Verde Island Passage impacted by oil spill.

Traces of oil spill from the MT Princess Empress have reached Verde Island in Batangas City, which is known for housing the world’s most critical marine biodiversity. Father Edwin Gariguez, the lead convenor of environmental group Protect the Verde Island Passage, said they were ready to assist in containing the spill after residents reported seeing oil sheen and clumps in waters off four villages of Verde Island. Coco coir logs would be transported from Batangas to Mindoro to help contain the oil spill. As of 8am on Monday, oil sheen and thin patches of segmented oil were found in the villages of San Agapito and San Agustin. Other coastal areas in Batangas were also placed under the oil spill watch. Verde Island sits right in the middle of the Verde Island Passage, a body of water between Mindoro Island and Batangas that is home to the world’s highest concentration of coastal fishes, corals, crustaceans, mollusks, seagrass and mangroves. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that the oil slick has reached the island.