9 January 2009
 

Environmental activist group, Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) denounce the Arroyo government for allowing oil and gas exploration activities by ExxonMobil in the Philippines.

"ExxonMobil has a notorious environmental record, yet it was given permission to exploit vast tracts of our territory for its own end," said Clemente Bautista Jr., national coordinator of Kalikasan PNE.
 
It is to be remembered that in 1991, ExxonMobil pleaded guilty to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the worst oil spills in history. The lives of thousands of Native Americans and habitats of different species of animals, spanning 700 miles of Alaska shoreline, was adversely affected by approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil. On May 23, 2007, the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals uphold its previous ruling that Exxon owes $2.5 billion in punitive damages.
"The exploration activities of ExxonMobil and of other foreign companies will most likely damage the fragile marine ecosystem in the Sandakan Basin. This includes Tubbatha Reef, one of the leading nominees for the Seven Wonders of the World. Millions of fisher folks who depend on Sulu Sea for their food and livelihood will also be affected." Bautista pointed out.
 
ExxonMobil, in partnership with Malaysian exploration firm Mitra Energy Ltd., was given service contract 56 (SC 56) in the deepwater portion of the Sandakan Basin, southwest of the Philippines, covering a total area of 8,500 hectares in the Sulu Sea. Investments of the said foreign firms are estimated to reach $75 million to $100 million.
 
The Sulu Sea Basin is one of the areas that the Arroyo government opened for oil and gas exploration. The said basin is about 115,000 square kilometers with an estimated total of 203 million barrels of oil.  Aside from SC 56, six other exploration wells are expected to be drilled by various oil and gas exploration firms this year.
 
"There is nothing wrong in the exploration and development of our energy resources, if it is to benefit majority of the Filipinos and our economy. However, based on the current energy framework of the Arroyo government, foreign companies are allowed to own and control these resources for their own profit and interest," expressed Dr. Giovanni Tapang, chairperson of the patriotic organization of Advocates for Science and Technology for the People, AGHAM.

Based on government data, recent oil field discoveries that are now in commercial production such as Malampaya gas field and Galoc oil are majority owned by foreign companies, namely British Royal Dutch Shell, European Vitol and Australian Otto Energy.
 
Also, foreign corporations acquire most of the oil and gas exploration permits given by the Department of Energy (DOE).
 
"With our reliance on imported oil and the threat of climate change amidst us, there is a great need for a genuine energy policy that seeks to address the concerns of the Filipinos. Yet, the policies of Arroyo government of privatizing our energy resources run counter to the interest of our people. It is basically a sell-out of our national patrimony," Dr. Tapang asserted.
 

Reference: Clemente Bautista Jr. National Coordinator, Kalikasan PNE 09228449787
Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Chairperson, AGHAM, 09286974804

KALIKASAN People's Network for the Environment is a network of people's organizations (POs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and environmental advocates. It believes that the struggle for the environment is a struggle of the people, thus all environmental action shall have the interest of the majority at their core.





KALIKASAN-PNE
KALIKASAN PEOPLES NETWORK FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
26 Matulungin St. Central District, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel./Fax; +63 (2) 924-8756; E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.kalikasan.org