Game-changing compact
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued a memorandum for the stricter monitoring of structures and the suspension of Environmental Compliance Certificate applications for projects within the critical area.
Daily TribuneThe Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued a memorandum for the stricter monitoring of structures and the suspension of Environmental Compliance Certificate applications for projects within the critical area.
The biggest players in the power generation business surprised many the other day when they crafted a pivotal deal that could be a model for ecological preservation not only in the country but in the world.
The Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Energy (DoE) joined forces with Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) in signing a Memorandum of Understanding to conserve the Verde Island Passage, a major marine ecosystem in the country and the world.
The waterway is so rich in marine resources it is considered the Amazon of the Oceans. The ecosystem provides millions of Filipinos with sustenance and livelihood.
Ecology groups, however, had earlier raised concerns over the business giants putting up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, including depots, near the VIP, recalling the February 2023 oil spill near the passage.
That disaster affected fisherfolk and townspeople of Mindoro and Batangas after 900,000 liters of industrial fuel leaked into the waters of the provinces.
Many communities were forced to put their livelihoods on hold and had their health and sustenance affected.
The VIP spans over 1.4-million hectares and is known as the world’s “center of the center” of marine shorefish biodiversity.
Cargo vessels transporting imported LNG pass and dock along the VIP. The number of these vessels is expected to increase as more power projects are set up, thus increasing the likelihood of polluting the area.
Last month, the DENR issued a memorandum calling for stricter monitoring of structures and the suspension of Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) applications for projects within the critical area.
The water quality in the VIP reveals alarming levels of pollution, months after the February 2023 disaster.
The stakes are too high for the VIP to be left unprotected, according to environmental advocates.
But the LNG projects are badly needed by the nation amid the rising demand for electricity as the nation progresses.
Terminals for the imported gas were built near the Batangas side of the VIP since it is near the pipelines that supply the gas to several large-capacity power plants.
Five of six gas facilities, four of seven proposed LNG terminals and nine of 39 gas power plants proposed in the Philippines will be built in Batangas.
A $3.3-billion 1,750-MW Excellent Energy Resources Inc. LNG power plant is set to rise in Batangas as the first LNG plant to operate in the country before the end of this year.
The DENR also moved to include the VIP in the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area Systems.
Prioritizing this would be the best course of action for the DENR to be true to its mandate of protecting the environment.
The DoE, meanwhile, can help protect the VIP by ending its reckless endorsement and promotion of fossil gas fuels and other destructive energy sources.
The DoE has imposed a moratorium on new coal projects that has been in effect since the previous administration.
Former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, the architect of the moratorium, said that while the moratorium applied to new greenfield coal-fired power projects, existing brownfield and expansion initiatives, including those with secured financial backing, remained unaffected.
“Therefore, any delays or setbacks in these projects cannot be directly linked to the moratorium,” he said.
Cusi said the rationale for the moratorium was the imperative need for a more agile and adaptable power generation landscape.
“At the time of its implementation, the grid boasted sufficient baseload capacities but required greater investments in mid-merit and flexible power generation capabilities,” he said
Recognizing the global momentum towards renewable energy, he said the moratorium aimed to align with this transition while upholding the reliability and stability of the grid.
Cusi said encouraging inflexible power generation such as coal contradicts this strategic shift.
The trend towards the use of clean and renewable energy is irreversible. The recent tripartite agreement with the government showed that the private sector also realizes that its pursuit goes beyond the profit motive.
It involves the survival of the entire human race.
