“Our students have a big potential of becoming future engineers because they were able to convert pig manure into gas for cooking,” says Dianne Garcia, a chemistry teacher of Barangka National High School (BNHS) in Marikina City. “Project Tuklas opened the minds of our students to many ideas and then made them realized that their science project idea is possible.”

Garcia was referring to her third year high school students who compose a team that made it to the finals of Project Tuklas because of their project on “feces energy” was feasible. The contest, being conducted by the student organization AIESEC Philippines and sponsored by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (Shell), aims to find the brightest public high school students who will be given engineering scholarships by the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev).

Garcia adds that members of the team – June Ashley Malto, Ada Louise Lique, Mary Rose Gambala, Monica Esguerra and Kathleen Ventura — can become engineers or scientists some day because Project Tuklas taught them the skills needed for such a profession.

“At first, they didn’t know how to make a project proposal. They also don’t have any idea on how to do their chosen project because they have never joined a science project contest before,” says Garcia. “Project Tuklas taught them how to make a project proposal and do an investigatory project. It also helped them overcome their shyness and become self-confident.”

AIESEC Philippines provided a foreign engineering student to guide the BNHS teams on their projects. Ukrainian Alexander Chernyshov mentors the students at BNHS. Garcia and the parents of the student contestants also helped the teams in finding the materials and building the prototype of their projects.

PhilDev, AIESEC Philippines and Shell are tapping public high schools as sources of future engineers through Project Tuklas, which was launched last year. Their belief in the potential of students as innovators was confirmed after 32 teams from 18 public high schools in Metro Manila totaling 200 students submitted projects that hewed to the contest’s theme “Future of Energy.” The BNHS has a second team of third year students, who made it to the preliminary round of Project Tuklas with their project on producing cooking fuel from janitor fish carcass.

Public school students are as competent as their counterparts in private schools in conceptualizing novel science projects. This is so because science education in public schools has improved a lot from the traditional lecture-type and book-based teaching in the past to today’s hands on-intensive and technology-supported laboratory lessons. The use of computers, CD or DVD players, projectors and the Internet in teaching and learning science lessons make students more knowledgeable in chemistry, physics, biology and other science subjects, according to Garcia.

Garcia admits that BNHS, which was established only three years ago, still lacks textbooks and has no laboratory. But she says public school science teachers and students alike are now more resourceful to cope with such limitations. In her case, she uses real-life analogy to explain lessons while her students bring readily available materials for scientific experiments. Also, books are shared by students and experiments are done in the classroom. The strategy appears to work considering that BNHS students reached the Project Tuklas final round in the school’s first-ever participation in a science project contest.

As to why the Project Tuklas contestants came up with simple, plant-based projects like producing bio-ethanol from durian or biodiesel from squash, Garcia explains that most public school students come from low-income families making them easily inspired by ideas or innovations that are less costly to prototype.

There are already 50 public high school students who qualified to receive an engineering scholarship from PhilDev by reaching the finals of Project Tuklas. Whether or not the BNHS team’s project makes the school the champion, the contest has proven the importance of public high schools in nurturing the country’s future engineers.

# # #

About Shell

Shell is a global leader in power, energy, and gas technology and is working to meet increasing energy demand and supply challenges by delivering smarter products and cleaner energy, smarter infrastructure, smarter use, and by developing new energy sources while addressing the impact on the environment, through cleaner burning natural gas and advanced fuels and lubricants technology. At our operations, safety is our top priority. Our goal is to have zero fatalities and no incidents that cause harm to our people and neighbours and put our facilities at risk. We aim to address social concerns and work to benefit local communities, protecting our reputation as we do business.

In the Philippines, Shell represents various companies operating in oil and gas exploration, extraction, refining and delivery of smarter products for clean and fuel efficient transport in the country. Shell’s energy portfolio in the Philippines include the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project which represents roughly 40-45% of Luzon’s power generation requirements, providing the country a considerably long-term revenue stream to the government, in addition to considerable foreign exchange savings. Being at the forefront of energy and fuel efficiency, Shell advocates for the use of energy more efficiently as the simplest and most cost-effective way to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change through driver education, fuel efficient driving behaviour, and smarter mobility collaboration and strategic partnerships to fuel the country’s progress. As Shell aims to meet the world’s future energy needs with a diversified energy mix and cleaner energy, we enjoin consumers and businesses to use energy better, to do more with less, and make energy conservation a way of life.

Visit the Pilipinas Shell website.

Like us on Facebook.

Photo and caption (grabbed from PT FB page)

The team members of Barangka National High School (in uniform) with their teacher, Dianne Garcia (2nd from right) and representatives of AIESEC Philippines.

Cautionary Note

Royal Dutch Shell plc

Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 130 countries with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of Liquefied Natural Gas and Gas to Liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects including wind and solar power. For further information, visit http://www.shell.com

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ‘‘anticipate’’, ‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘expect’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘objectives’’, ‘‘outlook’’, ‘‘probably’’, ‘‘project’’, ‘‘will’’, ‘‘seek’’, ‘‘target’’, ‘‘risks’’, ‘‘goals’’, ‘‘should’’ and similar terms and phrases. Also included as a forward looking statement is our disclosure of reserves, proved oil and gas reserves, proven mining reserves, organic reserves, net reserves and resources. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this press release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for the Group’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) loss of market and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell’s 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These factors also should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions. We use certain terms in this press release that SEC's guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

Also in this press release we have aggregated our equity position in projects for both direct and indirect interest. For example, we have aggregated our indirect interest in the Pluto project via our 34% shareholding in Woodside Energy Ltd.

ENQUIRIES:

Roberto Kanapi

Vice President for Communications & Government Relations

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation

Tel. 63.2.816-6087

Fax 63.2.814-6494