Gov’t amenable to lift WPS oil explore ban — DoE

THE Department of Energy (DoE) on Tuesday sent private sectors a clear signal that the government is now amenable to lifting the 2014 oil exploration ban in the West Philippine Sea.

Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi said that as relations between China and the Philippines in warming along with the shifting geopolitical landscape, PXP Energy Corp. can now make a request to the agency to lift the force majeure covering Service Contract 72 in Reed Bank.

“You may file for the lifting of force majeure,” Cusi told PXP Energy president Daniel Carlos on the sidelines of the Energy Investment Forum in Taguig City on Tuesday.

To recall, the DoE declared a force majeure in the Reed Bank in 2014, encompassing Service Contract No. 72 which suspended oil drilling and exploration activities in area as part of disputed territories between Manila and Beijing.