DND beefs up security force at Malampaya

The National Government is beefing up security in the $4.5-billion Malampaya gas project which could be a potential target for terrorist.

Energy Secretary Vincent S. Perez said they have signed last Wednesday a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of National Defense for the strict enforcement of Proclamation No. 72 signed recently by President Arroyo.

As an initial move, he said they have informed and declared to all international maritime organizations that the Malampaya platform and wells around the area are part of the exclusive zone.

Perez said the declaration is necessary since the Malampaya area located in Northern Palawan is part of the heavy traffic of sea vessels in the South China Sea.

"The government wants to make sure that the proclamation is in line with internationally accepted practice of declaring safety and exclusion zones since Malampaya is situated near one of the traditional sea lanes in the South China Sea," he said.

As this developed, Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. managing director David Greer said they would be talking with the officials of the Guinness Book of World Records to declare the Malampaya platform as the world’s heaviest structure.

"We will contact the Guinness Book of World Records to get them to confirm whether there has been no other float-over installation of late which is heavier than this one," Greer said.

If Guinness Book will accept this, Greer said the structure would be a source of pride for the Filipino nation.

"In which case, then we will go to the process of seeing to it that it can be acclaimed as a Filipino world record," Greer said.

The proclamation calls for "establishing safety and exclusion zones for offshore natural gas wells, flowlines, platform, pipelines, loading buoy and other related facilities for the Malampaya project over certain waters and submerged lands adjacent to Batangas, Mindoro and Palawan."

Under the proclamation, the following acitivities will be prohibited in the Malampaya are: entry of vessels; flying of aircraft below altitude of 500 meters within one kilometer of the platform; use of/ and dumping of explosives; sub-sea activities within exclusion zone but not limited to geophysical surveys, drilling construction, installation of submarine pipeline and cable; and other activities which may pose a potential risk to the project infratructure and to public safety. – Donnabelle Gatdula