PH Petroleum Association Asks DOE to Resume Gas and Oil Exploration in Country

The Philippine Petroleum Association (PAP) has requested Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary-designate Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla to prioritize the resumption of gas and oil exploration ventures in the Philippines.

Gas and oil explorations in the Philippines remained stagnant during former President Duterte’s term.

PAP Chairman Rufino B. Bomasang said that “It is extremely imperative for the country to resume oil and gas exploration as soon as possible,” and adds that “the country’s precarious energy security situation – with its almost total dependence on imported oil and the imminent depletion of Malampaya gas.”

While PAP’s President, Edgar Benedict Cutiongco stated that “We need somebody like Secretary Lotilla to provide the springboard for the much-needed quantum leap to a more sustainable and secured energy situation in the country.”

Bomasang noted that DOE Secretary-designate Lotilla had decades of experience in the energy industry which will contribute to the success of the sector.

Despite the lifting of the moratorium on gas and oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea, petroleum seismic surveys and drilling activities were essentially nonexistent.

Despite the push of DOE officials for roadshows on the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP), it was not enough to attract foreign investors to the sector.

On the part of Filipino companies to begin their exploration activities on their awarded petroleum blocks, these we eventually canceled due to China’s activities on the highly contested waters. This caused the Filipino companies to cancel their contractors and plans for targeted drillings and seismic surveys.

Source: Manila Bulletin