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Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
March 27, 2026 | 12:00am
“The Camago-3 well has been successfully drilled and tested, producing up to 60 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. It is the second major milestone under our $893-million Malampaya Phase 4 campaign and it is significantly larger than our first,” the President said.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Faced with soaring fuel prices and oil supply concerns spawned by the Middle East war, the Philippines had some good news yesterday with the successful drilling and testing of the Camago-3 gas well, seen to boost efforts to secure cheaper and steadier power.
In a video statement, President Marcos described the successful drilling and testing as “another step forward” in the government’s mission to secure affordable and reliable energy for every Filipino.
“The Camago-3 well has been successfully drilled and tested, producing up to 60 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. It is the second major milestone under our $893-million Malampaya Phase 4 campaign and it is significantly larger than our first,” the President said.
Marcos noted that Camago-3 holds an estimated 2.5 times more recoverable gas than the Malampaya East-1 discovery. The two wells are expected to extend the life of the Malampaya gas field by an estimated six years.
“What does this mean for you? It means more power. Steadier power. And cheaper power,” the Chief Executive said.
According to Marcos, the Malampaya gas costs the Philippines roughly P4.80 per kilowatt-hour while liquefied natural gas costs more than double at P10.30 per kilowatt-hour.
“Every unit of power we generate from Malampaya instead of imported fuel is money saved by households, by small businesses, by every Filipino who pays an electricity bill,” he said.
“We know how important it is now. The conflict in the Middle East has caused volatilities in the prices of gasoline worldwide. That’s why we did everything to ensure that we will have our own supply of energy to mitigate the effects of the conflict on the daily lives of Filipinos.”
Marcos said new subsea pipelines are being laid in Philippine waters for the first time since 2000 so gas can be delivered to homes and businesses.
“We are not just extending a gas field. We are rebuilding our energy infrastructure from the ground up,” Marcos said. “We are targeting first gas delivery by the fourth quarter of 2026. And we are not stopping there.”
Marcos said the country’s next well, Bagong Pag-asa, sits 30 kilometers north of Malampaya and is already in the works.
“This is indigenous energy. It is ours. This is our future. And it is how we protect every Filipino from the burden of rising global fuel prices,” he added. — Brix Lelis
