SBMA to allow truck traders to stay in Subic’s CBD area

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Rolen C. Paulino has allowed truck traders inside this premier Freeport to remain in their old areas in the Central Business District (CBD) as long as they have contracts in the Tipo area.

This came after the SBMA Board issued Resolution No. 20-09-1783 that approves the “Exclusion of the Tipo Area from the Moratorium on Trading of Trucks, Buses and Heavy Equipment and the Policy/ Guidelines in Accepting Truck Trading Companies at the Tipo Area.”

The SBMA Board resolution aims to move all truck trading companies to Tipo, an area near the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and far from the Central Business District (CBD).

This move is part of the agency’s zoning program to provide more space for SBMA to lease out to other companies looking into locating here.

During a meeting with the Subic Truck Importers Group, Paulino said that the SBMA Board has ordered all truck traders to move to the Tipo Area by April 30.

He added that since most of the utilities in the area are still not complete, the top official has allowed them to remain in their old areas in the naval station provided they have a standing contract with warehousing companies in Tipo.

“The SBMA Board has granted me authority to give some leeway to your companies. I can assure you that the agency is looking out for your businesses,” he said. He added that if they already have existing contracts in lease companies in Tipo, the agency will release their Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemptions (CRTEs) for them to resume operation.

Three companies have areas conducive for truck traders, buses and heavy equipment companies to locate, but are still being developed. These are Xantheng Subic International Corp. (XSIC), Filman Property Management Consultancy Inc., and Sino Invest.

Meanwhile, Subic Truck Importers Group President Peter Geroue said that most of their clientele are familiar with their areas near the CBD, providing customers easier access to their products. But with the board resolution, it would be far for their clientele to go to their showrooms.

Geroue added that what the SBMA chairman proposed is a win-win solution to both the SBMA and the companies, citing that the truck traders can still keep their offices near the CBD for operation and showroom purposes, while using the Tipo area as a warehouse.

 He added that this eliminates the idea of putting most of their trucks, buses and heavy equipment at a warehouse in Pampanga, making it accessible for the companies to just put them at a warehouse in Tipo.

Currently, there are around 50 truck trading companies inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, with most owned by foreign companies. The truck traders, bus, and heavy equipment sector has been one of the hardest hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is still reeling from the high prices of fuel in the global market. (MPD-SBMA)