NEWSROOM

TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (TSX: PRE; BVC: PREC; BOVESPA: PREB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Messrs. Dennis Mills and Francisco Solé to the board of directors of the Company, effective February 13, 2012, subject to regulatory approval. Mr. Mills will chair the Company's Audit Committee and will also join the Company's Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, while Mr. Solé will be joining the Company's Compensation and Human Resources Committee. Messrs. Mills and Solé have been appointed to the board to replace Messrs. Donald Ford and John Zaozirny, each of whom is retiring from the board of directors at this time.

Mr. Mills was Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MI Developments Inc. from 2004 to 2011, and a Vice-President at Magna International from 1984 to 1987. Mr. Mills served as a Member of Parliament in Canada's federal parliament from 1988 to 2004. While a Member of Parliament, Mr. Mills was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry from 1993 to 1996, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs from 1993 to 1995 and the Chair of the Committee studying the Industry of Sport in Canada. Mr. Mills was the Senior Policy Advisor to the Cabinet Committee on Communications (1980-1984), Advisor to the Minister of Energy (1980-1981), Senior Advisor to the Minister of Multiculturalism (1980), and Senior Communications Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1980-1984).

Mr. Solé has served Grupo Planeta, a Colombian publishing and media company in various capacities since 1989, most recently as Grupo Planeta Corporate President of the Andean Area, Vice-President of El Tiempo Publishing House and President of Channel 3 Television of Colombia. Mr. Solé has also been a member of the Board of Directors for CEET TV, El Tiempo Publishing House and Editorial Planeta Colombia during this time. From 1985-1989 he was General Director and Director of Administration at the oil refining company East of Spain Lubricants (LUDESA), in Spain. He has also been Department Head, Accountant and Section Chief in the department of cost accounting at Novartis, a chemical and pharmaceutical company.

Stated Ronald Pantin, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Rubiales: "We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Dennis Mills and Mr. Francisco Solé to our board of directors and look forward to the value and experience they will bring to the board.  At the same time, we wish to thank Mr. Donald Ford and Mr. John Zaozirny for the service, insight and experience they provided Pacific Rubiales."

Pacific Rubiales, a Canadian-based company and producer of natural gas and heavy crude oil, owns 100 percent of Meta Petroleum Corp., a Colombian oil operator which operates the Rubiales and Piriri oil fields in the Llanos Basin in association with Ecopetrol, S.A., the Colombian national oil company, and 100 percent of Pacific Stratus Energy Corp. which operates the La Creciente natural gas field. The Company is focused on identifying opportunities primarily within the eastern Llanos Basin of Colombia as well as in other areas in Colombia and northern Peru. Pacific Rubiales has working interests in 46 blocks in Colombia, Peru and Guatemala.

The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and La Bolsa de Valores de Colombia and as Brazilian Depositary Receipts on Brazil's Bolsa de Valores Mercadorias e Futuros under the ticker symbols PRE, PREC, and PREB, respectively. 

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding estimates and/or assumptions in respect of production, revenue, cash flow and costs, reserve and resource estimates, potential resources and reserves and the company's exploration and development plans and objectives) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently available to the company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and estimated economic return; the possibility that actual circumstances will differ from the estimates and assumptions; failure to establish estimated resources or reserves; fluctuations in petroleum prices and currency exchange rates; inflation; changes in equity markets; political developments in Colombia, Guatemala or Peru; changes to regulations affecting the company's activities; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data; and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the company's annual information form dated March 11, 2011 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.