Philippine Energy Policy Wiki

Philippine Upstream Petroleum Task Force (PUPTF)

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The Philippine Upstream Petroleum Task Force (PUPTF) is a multi-agency inter-governmental body chaired by the DOE Secretary, created to coordinate national government support for petroleum exploration, development, and utilization in the Philippines — particularly for major upstream operations like the Malampaya gas project.

Legal basis: EO 60 (s. 2011), signed September 30, 2011, by President Aquino III.

Predecessor: Philippine Gas Project Task Force (PGPTF), created under EO 254 (s. 1995) specifically to support the Malampaya-Camago offshore gas development.

Composition

Chairperson: DOE Secretary

Members (17 agencies, at Undersecretary level or equivalent):

  • Office of the Executive Secretary (OES)
  • Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)
  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
  • Department of Finance (DOF)
  • Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
  • Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
  • Department of National Defense (DND)
  • National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
  • Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC)
  • Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)
  • Bureau of Customs (BOC)
  • Bureau of Immigration (BI)
  • National Quarantine Office (NQO)
  • Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
  • Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)
  • Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)

[EO 60, s. 2011, §1, 2011-09-30]

Functions

  • Support petroleum operations (especially Malampaya Phases 2 & 3) by streamlining applicable rules, regulations, and procedures
  • Resolve inter-agency issues affecting petroleum service contracts; formulate policy measures
  • Study long-term petroleum markets
  • Conduct public consultations with LGUs and stakeholders
  • Submit quarterly progress reports to the President [EO 60, s. 2011, §2, 2011-09-30]

Funding

Sourced from the Special Account in the General Fund (SAGF-151) of the DOE — the Malampaya Fund (Fund 151) — derived from the government’s 10% share of Malampaya gross output under SC 38. Subject to Bureau of Treasury certification of fund availability [EO 60, s. 2011, §3, 2011-09-30].

Background: Malampaya

At the time of PUPTF creation (2011), the Malampaya project had generated over US$4 billion in government revenues since commercial operations began January 1, 2002, and still supplied approximately 40% of Luzon’s generation capacity via the Ilijan, Santa Rita, and San Lorenzo power plants (combined 2,700 MW).

Phase 2 (additional wells, ~US$500M, completion target 2013) and Phase 3 (compression capacity, ~US$500M, completion target 2015) were the priority projects requiring inter-agency coordination [EO 60, s. 2011, WHEREAS ¶7–8, 2011-09-30].

The PUPTF replaced the project-specific PGPTF with a broader mandate covering all petroleum service contracts in the Philippines, positioning it to coordinate beyond Malampaya as exploration activity expands under the PCECP (Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program).

Key Distinction from EICC

The PUPTF (upstream petroleum) and the EICC (energy infrastructure broadly; see Energy Investment Coordinating Council (EICC) ) are distinct bodies. PUPTF focuses exclusively on petroleum service contract operations; EICC streamlines permitting for Energy Projects of National Significance across all energy sectors.