Looking to China: President Rodrigo Duterte announced the executive order in May
Manila opens the door to Chinese E&P
An executive order has reduced the constraints on Philippines’ state oil company working with third parties on oil and gas deals
An executive order from Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte that relaxed the rules on oil and gas exploration should make it easier for the government to cement its recent outreach to China, as it opens exploration blocks in a bid to reverse a precipitous decline in production. Executive Order 80, issued in late May, reverses a previous ruling from 2006 that prevented the Philippine National Oil Company Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC) from directly farming out its acreage. From now on, third parties can participate in service contracts awarded by the government to PNOC-EC, the upstream arm of state-owned Philippine National Oil Company, without the need for public bidding.PNOC-EC has bee
Also in this section
15 April 2026
The continent is seeing political pushback to climate plans, corporate reassessment of transition goals and rising supply risk in a fractured global order
15 April 2026
The Middle East energy crisis may turn out to be pivotal to the industry’s long-term expansion, but significant challenges still stand in its way
15 April 2026
The country plays a vital role in connecting Asia to Europe, but the expiration of Russian contracts and the ramifications of the war in Iran are placing it under pressure
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards
