Energy deparment has new undersecretary

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a new undersecretary, replacing Ben-Hur Salcedo who retired from the government service last March 14.

Energy Secretary Vincent S. Perez, Jr. said yesterday the DOE has tapped former Phillips China Inc. vice-president and upstream business development manager for Asia Eduardo V. Mañalac as undersecretary.

Mañalac has 38 years of experience in international and petroleum exploration and production management, acreage acquisition, production-sharing contracts and other joint venture negotiations. He has launched many of Phillip’s worldwide exploration efforts and has engineered some of its major acquisitions and sales.

Perez said that as petroleum expert and geologist, the new DOE undersecretary would bring his expertise in the upstream development given that the energy department is revisiting the incentives for petroleum exploration projects in the Philippines.

The energy chief also expressed his appreciation to Salcedo for his exemplary services in the government particularly in the energy sector.

Prior to his retirement, Salcedo supervised the upstream operations of the DOE, including the exploration and development of indigenous energy sources such as natural gas, petroleum, and geothermal. He was also in charge of energy conservation, monitoring of power/energy utilization, refineries and new and renewable energy resources and supervised the department’s field offices in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Perez has mandated Mañalac to rally the management and employees of the DOE in accelerating the exploration and development of the country’s indigenous oil and gas, coal and geothermal resources.

Mañalac holds as BS Geology degree and completed his post-graduate studies in petroleum geology in 1969. He holds certificates in various international advanced management programs, and professional memberships in industry related international associations. He is widely recognized as one of Asia’s most outstanding petroleum geologists.

In 1999, while vice president and exploration manager for Phillips China Inc., he discovered what is now known as Peng Lai 19-3, the largest offshore gas field in China. – Donnabelle Gatdula