History: More Than 85 Years of Philippine Partnership Caltex gained its foothold in the Philippines in 1917 when Texas Company (as Texaco was then known) began marketing the products in the Philippines through a local distributor, Wise and Co. Four years later, Texaco (Philippines) was formally established and opened its office in Binondo, Manila. Eleven years later, its Pandacan warehouse depot was converted into a key distribution terminal to bring products by barge to nearby provinces. By 1936, Texaco joined forces with the Standard Oil Company (California) to form Caltex (Philippines) Inc.
On the same year, Caltex improved its position dramatically—it increased its capitalization from an initial PHP 2 million to PHP 200 million—transferred to a new office, and opened depots and service stations nationwide, making it the country’s number one oil company. But three years of plunder and neglect during the Second World War wreaked havoc on the company’s facilities. The Pandacan Terminal was destroyed and the Caltex network of depots and service stations were rendered inoperative.
After the Liberation, Caltex was able to rebuild and reestablish its distribution and service station facilities. In 1951, the construction of a Caltex Refinery in San Pascual, Batangas began on a 125-hectare lot. No less than then Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay was present when the US$60-million Caltex refinery was inaugurated in 1954, becoming the first petroleum refinery in the Philippines. On the same year, Caltex affiliates California Asiatic Oil and Texaco Overseas Petroleum explored the Cagayan Valley for oil deposits.
In 1956, Caltex moved its main offices into its own building on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. The roaring 1960s were marked with a series of milestones that helped Caltex reestablish itself as the country’s premier oil company. The year 1960 saw Caltex introducing Boron gasoline to meet technical advances of automotive engineering. By 1961, Caltex had 2,400 employees and four major installations operating five depots in Luzon, 12 in the Visayas region, and three in Davao.
The following year, the Caltex Refinery was already supplying 50% of the country’s national consumption for petroleum products. In 1969, two 108-kilometer pipelines were built from Batangas to Manila that provided a more economical and reliable means of transporting oil products from the Caltex Refinery. The Seventies saw the company on an energy search in the country. Caltex began searching Palawan for oil in 1972. Two years later, it built and opened the Philippines’ first island wharf and storage complex in its Batangas refinery complex to handle deliveries from very large crude carriers (VLCCs).
A VLCC can deliver 300,000 tons of crude, which provided at the time about 10 days of the nation’s crude oil needs. In an effort to help the national government’s total energy program, Caltex spearheaded geothermal exploration in Kalinga Apayao and studies on alternative energy sources in 1977. Among the company’s milestones in the 1980s was Caltex’s acquisition of Mobil Philippines’ marketing network, including 500 stations and several depots. It also launched its revolutionary CX-3 gasoline with deposit-control polybutene amine additive in 1982.
The 1990s heralded more progress for Caltex’s operations in the Philippines. By 1994, Caltex had the most number of depots and the largest retail network in the country. It upgraded the refinery to 72,000 BPD capacity. Havoline Formula 3 motor oil was introduced. The first Star Mart outlet in Sucat, Paranaque, was opened to the public in 1995, marking Caltex’s foray into convenience retailing. The familiar red star Caltex logo was given a new look and the color of deep ocean green was added to the new Caltex logo that was launched in 1996.
The dawn of the new millennium ushered in the merger of Caltex’s two parent companies to form ChevronTexaco—the second-largest US-based energy company and the fifth largest in the world, based on market capitalization. Currently celebrating its 125th anniversary, ChevronTexaco employs more than 50,000 working in approximately 180 countries around the world, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas, and marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products. Its associated brands are sold in approximately 30 countries across Asia-Pacific, southern Africa and east Africa.
As its more recent accomplishment, Caltex operates a world-class finished product import terminal in Batangas with a storage capacity of roughly 2. 7 million barrels. This 2006, in line with the change in its parent company’s name from ChevronTexaco Corporation to Chevron Corporation, Caltex (Philippines), Inc. will now be known as Chevron Philippines Inc. Despite the change, the commitment that the company has shown the local market for the past 89 years will remain the same and the customer-facing Caltex brand and logo will be unchanged at service stations and retail outlet
Caltex Community Partnerships in the Asia Pacific Caltex, as a proud operator in the communities it works within, likes to assist those that are less fortunate. Caltex’s Community Partnerships are dedicated to filling the small needs, respectfully to help the disadvantaged get on with bigger things in their lives, reach their full potential and achieve their goals. PHILIPPINES Good Roots On Earth Day 1991, “Multi-Purpose Tree Species, Wood Use and Farming Systems Research,” commonly referred to as the Good Roots Project, was launched.
Under this programme on environmental preservation and livelihood development, Caltex not only ensures that the environment is nurtured through technology transfer but also sees to it that the quality of life for the environment’s beneficiaries improves. The Good Roots Project team teaches farmers and their families to maximise the yield of their lands without the use of destructive farming practices. By creatively combining knowledge with practical application and livelihood opportunities, the project promotes environmental awareness and responsibility among the participants. Caltex Fund
The Caltex Fund Street-to-School Programme demonstrates how a government-corporate partnership can address one of Philippine society’s immediate concerns – the proliferation of street children and other disadvantaged young members of society, the out of school youths and children in conflict with the law. Chevron Philippines Inc. , with the assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, identifies and selects non-government organizations (NGOs) with established track records and effective programmes to rehabilitate street children and other disadvantaged youths as partners.
This scholarship programme is designed to teach and equip street children with the necessary skills to build their own future. Caltex Mentor Program (CMP) The Caltex Mentor Program – Drive to Literacy is a flagship programme of the company’s staff volunteers. The programme seeks to address at least two of the country’s major concerns – the illiteracy rate in elementary schools and need to help balance the teacher-student classroom ratios. While the project currently focuses on reading skills, it is envisioned to include mathematics, science, computer skills and eventually sports. NEW SSS CONTRIBUTION SCHEDULE
