MANILA, Philippines — Following the Department of Environment and Resources' (DENR) call to declare the Verde Island Passage (VIP) as a protected area, a group of science advocates on Wednesday said that large vessels carrying hazardous materials should be barred from passing in the area. The DENR, together with provincial governments surrounding the VIP, had called for legislation to protect the VIP after the Oriental Mindoro oil spill had reached the biodiversity hotspot. 'Large vessels carrying hazardous chemicals, such as large volumes of oil, must be prohibited from passing VIP, and an alternative route must be determined,' said Jerwin Baure, a public information officer from Agham-Advocates for Science and Technology for the People.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1767565/prohibit-large-vessels-from-passing-through-verde-island-passage-science-advocates

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