DOE gets flak from RDC for failure to coordinate

Regional development planners yesterday hit officials of the Department of Energy anew for not coordinating with proper government agencies in the implementation of its projects, particularly the oil and gas explorations that it is doing in the Visayan basin.

Regional Development Council's infrastructure development committee chairman Emmanuel Rabacal said that his committee did not give an endorsement to DOE for the projects because the agency failed to inform the committee about it.

"The DOE did not coordinate with the agencies concerned, not even with my committee," he added. Officials of the DOE yesterday gave the RDC members an update on the oil and gas explorations in the Visayas basin and the promotion of the use of alternative fuel.

At least five oil explorations are being conducted in the Visayas at present. These include the explorations in Tañon Strait, Bohol Strait, central Cebu, southern Cebu and northwestern Leyte. These explorations are being undertaken by foreign-owned and dominated companies.

Ismael Ocampo, chief of the petroleum resources development division of the DOE said that by middle of 2007, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd., which did the survey in Tañon Strait last year, would be drilling its first well.

At present, he said that Japex is still applying for an environmental compliance certificate, one of the requirements before the contractor could proceed with the drilling to confirm if the area has oil or gas reserves.

According to Ocampo, there are four possible prospects where Japex would do the drilling but the contractor did not identify these yet.

"There are four prospects identified but only one well would be drilled. The drilling is only for confirmatory purposes," he explained.

He added that seismic surveys in Bohol Strait and northeastern Leyte will start by middle of this year. By third quarter of this year, Ocampo said that drilling would also begin in southern Cebu, particularly in Aloguinsan.

Negros Oriental governor and RDC chairman George Arnaiz said that the DOE should focus on renewable alternative sources of energy because it is faster and cheaper to develop.

"For oil and geothermal, you spend billions and billions of pesos but for alternative sources of fuel, you leave it to the private sector," Arnaiz said.

He added that the DOE is promoting extensive use of natural and alternative fuels like coco-methyl ester and compressed natural gas, which are derived from farm products but the department is not coordinating with the Department of Agriculture on how to develop them.

With this, the council yesterday approved the proposal to create a committee to be headed by the National Economic Development Authority to study the viability of the use of alternative fuels.

Development planners said that Visayas could be the major source of bio-fuels because of the abundance of sugarcane, coconut and corn. What is needed is coordination between the DOE and DA on how to boost and develop these products for bio-fuel. - Wenna A. Berondo