We have struck oil in the Nido-1 well in City Services (Phil.) and Husky Oil in partnership with Oriental Petroleum and Mineral Co., Landoil, Basie, Philodrill. It is 42 kilometers from Malampaya Sound or Nido town in Palawan or directly west of the Calantian group of islands north of Palawan.
We are all in a state of euphoria, fantasizing what this will mean to the country and to the individual stockholders.
Congratulations are flying thick and fast from all around including the U.S.
I received the information that oil was flowing from the production test at 7:00 AM. The Taineron is the biggest drill ship and completely computerized as well as drill up to 30,000 feet. Although it struck the first shows of oil at 5,977 feet and drilled up to 9,000 feet.
We were terrorized when water started flowing from the pipe stem testing at about 3:00 PM after they closed it at 2:00 PM to change the valve. But at about 5:30 PM oil flowed out again. And they were flaring the oil again, the bright orange flame and the dark smoke making a dramatic picture in the I ordered taken.
I had sent PNOC [Philippine National Oil Company] Chairman Ronnie [Geronimo] Velasco and Sec. Juan Ponce Enrile to confirm the fact of the oil which they did.
Imelda refused to allow me to fly as everything was turning out too well and bad luck might hit me in the plane or helicopter. Imelda is strange that way. But I do not disregard her instincts. She has shown some unnecessary clairvoyance in the past. So I did not go personally as I had wanted to do.
Everyone seems to have bought into Oriental, borrowing money and selling cars for the purpose.
I have to take measures so that they do not get burned.
So I announced at about midnight, by taped TV broadcast, that oil is flowing but that it would need to close the first exploratory well and conduct a seismic survey to determine the next well to be drilled.
We have just discovered oil!!!
It is unknown where this text comes from because this entry is missing.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.