President Marcos wants to ensure that there will be stable power supply in the country until his term and even beyond it.

In a Palace briefing on Tuesday, July 15, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin said Marcos is concerned about the country's needs until 2028 as well as long-term needs.

Garin made the statement as she was reporting the recent development on the Malampaya gas field, which is expected to yield fuel and could be tapped to generate electricity even beyond Marcos' term.

"I think the President is not just concerned about your needs today or until 2028. I think he is concerned about the long-term needs of our country,” Garin said.

If the drilling yields gas, the wells could supply electricity for 10 years.  

“Ito, ten years pa ito, alam niya ten years pa ang epekto nito, pero (He knows that this could supply electricity for 10 years but) he wants this to secure the future of the next generation. That's why he went there," Garin said, referring to Marcos’ aerial inspection of the Malampaya drilling off Palawan on Monday, July 14.

Garin said that two wells - Camago-3 and Malampaya East - are showing excellent prospects, while the government is also optimistic that the third, Bagong Pagasa, will become an additional source.

“And once we know na meron nga, siguro ang kailangan lang ay isang taon para i-connect 'yan sa (that there is, perhaps we need one year to connect it to the) Malampaya (platform) nation, and then by late next year, we will have electricity from the new wells already," Garin said.

"Kung 'di ito ginawa ngayon, mauubusan tayo ng gas (If this is not done now, we will run out of gas)," the Energy chief stressed.

Marcos flew over the platform and the drilling ship Noble Viking, which is now engaged in boring through at least three kilometers of seabed at Camago-3, Malampaya East, and Bagong Pagasa.

After conducting a fly-by in Malampaya on Monday, the President acknowledged that country's reserves are gradually depleting, stressing that 20 percent of Luzon's electricity comes from Malampaya.

"[K]aya sinimulan na natin ang Phase IV drilling upang makahanap ng panibagong gas wells at masigurong tuloy-tuloy at abot-kaya ang kuryente para sa bawat Pilipino (So we have started Phase IV drilling to find new gas wells and ensure continuous and affordable electricity for every Filipino)," Marcos said.

"Lumipad ako sa Noble Viking ngayong araw upang personal na makita ang progreso at ipakita ang buong suporta ng pamahalaan para matapos ito sa takdang panahon. Habang pinalalawak natin ang paggamit ng renewable energy, ang natural gas ang magsisigurong sapat, matatag at maaasahan ang ating suplay ng kuryente (I flew to the Noble Viking today to personally see the progress and to show the government’s full support in completing this project on time. While we expand the use of renewable energy, natural gas will ensure that our power supply remains sufficient, stable, and reliable)," he added.

Malampaya, the country’s first and only indigenous gas resource, currently supplies about 20 percent of Luzon's electricity needs. It started commercial production in January 2002.

Meanwhile, Garin revealed that the Marcos administration plans to award eight more gas exploration contracts, including two of the first hydrogen contracts in the world and two of the first contracts for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).