Before Batangas City became the epicenter of the Philippines’ fossil gas expansion, there was an abundance of fish in its waters, Yul Gilea, a fisherman from Mabini town said.
“Life was good. Fishing helped some of us send our children to universities,” he said in Filipino.
But the 70-year-old said fisherfolk like himself get fewer fish as the Southern Luzon port city has become a site of fossil gas plants. Now, they catch only two to three kilograms of fish such as galunggong and tulingan after spending around six hours on the sea. On good days, they can catch as much as 10 kilograms.
Sometimes, boats venture out to the waters of Calatagan, where waves are bigger, in search of fish.
“We are lucky if neighbors buy our catch. But who will still buy our catch when we go home at 8 p.m., at a time when most families have finished eating their dinners?”Gilea asked.
Gilea fishes in the Verde Island Passage (VIP), the strait that separates Batangas and Mindoro provinces. VIP is recognized as the center of global shore fish biodiversity, with roughly 1,736 marine fish species within a 10-kilometer area. It is also home to whale sharks, sea turtles, nudibranch, and an incredible array of corals.
The marine biodiversity conservation corridor has 36 marine protected areas.
But it is also a hotspot of massive fossil gas expansion. Five of the six existing gas plants in the Philippines are found in Batangas City, while one is in Cebu. Batangas province is also the site of eight proposed new plants and seven of the planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
VIP has already sustained serious impacts from a decade of industrial development in the area. Climate change, illegal and destructive fishing practices, and unsustainable tourism also endanger its marine resources.
Locals and green groups fear that fossil gas and LNG projects will exacerbate the existing pressures in the marine ecosystems and threaten communities that rely on VIP resources to earn a living.
“People’s livelihoods are at risk—not only fisherfolk are affected but also resort owners,” Fr. Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of the Protect VIP campaign network, told Philstar.com.