Why Grassroots Consultation is Important
I learned the actual significance of grassroots consultation in the field. We did not encounter any problem in the Malampaya-Camago gasfield in early 2000 because we consulted first the Municipal Mayor and the 18 barangay captains of El Nido, Palawan. But we stumbled big time in Bulalacao, Mindoro because we did not consult the fishermen first before we laid the 504-kilometer gas pipeline that would connect the Malampaya Gas Production Platform to the Shell Philippines Exploration (SPEX) gas refinery in Tabangao, Batangas by sea.
The crew of MV Solitaire, SPEX chartered pipelayer inadvertently removed and damaged the fish aggregates (payao) of the fishermen. The payao is the source of livelihood of the fishermen and with them gone is inviting trouble. Most importantly the Bulalacao fishermen were not ordinary fishermen. They were members of the PAMALAKAYA, seaborne arm of the New People’s Army (NPA). It took us 7 meetings before we pacified them and not to execute their threat of launching a fluvial parade to stop the pipelaying. At the end, the fishermen agreed to allow SPEX to grant them livelihood. We replaced the damaged payao with lapu-lapu (grouper) fish farming implements and because of that we completed the Malampaya project 3 months ahead of schedule.
This important lesson of grassroots consultation was imbedded in my mind. So before doing anything else, I conducted the so-called environmental scanning. The process is similar to the conduct of terrain analysis by the military of the target area. I obtained a very old map of the Cotabato Basin (CB). Old because Lambayong was still not in the map. It was formerly called Don Mariano Marcos and it was only in 1988 that it became the official Lambayong that we have today.
The people of Lambayong are peaceful and hardworking. Majority of the residents are Ilocanos, some are Ilongos and Muslims. It is very assuring to know that the people regardless of their faiths and beliefs live side by side peacefully. The Municipal Mayor is Hon. Ferdinand ‘Andy’ Guerrero Agduma, Ilocano descent and grandson of the legendary Mayor Jose Guerrero. The late Mayor Guerrero was the mayor who welcomed the American geologists who came in 1959 to conduct a seismic survey of Lambayong. He witnessed the 68-foot oil and gas outflow which the Joint Venture (JV) team of Anglo-Maremco experienced in 1962 when they reached the depth of 3,000 feet. He watched in anguished as the JV team could not breach 4,000 feet because of extreme high pressure. He shared their sadness when they plugged and abandoned Gansing 1, 2/2A wells and bid Lambayong goodbye. The late Mayor Guerrero hoped that somebody would come to continue the drilling operation in Gansing, later on called Barangay Bilumin. It took us 58 years to fulfill the wish of the late mayor.
On January 21, 2020, escorted by Muslim brothers, I made my way into the sleepy municipality of Lambayong. We went first to Barangay Caridad where we found the plugged and abandoned Tukanakuden well. Immediately upon arrival, the Muslim residents led by Barangay Captain Jun M. Alba greeted us. The lesson learned at Malampaya automatically clicked in. I consulted them if they would allow us in the future to drill in their area. They gave us their heartfelt permission.
Then before noontime of same day, our next stop was the Barangay Hall of Bilumin. We rendered a courtesy call first at the officials led by Barangay Captain Ceferino L. Carino and then they brought us to the famous Gansing 1 well. The plugged and abandoned oil head is inside a Palm Farm. The old residents there narrated to us the difficulty of the Anglo-Maremco engineers. It is noteworthy to think that they have not forgotten these pioneers.
Next we were brought to the site where the old folks remembered the Anglo-Maremco drilled the Gansing 2/2A well. It was only 150 meters from Gansing 1. They told us that a certain plow hire damaged the oil head and they have to remove it. There was only one wellhead but two drills were made. Gansing 2A was drilled inside Gansing 2 but after 900 feet, the engineers speculated to drill horizontally but they experienced the same high-pressure difficulty.
After inspecting the Gansing wells, we traveled 1.5 kilometers down the road to Barangay Lagao where we saw Lagao 1, the other site where Anglo-Maremco drilled in 1962. On hand to receive us was
Barangay Captain Pato A. Sabilan. It was in Lagao that we met a very old man, maybe in his ‘80s who mentioned the name Mr. Peabody, the chief geologist of Anglo-Maremco. I found out later from DOE data about Mr. Peabody.
In addition to Sultan Kudarat, we also consulted the different personalities and entities in Maguindanao and Liguasan Marsh as shown below:
January 30, 2020 with the former members of the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM). They were colleagues of the late Hashim Salamat, founder of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) based in Maguindanao and Liguasan Marsh.
January 31, 2020, as shown were the members of the MILF Eastern Mindanao Command and National Guard Front Command at the shrine of the late Hashim Salamat in Barangay Cudal, Pagalungan, Maguindanao. Barangay Cudal is the birthplace of Hashim Salamat, the entrance to Liguasan Marsh. With me were Bagoenged Barangay Captain Kodjack Andoy and his father Bapa Andoy.
With residents of Dalgan, Pagalungan, Maguindanao led by their Barangay Captain Mr. Dalgan and MILF Commander Abu Abbas. In Barangay Dalgan, our MILF escorts brought us to an area where oil seepage freely flows daily. I explained to the barrio folks of our future oil and gas exploration project in their area. They were very supportive of our project and promised to secure the project from all threats.
In addition to Sultan Kudarat, we also consulted the different personalities and entities in Maguindanao and Liguasan Marsh as shown below:
January 30, 2020 with the former members of the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM). They were colleagues of the late Hashim Salamat, founder of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) based in Maguindanao and Liguasan Marsh.
January 31, 2020, as shown were the members of the MILF Eastern Mindanao Command and National Guard Front Command at the shrine of the late Hashim Salamat in Barangay Cudal, Pagalungan, Maguindanao. Barangay Cudal is the birthplace of Hashim Salamat, the entrance to Liguasan Marsh. With me were Bagoenged Barangay Captain Kodjack Andoy and his father Bapa Andoy.
With residents of Dalgan, Pagalungan, Maguindanao led by their Barangay Captain Mr. Dalgan and MILF Commander Abu Abbas. In Barangay Dalgan, our MILF escorts brought us to an area where oil seepage freely flows daily. I explained to the barrio folks of our future oil and gas exploration project in their area. They were very supportive of our project and promised to secure the project from all threats.
With residents and students of Dalgan Elementary School, Dalgan, Pagalungan, Maguindanao. The armed men with us were not members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) but active MILF members. They told us that they are now part of the government because of the passage of the new BARMM law.
With Barangay Talitay, Datu Montawal, Maguindanao officials. In Barangay Talitay, we saw the discolored water of Liguasan caused by oil seepage. Because of security issues in the past, Liguasan Marsh was never subjected to an intense seismic survey hence, there is no conclusive data on the oil and gas contents of the area.
Conclusion:
Because of our grassroots consultation, we achieved the following:
- The barangay folks welcomed us and would not complain if we conduct drilling operation in their respective areas.
- The Association of Barangay Council (ABC) composed of all the barangay captains in Lambayong issued a resolution granting us an exclusive right to explore, extract and produce oil and gas in their barangays.
- Following the ABC resolution, the Sangguniang Bayan of Lambayong also issued a favorable resolution to us.
- Both the ABC and Lambayong’s Sangguniang Bayan resolutions were upheld by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Sultan Kudarat which granted us a resolution to also explore in Isulan (Bambad) and Pres. Quirino (Pedtubo).
- The Lambayong Mayor gave us a Business Permit.
- The residents of Liguasan Marsh were fully supportive of the exploration project.
- The members of the MILF were very cooperative and would serve as security forces once drilling operation starts.
- The warm welcome of the barangay residents and the MILF paved the unofficial opening once again of the oil and gas sites in the Cotabato Basin which for more than two decades were closed to exploration activities because of security issues. This is the most important accomplishment of SK Liguasan Oil and Gas Corporation to the Filipino people.