DOST, Palawan State University eye first petroleum R&D lab in Puerto Princesa

With the oil price spikes hounding countries worldwide, the Department of Science and Technology, through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) and the Palawan State University (PalSU), will be launching the Philippines’ first R&D laboratory dedicated to petroleum engineering on March 25, 2026, in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. 

The facility aims to boost the country’s research capacity in support of oil and gas exploration, the DOST said in a news release.

The partnership targets to develop the Drilling Fluids Research and Innovation (DFRI) Laboratory as a "significant step toward developing locally available and sustainable drilling fluids, which are crucial to modern oil and gas exploration and operations."

"The implications of the growing geopolitical tension in the Middle East are already becoming evident.  Given the ongoing instability in global oil supply chains and persistent fuel price hikes, the ability to develop local substitutes for critical drilling materials becomes strategically important to secure our future in sustaining our own petroleum products like drilling fluids,” said DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. 

The DFRI Laboratory has a P4.9 million fund through the Institution Development Program (IDP) of the DOST-PCIEERD.

Palawan hosts 11 commercial oil and gas fields, including the Malampaya gas field, where a new natural gas reservoir was recently discovered. 

PalSU researchers, led by Engineer Morlie Talimbay, earlier produced nanoiron oxide and nanosilica-enhanced drilling fluids.

The additives are part of ongoing research exploring locally sourced alternatives that are low-cost and environmentally sustainable compared to conventional ones, DOST said.

“The country, despite having abundant fossil fuel reserves, only has a few oil and gas R&D outputs. With the establishment of this new laboratory, we aim to contribute to the local energy economic needs,” said Talimbay. 

“For now, we are looking at conducting further studies, including field validation, which are needed to assess their cost-effectiveness and overall performance,” he added. 

According to the DOST, the outputs from the DFRI Lab will be recommended to the Department of Energy (DOE) as the agency targets increasing the exploration and production yield of oil and natural gas. 

"Through the DFRI Lab, we believe that high-quality research will play a critical role in enabling the Philippines to develop its own natural gas resources and reduce the country’s reliance on imported energy," said DOST-PCIEERD Deputy Executive Director Engr. Niñaliza Escorial said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News