way for the natural gas industry in the Philippines.
DENR Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga said during the press conference on Thursday, May 16, that both MOUs are similar in principle and both want “to achieve the same goals.”
“However, in the case of this particular MOU, we are from a starting point wherein a lot of the science work has been done by this group,” Loyzaga said.
According to Energy Secretary Raphel Lotilla, the data from First Gen could help determine the basics for conservation such as the no-go zones.
“The scientific data that has been accumulated over these years would in fact be very helpful in establishing the standards as well as…identifying the no-go zones or those which would allow for varying degrees of development,” said Lotilla.
Loyzaga and Lotilla were referring to scientific data gathered from First Gen’s program on marine conservation and law enforcement in the VIP, which started 20 years ago.
First Gen said on its website that the program had strengthened marine law enforcement in 15 municipalities in Batangas, which has helped ward off illegal fishers in protected areas and commercial fishing operators from municipal waters.
Environment groups had previously raised concern over the sincerity of the other conglomerates who are engaged in fossil gas business.
First Gen chairman and CEO Federico Lopez said they are monitoring emissions of their plants in compliance with environmental regulations. He also added that vessels used by the company are up to par with international standards.
“[I]t’s also very, very important for us that whatever vessels we use are also within international regulations and they’re safe,” Lopez said. “And we do not use any shippers who do not adhere to those standards.”
The VIP is considered as the “center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity,” and covers five provinces in the Philippines, namely, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon.
It lies at the heart of the Coral Triangle in the western Pacific Ocean, home to 76% of known coral species and 37% of coral reef fish in the world. – Rappler.com