CEBU CITY, March 15 -- The province of Cebu will partner with private firms to continue oil and natural gas exploration in Alegria town, south of Cebu, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said Thursday.

Garcia's decision came as Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Alessandro Sales visited the provincial capitol on Thursday to inform the governor of the agency's intention to continue the exploration and drilling of the oil reserves in the town's Barangay Montepeller.

China International Mining Petroleum Co. Ltd. (CIMP) was already producing commercial quantities of oil and natural gas in 2020 following the discovery of an estimated 27.93 million barrels of oil and a possible production recovery of 3.35 million of barrels of crude oil, or a c...