HONOLULU, Hawaii – Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras confirmed on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) that the exploration of rich gas deposits in the West Philippine Sea will push through at the Recto Bank, an area considered by the Philippines as an undisputed area.
“We have substantial deposits that have been found in both contested and non contested areas,” Almendras said in an interview with reporters at the Philippine Media Center at the Ala Moana Hotel here.
According to Almendras the contested area is located in the Spratlys.
However, he pointed out that the Philippines has existing agreements with its neighbors wherein the parties agreed to hold off and no exploration activities should be undertaken.
“We are not exploring nor touching anything inside the agreed disputed areas,” Almedras explained.”What we are saying that the Spratlys and the waters around it, we will not touch them.”
He said with regards to Persident Benigno Aquino III’s reference to the deposits that “dwarf” Malampaya belongs to an area which is not in the contested area in Spratlys but in another place.
“Our areas which showed very good results in seismic evaluation, and even previous wells dug since 1976, are not in the Sprtalys area,” the energy chief said.
“Recto bank is Philippine territory,” Almendras said noting that during the President’s State of the Nation Address, he did made a firm reference to the Recto Bank.
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By: Roy C. Mabasa
Source: Manila Bulletin, Nov. 13, 2011
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