Verde Island Passage (VIP) which is known as the world’s center of marine biodiversity has just been declared safe from the ill effects of the oil slick in Oriental Mindoro. 

The declaration was made after the water samples made last March 20 yielded a negative result around Verde Island in Batangas City and along the coastlines of other areas in Batangas.

VIP is a six-village islet in the middle of a body of water between Batangas and Mindoro Island and is a favorite tourist haven for its water purity as well as its underwater treasures. 

Residents at VIP could now continue fishing and do leisure activities including swimming in the coastal areas as advised by the Batangas city government after the test results came out.

It was earlier feared by environmentalists and residents alike that VIP might be affected by the MT Princess Empress disaster after it sunk off in Oriental Mindoro last February 28.  VIP is just some 100 kilometers from Pola town in Oriental Mindoro province.

The oil tanker was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil which spilled out into the sea which severely affected marine life and subsequently the health as well as livelihood of fishermen in Mindoro Oriental as well as nearby provinces. 

There were initial sightings last March 20 of oil sheen and thin patches of segmented oil reaching four Verde island’s villages of San Agapito, San Agustin-Kanluran, Liponpon and San Andres.

Batangas City government immediately acted to monitor the oil spill and ordered water testing in Verde Island. It helped avert further disaster.

Due to the proactive stance, the local government of Batangas was credited with the “prompt response” which mitigate the spread of oily mixtures in VIP as well as the eventual cleanup operations of the Philippine Coast Guard, various local government agencies and other volunteers.

For the rest of the affected areas, parts of Mindoro province has been declared in a state of calamity and an ongoing investigation into the oil spill has been conducted while the owners of MT Princess Empress were told to compensate for the damages caused.

Meanwhile the oil slick has reached some parts of Palawan in Taytay and Cuyo Islands – although in minimal quantities – but luckily spared El Nido and northern Palawan neighboring areas.