Prompted by the ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico where a BP oil rig exploded in April, the Energy Department said Monday it is initiating a review of government's drilling procedures with stakeholders taking part in it.
“We do have some existing procedures, but we’ll probably have to update them to deal with what has happened in the [Gulf of Mexico]," Energy Secretary Jose C. Ibazeta said.
He noted that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is now in its second month and that the Philippines should also look into contingency plans to prevent such an accident in its own shores.
“We’ll hold a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss existing procedures on how to deal with matters on oil drilling safety," Ibazeta said.
The stakeholders’ meeting is scheduled this Thursday, June 24, at the Energy Department headquarters in Taguig City.
Representatives from Galoc Production Corp., Nido Petroleum, ExxonMobil Philippines, Norasian, Philodrill, Philippine National Oil Company, and Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. would be attending the meeting.
Joining them are representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority, and Petroleum Association of the Philippines.
The Philippines is aggressively encouraging private investors to join the country’s oil and gas exploration industry.
The department said that although there has not been any major blowout or oil spill in any of the exploratory and developmental drilling operations in the country, the Philippines is preparing itself for any contingency.
Stringent standards in the set-up and implementation of a Health, Safety, and Environmental plan by service contractors are in place, that they must submit an emergency response plan and oil spill contingency plan before an exploration program is approved, according to the department.
They also need to have the equipment for drilling-safety and oil spill recovery. —VS, GMANews.TV
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