MINERALS YEARBOOK 1978 79 
See footnotes at end of table.738 
 
cally produced energy was as follows Petroleum, 10% (9.2 million BOE); hydropower,
6.4% (5.8 million BOB); geothermal, 1.5% (1.3 million BOE); coal, 0.8% (0.7
million BOE) and other 001% (0006 million BOB) Geothermal production in 1979
was 223 megawatts and was scheduled to double m 1980 to about 480 megawatts.
Three 60megawatt hydropower units of the Argus River project in Mindanao
came onstream in 1979 No other major hydroelectric proj ects were slated
for completion m the Luzon grid until 1982. 
 Petroleum import cost was $1.4 billion in 1979 and was expected to exceed
$2 billion in 1980 Because of difficulties at the Nido field near Palawan
Island petroleum production stabilized at a flow rate of 40000 barrels per
day (bpd) droppmg however at the end of the year to 21,300 bpd. The Nido
field was opened in April 1979 and was to be followed by the development
of the Cadlao and Matinloc fields in 1980. 
 The Philippine Bureau of Mines projected an average annual growth rate of
13;3% for the mining sector during 1980-85 Copper 
 
 
PRODUCTION5 
 
 The' Philippirie Bureau of Mines estimated the total value of mineral production
at $1,288 iniflion in 1979, compared with $823 million in 1978. The large
increase in value was attributed to the rise in prices for major mineral
commodities rather than' to a significant increase in quantity output. The
value of metal mining output in 1979 was $852 million ($564 million in 1978),
and for nonmetallic minerals, $436 million ($259 million in 1978). 
 The Philippines is the largest producer of copper in the Orient, and the
value of output of ore and concentrate totaled $468 million, or 38% of the
total output by the mining sector. Production of cement was 
mining and beneficiating was to remain the largest contributor and was to
reach a growth rate of 16% as new mines and expansion programs became operational
in 1980. Gold production was to parallel the trend for copper with metallic
output targeted to reach 1 million ounces m 1983 The ratio of traditional
mineral commodity exports to total export was to decrease to 14% by 1983,
in line with the national effort to promote exports of manufactured goods
rather than raw materials. The Bureau of Mines was to provide guidance and
coord ination of all Government efforts in mining exploration and development
down to the local level. Additionally, it will conduct geologic surveys;
expedite the granting of mmeral rights provide geologic mining and metallurgical
research assistance and monitor information to promote and foster exploitation.

 Under the authority of Presidential Decree No. 1654, the Philippine Bureau
of Mines was renamed the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences effective December
14, 1979 
 
 
 
 
valued at $282 million, followed by gold, $141 million; nickel, $112 million;
sand and gravel, $86 million; cobalt, $67 million; and chromite, $39 million.
Production of other metal values in 1979 included silver ($15 million), molybdenum
and zinc ($4 million each), and lead ($2 million). In the nonmetallic sector,
salt production in 1979 was valued at $19 million and silicon sand, $4 million.

 Coal production increased 38% in value from $6 million in 1978 to $8 million
in 1979. Beginning in 1980, it was expected that petroleum production would
be an increasingly significant input for the minerals sector. 
 
Table 1.—Philippines: Production of mineral commodities 
(Metric tons unless otherwise specified) 
 
Commodity1 1976 1977 1978" 1979e 
METALS 
Chromium: Chromite, gross weight: 
Metallurgicaigrade______________________________ 
Refractorygrade                                  
 
Total____________________________________ 
Cobalt, mine output, metal content                       
Copper, mine output, metal content                      
Gold troy ounces_ 
 
 120,761 136,173 139,218 140,000 
 310,302 402,126 398,080 422,000 
 431,063 538,299 537,298 562,000 
 492 1,084 1,192 1,300 
 237,598 272,792 273,300 298,000 
 501,210 558,235 586,598 2546,536