There won’t be any problem at all with any extraction of oil or gas in Barangay Montpeller in Alegria town southern Cebu so long as procedures are followed and requirements complied with, a Provincial Board (PB) member said yesterday.
PB Member Thadeo Jovito Ouano, who chairs the PB environment committee, said China International Mining Petroleum Co. Limited (CIMP Co. Ltd) should first comply with requirements under the law. “(This) company (CIMP CO. Ltd), as long as they follow the process and procedures, then I have nothing against it,” Ouano said in yesterday’s press conference.
Last March 14, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi declared that the Alegria Oil Field has commercial quantities of natural gas and oil resources that can last until 2037.
An estimated 27.93 million barrels of oil (MMBO) with a possible production recovery of 3.35 MMBO or a conservative estimate of 12 percent of total oil in places (reserves) were found.
For natural gas, about 9.42 billion cubic feet (bcf) reserves were found, with the recoverable resource estimated at 6.6 bcf or about 70 percent of total natural gas in places or reserves.
Ouano said as far as he knows the company still needs to secure an environment compliance certificate (ECC), environment assessment and impact plan before they can start operations.
Ouano said he understands the sentiments of environmental groups objecting to the planned extraction of oil and natural gas in the area but added that it won’t affect the ecological balance in the town.
“Nganong sa uban country mabuhat man nila? Mahimo man sad siguro nato (Why can the other countries do it? I think we can do it here also),” Ouano said.