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https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/r04a/batangas.html

https://www.batangas.gov.ph/portal/socio-economic-and-physical-profile/

https://www.batangas.gov.ph/portal/economic-sector/ https://peoplaid.com/2019/03/05/batangas-province-history/

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/climate-and-environment/2022/05/03/2178232/fossil-gas-expansion-batangas-seen-threaten-marine-corridor-coastal-folk

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/climate-and-environment/2022/10/14/2216689/denr-asked-stop-batangas-gas-projects

https://maritimefairtrade.org/lng-projects-destroying-philippines-oceans-environmental-advocates/

https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XBBV.pdf

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics.html

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This agenda is also called the Sustainable Development Goals or SDG 2030. It aims to solve the world’s alarming crises. By 2030, all 17 goals would be accomplished in all the targets in the world. These goals focus on natural, environmental, biological, electrical, agricultural, aquatical, and social aspects of the world.

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Batangas, a part of the CALABARZON region, is a coastal area that is bordered by Cavite, Laguna, Quezon Province, Tayabas Bay, Verde Island Passage, and the West Philippine Sea. It is situated in the center of the Tagalog region in southwest Luzon at the intersection of 13°15' north latitude and 121° east longitude. Its entire land area, which is 316,581 hectares (3,165.81 square kilometers), covers 1.06 percent of the land area of the Philippines.

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Batangas covers 1,202.73 square miles or 3,115.05 square kilometers of territory. The 2020 Census found 2,908,494 people living there. This amounted to 17.96% of the region's total population. It also represented 4.68% of the Luzon island group's total population and 2.67% of all the people who lived in the Philippines. According to these numbers, the population density is calculated to be 934 people per square kilometer, or 2,418 people per square mile.

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According to the Batangas Government Portal, there are around 18 operating economic zones as of May 31, 2015, 16 mall or market establishments, 65 feed mills, 4 slaughterhouses accredited by NMIS, 406 cooperatives, and 358 bank establishments. Their annual regular revenue was ₱2,737,354,928.79 for the fiscal year of 2016.

According to PeoPlaid’s article on March 5, 2019, Despite the fact that a large number of people still work in agriculture and fishing, the province's agricultural sector has steadily lost ground as a major source of revenue. Residential, commercial, and industrial areas have mostly replaced farmlands. Vegetables, rice, corn, sugar, coffee, pineapple, and other agricultural goods are among them.

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This focuses on promoting full and productive employment, and decent work for all necessary for maintaining sustainable economic growth. One of its targets (8.8) is promoting safe and secure working environments for all workers, as well as protecting their labor rights.

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Fisherfolk protesting in the waters of Batangas City rejecting the fossil gas plants and LNG terminal expansions in the area on April 22nd.

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Batangas is known to be the epicenter of our country’s fossil gas expansion, but prior to that, one of the fishermen said that there was plenty of fish in its waters. Now, they get hardly any fish as a result of the presence of fossil gas facilities in the port city of Southern Luzon. They spend long periods of time wandering out in search of fish. Verde Island Passage (VIP), a strait that separates Batangas and Mindoro provinces, is the primary means of subsistence for about two million people in the aforementioned provinces.

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SDG 8 DEPRIVATION: Livelihoods at Risk (continuation)

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SDG 8 DEPRIVATION: Livelihoods at Risk (continuation)

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Eight additional plants that are being considered for construction as well as seven liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals are both located in the province of Batangas. Tomas Buitizon, a fisherman and chairperson of a local fisherfolk group called Buluran ng Mangingisda ng Batangas (BMB) stated that the construction causes the destruction of the beach, also covering up the water areas where fishes appear and live. Fisherfolks are worried about the damage this will do repeatedly in other areas if these projects go on. Not only fisherfolks but resort owners’ livelihoods as well are at risk, says the lead convenor of the Project VIP campaign network, Fr. Edwin Gariguez.

Moreover, an alarming rate of concentrations of toxic metals was found along the coasts of Barangay Ilijan and Dela Paz in Batangas City in marine ecology and water quality study administered by the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED). A heightened concentration of those toxic metals signifies that the area is unfit for boating and fishing. The aforementioned areas are known to be sites of a few LNG terminals and gas plants.

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SDG 11 DEPRIVATION: Natural Disasters Occur

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SDG 11 DEPRIVATION: Natural Disasters Occur

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Batangas is surrounded by bodies of water and is a mountainous place. According to USAID or the United States Agency International Development, the area’s DRRMO stated that the common disasters that their area experiences are typhoons, earthquakes, and landslides. A lot of their residential homes are placed on the mountain ranges, so it is most likely to be affected when a natural disaster occured. A factor to consider is that the second of the most active volcanoes, Taal Volcano, is located in between Talisay and San Nicolas, Batangas. Its recent eruption just occurred this March of 2022. Another one is that their area is at the risk of experiencing a landslide since their settlements are built on the mountains, and heavy rains make soil wet and soft.

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SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

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SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

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This agenda aims to create sustainable areas and resilient communities for the people living in the area. In times of natural disasters occuring, people need a stable shelter to stay safe. It is a basic right to have a settlement that creates a safe environment for the citizens of the world. The goal is also to support the underdeveloped countries and give them the assistance they need in building a sustainable and resilient community.

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Environmentalists, locals, and workers that depend on the aquatic life of VIP and the waters of Batangas especially, called out to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to put a stop to the operations of these projects, while Batangas fishers, Protect VIP and CEED filed their own grievances against a few known companies and corporations embarking on LNG projects.

These complainants requested that the DENR suspend or revoke the Environmental Compliance Certificates issued to SMC-EERI and AG&P Linseed, at the same time issuing a cease and desist order against these companies to halt the implementation of their projects, which was soon carried out by the DAR.

Clean energy advocates and proponents have held a conference calling out the government to put a stop to massive natural gas expansions in the Philippines. The conference was attended by 200 advocates such as CEED, Protect VIP, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Oceana Philippines, etc. Aside from this, other mass campaigns are being planned and held to show opposition to various LNG projects.

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In case a landslide might occur, strengthen the monitoring of the slope of the areas by installing an advanced instrument for detecting a local earthquake, or a volcanic earthquake, and alert the local DRRMO to help evacuate to a safer area for the residents living in the area of risk. When the instrument detected a seismic activity hours before it occurs, this can alert the residents’ phones as the instrument can be programmed to access signals of their smartphones. Build more earthquake-proof infrastructures or settlements to provide shelter for the evacuees in case there is falling debris coming from the volcano or from establishments.