MANILA, Philippines. — The ongoing violence in Sabah could be rooted in the rich oil and gas reserves in the disputed territory. This was reported by Iris Gonzales in Philippine Star early last month.
Global Energy in Singapore has reported that Sabah has about 12 trillion cubic feet of gas and at least 1.5 billion barrels of oil in its reserves.
According to experts in the industry, oil resources in Sabah could increase further in the coming years as four new oilfields have been found in Sabah’s territorial waters over the last two years.
“Oil and gas reserves in Sabah could increase significantly due to deepwater discovery and development of several new offshore fields,” Datuk Mohammad Hasnol Ayub, chief executive officer of the think tank Institute for Development in Sabah, said.
Sabah’s oil reserves are so rich that in 2009, gas was the biggest contributor to its gross domestic product (GDP) as compared to other sectors, Ayub said.
As of this writing, more than a 100 Filipinos who are followers of Sultan Kiram have been killed by Malaysian authorities in Sabah. They have defied instructions by President Aquino to return to Sulu.