OPEC officials to visit RP

OPEC officials to visit RP

MANILA: Senior officials of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will visit the Philippines next month to discuss the impact of high oil prices and OPEC policies, the Energy Department said on Friday.

OPEC secretary-general Maizar Rahman will lead the group that will arrive in early December "to update the Filipino public on OPEC's current policies and their impact on net energy importing countries like the Philippines," a department statement said.

Energy Secretary Vincent Perez said the Philippines had lobbied intensely for six months for the visit and expressed gratitude the OPEC officials would be coming even though the country counts for only 0.1 percent of world oil demand.

Rahman will address a forum of Philippine business people during his visit, the department said, adding that it hoped that the coming of the OPEC officials would strengthen the country's diplomatic ties to oil exporting countries. -- AFP