100 years of Shell in the Philippines: Turning the wheels of progress

MANILA, Philippines - On permanent display at the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig is a very important and exciting piece of Philippine automotive history. A 1904 Richard-Brasier roadster stands as a symbol of modern progress, one of the very first cars that cruised along the country’s streets.

Fittingly, the prized vehicle is owned and loaned to the museum by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation—a true pioneer in fueling progress, having established its offices in Manila on January 1914.

This year, as Shell marks its centennial in the Philippines, it takes a look back on the evolution of land transport in the country and the vital role the company has played in powering the growth of commerce, industry and travel.

Manufactured by a Frenchman and a Belgian, the roadster possessed a 2-cylinder, 9-horsepower engine and was brought to the country by trading firm Estrella del Norte. The prior year, plans were already being made to carry out petroleum operations in Asia by the Asiatic Petroleum Co. Ltd., incorporated in London as a joint venture between Shell Transport Trading Co. and Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.

By 1910, the number of motor vehicles in Manila had increased, prompting the city council to pass an ordinance regulating their use. The number of registered vehicles reached more than 1,500 in 1912. After the First World War, Shell’s tankers resumed shipping oil into the archipelago, helping fuel the country’s growth in the 1920’s as more cars and auto-calesas arrived.

What followed were decades of revolutionized movement of goods and people by land, sea, and air. Throughout its 100-year history in the Philippines, Shell was the driving force behind numerous transport-related milestones. In 1954, it opened what was considered the start of the modern gasoline retail station as we know it today, located at Manila’s Port Area.

As early as 1982, Shell had already begun the exploration of non-traditional energy sources—utilizing substances such as pineapple leaves and stems, and developing densified fuel, solar energy, and coco-diesel. In 1986, Shell revolutionized lubricants technology with the launch of the revolutionary “living oil” dubbed Shell Helix for superior engine maintenance.

The inauguration in 2004 of the Shell Tollway Plaza in Biñan, Laguna—which became Asia’s biggest service station with food establishments and amenities—set the trend for making road trip stopovers more enjoyable and comfortable for motorists. In 2005, the Philippines also became the first country in Asia where Shell Aviation offered aerojet fuel.

Shell is a company that truly thrives on innovation in the face of changes and challenges. By the year 2050, experts predict that the volume of cars will triple, so the company has committed to the goal of sustainable mobility—coming up with concrete approaches to face the energy challenge of the future. This means advocating for smarter products, smarter infrastructure, and smarter use for reduced impact on the environment.

One of the programs under the smarter mobility action plan is the Shell Eco-marathon, a global initiative among engineering students to encourage innovation and facilitate the development of sustainable and cutting-edge vehicles of the future. It is an event held in Asia, Europe, and the Americas where hundreds of high school and college teams compete to design, build and test-drive the most energy-efficient vehicles.

Since the inauguration of the Asian competition, Philippine student teams have been gaining prominence especially in many of the off-track categories. This year, as part of its centennial celebration, Shell companies in the Philippines marked another milestone by hosting the prestigious Shell Eco-Marathon Asia—turning Manila’s iconic Rizal Park into an exciting, vibrant race track where the best and the brightest of Filipino engineering and design talent attempted to travel the farthest on the least amount of energy.

With such continuous commitment to pioneering the future of transport and travel, Shell has been part not only of the history of progress of the nation, but definitely of the future of innovations in power, energy and gas technology as well.