MANILA: The Philippine military and coastguard have stepped up security around a newly announced natural gas discovery, Malampaya East-1, off the island of Palawan, bordering the disputed South China Sea.
The undersea reservoir is estimated to contain about 2.8 billion cubic meters (98 billion cubic feet) of gas, enough to power about 5.7 million households per year.
It was discovered around 5 km east of the main Malampaya gas field, the Philippines’ most important natural gas field, which supplies fuel to major power plants on the main island of Luzon and was projected to decline considerably in a few years.
“Malampaya is not just an installation, it is a lifeline of our energy security,” Col. Francel Padilla, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told reporters late on Tuesday.
“When we protect Malampaya, we are not only defending our territory. We are protecting the nation’s power source, economy, and future.”
