Black Gold - Discovering Oil in the Philippines

Due to its color and price, the petroleum (Latin “petra” means rock, “oleum” means oil) that fuels our vehicles is informally called “black gold”. Can you believe that petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid beneath the Earth’s surface formed millions of years ago?

This “black gold” is formed when extremely small, organic matter such as plankton die and fall to the ocean floor. These dead organisms get covered with layers of sediments. Without oxygen, and with tremendous amount of pressure and temperature, it will be converted to crude oil and natural gas. 

It is not until 45 years ago, Dr. Saldivar-Sali and his team successfully extracted the very first crude oil that flowed out in Palawan. This historic moment jumpstarted the saga not only of our petroleum industry but the whole Philippine energy industry. 

Below is Dr. Saldivar-Sali’s “Gift to the Nation”, the very first oil sample from the Nido-1 well in Palawan taken after their first successful extraction. 

Exhibition on the first oil well discovery samples 

NMP DG Barns,DDG-Museums Dr. Labrador, Dr. Saldivar-Sali and the four recognized notable women in the energy sector

On 9 March, exactly forty-four years after the discovery of the first offshore oil well in northwest Palawan, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) launched Gifts to the Nation exhibition featuring the specimens and artifacts donated by Dr. Arthur Saldivar-Sali. Oil discoveries, represented by these specimens and artifacts, jumpstarted the development of indigenous energy sources that are now powering the nation. The event was witnessed by the family of Dr. Saldivar-Sali, the geoscientists and administrative staff involved in the first energy explorations in the country, representatives from the energy sector, World Bank, media and government officials and staff.

Dr. Saldivar-Sali describing the artifacts in the newly launched exhibition.

Some of the specimens and artifacts on exhibit are: the diamond and tungsten drilling bits that penetrated Nido-1 and Cadlao-1, the Philippines’ first and second discovered oil wells in offshore northwest Palawan on March 9, 1976 and August 17, 1977, respectively; crude oil samples in glass reagent bottles from different oil discovery  wells, also in Northwest Palawan, such as Nido-1, Galoc-1, Cadlao-1, Matinloc-1, Tara-1, Pandan-1, Linapacan-1; sample of gas condensate from the Sampaguita-1 discovery well drilled in the Reed Bank of West Philippine Sea in September 1976; oil-soaked and oil-stained reservoir rocks retrieved from a depth of 5,564 feet below the seabed during the drilling of Nido-1; and oil-stained reservoir rock with oil samples retrieved from a depth of 7,514 feet below the seabed during the drilling of Galoc-1. 

The well-attended event comprising members from the energy sector listen while the donor Dr. Arthur Saldivar-Sali gave his remarks.

The program began with the welcome remarks rendered by Dr. Ana Maria Theresa P. Labrador, NMP Deputy Director-General for Museums.  She thanked Dr. Saldivar-Sali for his generous donation to the nation. In celebration of the National Women’s Month, she gave recognition of women pioneers in geology “who are usually hidden”. She also proudly shared the accomplishment of the NMP in terms of meeting the target number of visitors last year, stating that mostly young visitors may have already been influenced on what they wanted to pursue in the future and the donation of Dr. Saldivar-Sali would add to their ambitions.

NMP Director-General Jeremy Barns giving his response on behalf of the NMP.

Dr. Saldivar-Sali’s followed next, stating that the event should be a celebration of that moment in history when the first exploratory well in the Philippines, after 100 years of unsuccessful drilling, was discovered on March 9, 1976.  That moment began the saga not only of the oil industry but of the whole Philippine energy industry including the geothermal, coal, solar, and wind powers. According to him, that historic event was the game changer that shifted the country’s energy import from 90% to just 10%.  He stated that the specimens and artifacts served a good purpose at the NMP as it helped placing them on the national stage and somehow would help inspire the younger generations in pursuit of better energy condition for our country.  He also thanked all the guests and his colleagues who, despite the threat to public health, made efforts to come to the unveiling ceremony.

The NMP Director-General Barns, in response extended his gratitude for choosing the NMP as the depository of such unique and outstanding specimens and artifacts. He promised to keep them well and preserve them for posterity on behalf of the institution and of the whole nation.

The guests at the launch of the exhibit in Gallery 3 of the NMNH

In celebration of the National Women’s Month, six pioneering women from the energy sector were given recognition for their invaluable contribution that led to the advancement of the search and utilization of our country’s energy resources. Among the awardees were: Ms. Griselda Garcia-Bausa, a geologist – paleontologist responsible for the setting up of the country’s first and only Energy Research Laboratory (ERL);  Ms. Eleanore B. Gutierrez, negotiations coordinator of the Department of Energy (DOE) who made sure that the terms and conditions of the petroleum exploration service contracts were complied with; Dr. Marietta M. De Leon, a geologist – paleontologist and the first woman recipient of the PRC Outstanding Geologist for the year 2019; Ms. Amelia M. De Guzman, a geologist specializing in biostratigraphy and micropaleontology and the Director III of the Energy Research and Testing Laboratory Services (ERTLS) of the DOE; and Ms. Nelen R. Teodosio-Herrera, the first lady coal geologist at the then Bureau of Energy Development and also the first woman to ever go down a coal mine 4 kilometers below ground.  

Unfortunately, Ms. Milagros Villavicencio-Reyes, a geologist specializing in Micropaleontology and Sedimentology, who spearheaded the research on fossil reefs as alternative potential oil reservoir rocks in the Philippines, was not able to attend the ceremony.  This was followed by the presentation of certificate of appreciation to Dr. Saldivar-Sali for his generous gifts to the nation. 

After the recognition rites, the guests were led to the Mineral and Energy Resources Gallery for the launching of the “Discovering Oil in the Philippines” exhibition.  Dr. Saldivar-Sali narrated his personal accounts of the specimens and artifacts on display. 

According to him, those samples were probably the oldest in NMNH as they were formed millions of years ago. He considered the specimens and artifacts alive and hoped that they would bring inspiration to the young generations in search for sustainable energy resources. 

If you want to see more of these historical specimens and artifacts, book online at reservation.nationalmuseum.gov.ph.

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Text by Jiles Arvin Vergara and poster by Jaan Ruy Nogot

Text by Jiles Arvin A. Vergara and Maileen P. Rondal, NMP-GPD/photos by NMP-GAD FPS.

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)