Environmental groups are questioning Asian conglomerate San Miguel Corporation's expressed commitment to safeguarding the environment and public welfare as it pursues projects that put natural resources at risk.

In the rush to put up a liquefied natural gas facility in Batangas to feed the fuel requirements of the Ilijan plant and another one under construction, SMC is endangering the Verde Island Passage or VIP that, in turn, earned the ire of Batangueños and ecology groups.

The Department of Agrarian Reform has ordered a halt on the project, while different groups are working on the revocation of the environmental compliance certificate awarded to SMC.

The DAR action was based on its failure to acquire a land conversion approval for the project site.

A campaign has raised 12,500 signatures thus far on the petition platform Change.org for the government to deny permits for fossil gas plants and LNG terminals in Batangas.

The petition described the passage as an underwater wilderness that stretches for more than 1.4 million hectares through the provinces of Batangas, Marinduque, Mindoro Occidental and Oriental and Romblon.

Over 1,736 fish and 338 coral species, and thousands of other marine life rely on the habitat.

The marine area protects 60 percent of all known shore fish species in the world, making it the most biodiverse marine habitat on the planet. It is called the Mecca of global marine shore fish biodiversity.

Moreover, this marine corridor provides food to more than two million Filipino fisherfolks. Since it is an ecological wonder, the area is also a travel hotspot and a source of tourism livelihood for millions in the coastal area.

The petition also cited Executive Order 5788 which former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed on 8 November 2006 which committed the government to ensure the protection, conservation, and sustainable resource use of the VIP Marine Corridor.

Following this, representatives of provinces and various agencies made a strong commitment to protecting VIP on 29 March 2017 through a Memorandum of Agreement creating the VIP Marine Protected Area Network and Law Enforcement Network.

An alarm has been raised in the petition over the expansion "of a fossil fuel industry in the province of Batangas, on top of an already existing coal and gas fleet."

"The Philippine government and fossil fuel proponents are pursuing massive plans to build new natural gas, more accurately fossil gas, power plants and LNG terminals in Batangas," according to the petition.

In the integrated project, Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Co.-Linseed is building a liquefied natural gas import terminal facility in Batangas City, and SMC-Excellent Energy Resources Inc. is constructing a 1.75 gigawatt LNG power plant in the same vicinity.

Both projects are threats to the biodiversity of the VIP and the livelihoods of the people who depend on it. Greed should be prevented from destroying the riches of nature that generations would benefit from.

The petitioners are now strongly urging government action to preserve the natural resource.