Transcript of Senator Pia S. Cayetano's Ambush Interview With Palawan Media during her Malampaya Visit
June 28, 2024

Q: How was your visit to Malampaya?

Sen. Pia Cayetano: It was an amazing experience for me. I think it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I love the ocean, I am very adventurous. But to be able to be in a place where work is getting done, something that affects our day-to-day life on a massive scale, for me as the new Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Energy - and I am a very visual person, by the way - to be able to see how things operate means a lot to me. And to also see what goes into it, the investments, the sacrifices, people who work there have to be away from their loved ones and families, it's like a 24/7 job. The logistics that go into making that work, including feeding the people, making sure they have their own supplies, and I am told that it's a good day because we flew with great weather. But the weather was terrible yesterday. To have to work under those conditions to ensure that we have electricity is just really mind-boggling. And I am truly grateful for this opportunity.

Prime Infra President & CEO Guillaume Lucci: Maybe I can add? I will say first, we are extraordinarily thankful to the member of the Senate to come and visit. It had a tremendous impact on all the staff and the team. And it's very rewarding to find ourselves in a position where at last, all the work that's done behind the scenes that nobody is in fact fully aware of is happening day in and day out to keep the lights on, is being witnessed by a member of the Senate. So we are very thankful to Senator Cayetano to have taken the time to come and visit.

Q: What is the purpose of your visit?

Sen. Pia Cayetano: I am glad you asked that because that was not the main purpose, to enjoy the beautiful scenery. But it was beautiful. It did happen to be a beautiful day. The purpose was really for me to understand. I am a lawyer by profession. Many of you here, we talked about healthcare because that's my passion. But I say I am not a health professional. I am not an engineer either. I am not an energy expert. But what I am is I'm a good student. And I like understanding, I like learning from experts, I like talking to different people on the field, from the top CEOs, down to the regular worker who does the actual work. And so today was that opportunity. I was with the top-level management of Prime Energy and I got to meet the people on the ground, the engineers, and even the chefs, like how they operate. But, the engineering inside, it's very foreign to me because I am not a technical person, that is not my training. But I am a legislator, I feel these are important for me to understand - the depth of the problem on energy. For the last five years, I have been the Chairperson of the Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking. So to that extent, I feel I am a good match for this position because my mind is trained to look at the future. And in this field, you need to have that outlook for the future. And this is not my first briefing. I've had a couple. But my understanding is, our next big challenge is exploration and ensuring energy supply for the next 15, 20 years. Because our supply now is based on the planning that was done, what, 20, 30 years ago? So, our problems today are not really a product of decisions just made today. The decisions can make them worse, maybe we can stop some gaps. But really, it's about planning long-term. That's what I hope I can bring to the discussion and help by way of policymaking. I will not be a decision-maker here, I am just helping in the creation of proper policies.

Q: We are expecting the depletion of the Malampaya gas soon. What's the plan for the new drills?

Sen. Pia Cayetano: Maybe before I explain that, let's ask Donna to give context. The two here with me were kind enough to break down the terminologies, so I can understand better. So maybe you can explain what the situation is first and then I can come in with some policies.

Prime Energy General Manager and Managing Director Donnabel Kuizon Cruz: Before I talk about the need to explore and develop new sources of gas, I would just like to build on what Senator Pia said about the purpose of the visit. For the people at the platform, and in fact, for all of Prime Energy, this was a very important visit because the people, especially those on the platform, and even those in the offshore gas plant who work 14 days at a time straight; they get a sense of purpose from doing this. Para sa bayan. So we had a photo session, and we all shouted, "Para sa bayan." What we're doing is really for the country and that's what we feel. Having that assurance that we will continue to put the lights on in Luzon is something really important to us. It's our sense of purpose. This is where our exploration and development of the gas comes in. We know definitely that the pressure of the gas in the existing reservoir is going down. And the only way to increase the gas production again is to drill new wells, into the same reserve. We know there's gas there, we just have to drill, which requires a lot of preparation, 7-10 years from discovery to tie-in of the well. So to do that requires investment, there needs to be a project to execute that. We've started to do that, we're actually more than ready to do it already. The plan is that we will have new gas come in by 2026. And not just increase the gas production, we also need to extend the life of the platform. Senator Pia and Guillaume here have seen the condition of the platform. We do have kalawang here and there, we have to make sure that it continues to operate and stay safe for many years to come. That is included in the whole program that we have to put in place.

Sen. Pia Cayetano: A short answer to your question is, security. Energy security. One of my passion projects is also water security. As Chairperson of the Committee on Energy now, I have to be more involved in energy security. And case in point, we were here taking off and we lost power just like that. And it's something people from Manila don't experience as much as people in the province do. Simply put, we are prioritizing Metro Manila, which I know is not fair, and so it is possible that policymakers like me, these are things that we should be aware of. I'm like, how do you run businesses? How do you improve the economy when 2-4 hours a day, there is no power? So when you experience this, and then you see the kind of investment that goes into ensuring energy security and energy reliability - reliability is you will have power 24/7; security is you will have access to that. And that's where indigenous energy comes in. Because when we have to import, we rely on the fluctuation, the supply abroad, we'll have no control over the pricing, and even our buying power, our peso, when it devalues. There are so many factors that affect our energy security when we don't have our own source. When we have our own source, that gives us more security. It's really simple. Let me break this down. Sa mga nanay, kapag may natabi kayong pera in case of emergency, may pang bili naman kayo ng gamot kapag may nagkasakit, diba? Kapag tag-ulan, may sapat naman kayo na pagkain diyan, hindi niyo kailangan lumabas. It's the same thing, may security ka. Kung wala tayong sarili, kailangan pang umutang, kailangan pang bumili sa labas, masyado tayong exposed. So yun yung gusto ko, kung ako tatanungin mo, yun ang medyo priority ko, yung security natin; na ang bansa natin, hindi tayo mapipilay dahil wala tayong kuryente. Pwedeng magpatuloy ang negosyo, pwedeng magpatuloy ang pang-araw-araw na kabuhayan dahil may pagkukunan tayo ng kuryente. So for those who are already experiencing brownouts, alam niyo na ibig kong sabihin. Ayaw natin ng ganyan.

Q: In Palawan, brownouts are frequent. Ano po ang pwede niyong magawa?

Sen. Pia Cayetano: I was here since yesterday. And the things I said to the people, yung mga kwento ko sa mga tao na ang Palawan is known and has been multi-awarded in various areas for the beautiful beaches that we have, diving sites, etc. But how do we really promote that when we have to deal with brownouts? I don't have to say anything more. Yun na yun, eh. Paano mo palalakihin ang negosyo mo kung may brownout? This issue affects our day-to-day lives. Even in schools. Kung hindi ka man lang makapag-patakbo ng electric fan para sa mga bata, sa mga teacher, it affects us. So obviously, we have to find long-term solutions. Not overnight. Anyone who tells you that they can solve it overnight, binobola lang kayo nun, parang pyramid scam lang yan. So huwag kayong magpapabola.

Q: Do you have plans to build a padel facility here in Palawan?

Sen. Pia Cayetano: Yes. It so happens that in El Nido, there is a padel club that is almost done, completely done. it's playable in a way, I am going to test it out also today. I am very proud of promoting sports all over the country. In Puerto Princesa yesterday, I reminded them that in my last visits here, I brought football coaches, and then we biked a hundred kilometers across Palawan, to promote fitness and health. So I am also really happy. I try to multitask when I travel outside of Metro Manila.

Q: Importance of balance in your work?

Sen. Pia Cayetano: Nowadays, people understand na importante may balance tayo, including mental and physical health. And the best way I think, the best hack I can give all of you is when you exercise, it's both physical and mental health. So if you don't do it, I feel like - not to pressure people to exercise - but whether you walk, you bike, you run, play tennis, play anything, move your body, that's the best thing you can do for yourself.