The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed Monday, March 20, that traces of oil spill suspectedly from the sunken motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro have already reached Verde Island in Batangas City, threatening one of the country’s primary marine reserves.

A discharged soldier who is considered a “major player” in the killings of Negros Oriental Governor Roel R. Degamo and eight other persons last March 4 has surrendered and revealed “very critical information, including the identification of masterminds.”

Amid Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and its incursions into the West Philippine Sea, diplomats from the Philippines and China are scheduled to meet in Manila this week to discuss concerns related to the contested waters.