Payonga, Ralf L.

BSGeolEng-3201

GeoE 416- Petroleum Geology

REACTION PAPER for Levmore, B.W. (1938)
The Search for Petroleum in the Philippines

Prior with my knowledge regarding the petroleum exploration in the

Philippines, as much as I know that there are limited source or deposits of petroleum
in the country, due to the fact that the archipelago is relatively younger (Late
Cretaceous period) than the common oil deposits in the other countries, where those
deposits aged well and deposited underneath the surface.
Moreover, I’ve read the article of Robert Hall in 1997 about the
tectonostratigraphic origin of Southeast Asia, due to the reporting in one of the
course requirements this past semester. To be honest, I’ve understood less, but the
article discussed the origin of stratigraphic deposits in the SE Asian region, and
where the common petroleum origins reside. The article stated the nearest and most
explored region in the Philippines where petroleum deposits are prevalent, is
Palawan.
This statement justified the reason why our country is targeted by China due
to the unexplored petroleum resource potential in the West Philippine Sea. Anyway,
the article about the search for petroleum in the Philippines can be described as the
aftermath of the lack of knowledge of Filipinos regarding the resources of the
country, especially the geology and the petroleum potential of the Philippines. The
article summarized the events related to the exploration of petroleum, the trials, and
the errors of explorations, since the geological activity of the position of the country is
taking its charm from investors. Upon the journal article discussing the explorations
in Bondoc Peninsula, I was suddenly taken aback by the possibility of a petroleum
deposit in the area surrounded by Tayabas Bay and the array of highly elevated
areas. Upon checking the formations present in the Bondoc peninsula-Burias area, it
is composed of Pliocene-Pleistocene Limestones and Carbonates. It can be inferred
that they may possibly consider it as a prospect for petroleum exploration since they
may speculate that the underlying deposit underneath the Pliocene-Pleistocene aged
mineral deposits may be a source of petroleum deposit, due to these deposits can
act as a seal in the deposit, wherein a seal must be composed of a crystalline
mineral with low permeability properties.
As the exploration saga continues, different provinces, including Bondoc
peninsula (Quezon), Cebu, Leyte and other provinces are now looked into as a
prospect for exploration. The hopes are continuing, since experts said that the
deposits in the Philippines can be identical to the deposits of Sumatra. However,
restrictions with the mining laws made it difficult for the foreign investors/companies
to venture into the exploration and exploitation process. Richmond Petroleum Co.,
were the ones who attempted to expand the exploration, but their investment won’t
reciprocate regardless of the modern applications to drill and to explore the area.
Currently, there are two sole petroleum plants in the Philippines (Alegria in
Cebu, and Malampaya in Palawan). Deposits in Malampaya are set to drop in the
next few years, leading to Shell turning it over with the government in 2023 as far as
I know. Meanwhile, deposits in Alegria are said to be insufficient enough to power
the entire region and the entire nation. Plus, Chinese contractors manage the plant
in Cebu.
It is an irony that as a nation, we are abundant in mineral resources, but we
lack petroleum resources. Maybe there may be another deposit that may be
discovered some day, yet the geological dynamics of tectonic and volcanic activities
halt the further development and exploration of the possible petroleum reserves in
the country. A country can struggle from the lack of petroleum resources, since
almost everything that is essential for the country’s growth can not be possible
without being powered by petroleum. As a way to cope up with the demands of this
industry, it can be an eye opener to start investing money for further development
regarding petroleum deposits, particularly in the West Philippine Sea even if greater
competitions have their eyes locked on conducting exploration and research studies.