Sulu Sea’s huge natural gas deposit has remained untapped to this day as the country is expected to see the depletion of its active and main natural gas mine in the Malampaya deep, the sea wells off Palawan, and as the South China Sea debacle has stalled future exploration and drilling for natural gas in the area. The Department of Energy’s record has indicated a deposit that could fuel the power needs of Mindanao and some parts of the country for the next 20 to 30 years, according to an applicant to drill and extract it. But until when government gives the green light is anyone’s guess while the energy sector hobbles between developing dirty coal sources as the base load and promoting renewable, but small-scale, energy sources, to hopefully tip the balance in the future in favor of the so-called clean energy.

Cayon, M. T. (2021, April 11). Somewhere, beneath the sea. Business Mirror, pp. A1, A2.