Pagbilao, Quezon (November 27, 2019)–Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim headed a delegation of government officials from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in a three-day inspection tour of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plant in the province Quezon on November 25 to 28.
The tour aims to allow participants to explore and learn the scale, technology and operation of an LNG power processing plant. It was organized by Energy World International Limited (EWIL), an independent energy company that is primarily engaged in the production and sale of power, and development of LNG projects.
The power plant is located at Isla Grande, Barangay Polo in Pagbilao, Quezon.
Mr. Ebrahim said it was another opportunity for the BARMM to explore the use of its natural resources. “We will utilize and explore our natural resources in accordance with the agreed points in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in order to suffice the needs of the entire populace in the Bangsamoro.”
Among those who accompanied Mr. Ebrahim are the following officials of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE-BARMM): Assistant Sec. Alandatu Pagayao, Deputy Minister on Energy Dr. Norodin Salam, Atty. Badrudin Pacasem, Land Management Bureau (LMB) director, and Mr. Jessie Ondoy, planning officer.
Graham Elliott, EWIL executive director, attended to the delegation and toured them around the plant, allowing them to witness the different processes.
LNG Refinery Plant in Sulu
Meanwhile, Mayor Hadar Hajiri of Lugus, Sulu also joined the trip as the local chief executive of the town where the first LNG energy project in BARMM will be built. It can be recalled that on October 22, a ground breaking ceremony for the P163B LNG refinery plant was held in Lugus island of Sulu, which is set to operate in 2021.
Mayor Hajiri said the establishment of the LNG refinery plant in Sulu “will not only benefit the Bangsamoro, but also the entire country.”
He also said the LNG refinery plant will pave the way for peace and development in the Bangsamoro region. Among the benefits of the said project are the generation of jobs, creation of affordable energy source, eco-tourism, and economic development.
The energy project is in accordance with R.A. 11045 also known as the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBAMM), Article XIII , Section 10, which states that “the Bangsamoro Government and the National Government shall jointly exercise the power to grant rights, privileges, and concessions over the exploration, development, and utilization of uranium and fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal in the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro.” (Bureau of Public Information)
