Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Malampaya Shallow Water Platform.  Handout photo

Article (news)

Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176878362975520150215-malampaya-HO-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Malampaya Shallow Water Platform.  Handout photo</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday morning announced that there was a “significant natural gas discovery” in the Malampaya field called Malampaya East-1 or MAE-1, which could supposedly strengthen the country’s domestic gas supply.</p><p>In a video statement, the President said the MAE-1 was discovered 5 kilometers east of the Malampaya field, containing around  98 billion cubic feet of gas in place.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/7/14/marcos-to-visit-malampaya-gas-platform-1417">Marcos flies by Malampaya, says hopeful for new gas reserves</a></div><p>This is equivalent, he said, to around 15 billion kilowatt-hour electricity in a year that can supply 5.7 million Filipinos, 9,500 buildings, or nearly 200,000 schools in a year.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1524986028608581%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><br/></div><p>“Initial testing [shows] that the well flowed at 60 cubic feet per day, this indicates that the well has the potential to produce even more, confirming it is a high productivity resource, comparable to the original Malampaya wells,” Marcos Jr. said.</p><p>“This helps Malampaya’s contribution and strengthens our domestic gas supply for many years to come,” he said.</p><p>Aside from this, he said the Philippines also discovered condensate, which he described as “a high value liquid fuel.”</p><p>This resource will support the government’s goal in stabilizing the country’s power supply, he said.</p><p>Filipinos led the drilling and completed it “without any accident or environmental incident.”</p><p>“This achievement was made possible through the work of the SC3A consortium led by Prime Energy, in partnership with UC thirty-eight PNOC exploration Corporation and Prime Oil and Gas Inc,” he said.</p><p>According to the President, the MAE-1 was the first milestone under the Malampaya Phase 4 Drilling Campaign. He said the campaign includes Camago-2 and the Bagong Pag-asa wells.</p><p>Marcos, Jr. said among their next steps include the completion and testing of Camago-3 and the drilling of the Pag-asa exploration potential</p><p>He added that the next phase involves completing and testing Camago-3, after which drilling will proceed at the Pag-asa exploration well to further assess potential gas resources.</p><p>Prime Energy, the operator of the service contract working in Malampaya, hailed the discovery as “a breakthrough for Philippine energy independence.”</p><p>“This gas discovery is a victory for the Filipino people,” the company said in a statement.</p><p>Prime Energy, which is owned by ports tycoon Enrique Razon, said the Malampaya project has so far generated more than $13.9 billion in revenues for the Philippine government, while significantly reducing dependence on imported fuels.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kNdREYljR8o?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday morning announced that there was a “significant natural gas discovery” in the Malampaya field called Malampaya East-1 or MAE-1, which could supposedly strengthen the country’s domestic gas supply.</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday morning announced that there was a “significant natural gas discovery” in the Malampaya field called Malampaya East-1 or MAE-1, which could supposedly strengthen the country’s domestic gas supply.

Marcos: ‘Significant’ natural gas discovery made in Malampaya, to strengthen PH’s power supply

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Business

Marcos: ‘Significant’ natural gas discovery made in Malampaya, to strengthen PH’s power supply

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 19, 2026 08:48 AM PHT

|

Updated Jan 19, 2026 05:03 PM PHT

Read More:

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr

Bongbong Marcos

Malampaya East-1

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.