Galvez lauds SBMA vaxx program for economic frontliners

National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. praised the efforts of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma to vaccinate workers and other economic frontliners in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Speaking in the town of Subic in Zambales during the second day of the National Vaccination Day-Phase 2 on Thursday, Galvez noted that the SBMA has been extending its vaccine rollout to companies inside the Freeport to keep workers safe and sustain economic activities despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

He pointed out that the SBMA has focused on the private sector, including Freeport stakeholders, while local government units (LGUs) attended to the communities, especially residents with comorbidity, senior citizens, and the youth.

Galvez also cited the role of the SBMA in establishing the Subic Freeport as an entry point for repatriation of overseas Filipino workers, as well as for returning seafarers under the government’s crew change program.

Eisma, for her part, said that it was her job as SBMA chairman to take care of Freeport workers and take necessary action, especially as she observed that LGUs were having a hard time securing vaccine supplies for their constituents.

“For me, it was very important that workers are vaccinated and protected because they are the ones going out every day to sustain their families during the pandemic when most people were told to stay home,” Eisma said.

“It’s very fortunate for us that business locators in Subic are very cooperative, so we have done very well on our company-based vaccination program where we usually had two or three companies scheduled for vaccination for day’s vaccine rollout,” she added.

Eisma also thanked Sec. Duque, Sec. Galvez and Covid-19 testing czar Sec. Vince Hizon for supporting the SBMA vaccine initiative. “They are all very accessible. Our success in vaccination is largely due to their support,” she said.

The SBMA chief said that as of December 16, the SBMA, in partnership with the Department of Health, has administered a total of 19,535 doses of vaccine, mostly to workers in the A4 category with a total of 5,617 first doses and 3,993 second doses.

The SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout also benefited Olongapo City residents with 7,661 first doses, 5,406 second doses, and 57 booster shots; Subic Bay Freeport residents with 1,208 first doses, 1,119 second doses, and 6 booster shots; Zambales residents with 1,383 first doses, 1,069 second doses, and 16 booster shots; and LGUs outside Zambales with 997 first doses, 610 second doses, and 3 booster shots.

“We are very confident that most employees of companies located inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone are either fully vaccinated or have reached herd immunity status. The SBMA itself has close to 2,800 employees and only 10 remain unvaccinated due to medical reasons,” she added.

Eisma also said that the SBMA is “looking forward to economic recovery next year,” pointing out that some Subic companies have even started expanding operations, and that tourists are now back in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (MPD-SBMA)

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Bureau of Quarantine opens Subic satellite office

The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) formally opened its satellite office in the Subic Bay Freeport on Tuesday in response to a growing demand for International Certificates of Vaccination (ICVs) or “yellow cards” that are required for travel to other countries. 

Dr. Joseph Macaraeg, BOQ Subic chief, said the agency has collaborated with the Harbor Point Ayala Mall here to set up their Subic satellite office here, thus decongesting three other offices in Manila.

The Subic satellite office is the first in Central Luzon and the fourth in the country, he added.

Macaraeg said there is a growing number of applicants for yellow cards now that Subic has become a busy entry and departure point for both the crew change and OFW repatriation programs of the government.

“Before, we were only getting 30 to 50 applications per day, now we’re handling around 300 applications,” he said.

It might be recalled that the BOQ began its satellite operations here on September 10 in response to a clamor from Subic Bay Freeport residents, as well as other stakeholders from the neighboring communities of Olongapo City, Zambales, and Bataan, said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma.

Macaraeg said that the Subic BOQ office will make it easier for residents to get their ICVs, pointing out that customers need only register online, pay through online banking or payment schemes, and then wait for their schedule at the satellite office.

The yellow cards are released after screening and validation of the individual applicant’s information. “Once they have their appointment, all they have to do is present their receipt of online payment in order to receive their ICVs or yellow cards from the BOQ personnel stationed there,” Macaraeg said.

The Subic BOQ satellite office was officially launched by Macaraeg, Dr. Roberto Salvador Jr., who is deputy director, and Dr. Howard Lazo, along with Harbor Point general manager Engr. Lesly Manalo, and Harbor Point finance manager Renee Rose Layug.

Salvador said that the bureau has already issued more than 5,000 ICVs in the country, adding that with the new satellite office here in Subic Freeport, the BOQ can serve more Filipinos in the country.

The ICV or “yellow card” records the required vaccinations administered on an individual prior to travel abroad. Depending on the destination, the mandatory inoculations included those for yellow fever, typhoid, and now for SARS-COV2 or the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The document, which also contains the holder’s passport number aside from vaccination details, is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO).

BOQ personnel said the office only accepts applicants who booked their appointment online to minimize contact as part of the bureau’s health and safety protocols.

Applicants may book BOQ online appointment at www.icv.boq.ph. (MPD-SBMA)

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Long queues in Subic Freeport for ‘Bayanihan Bakunahan’ vaccine project

Hundreds of residents from neighboring areas of the Subic Bay Freeport braved long lines at the Ayala Mall Harbor Point here to get vaccinated against Covid-19 on Monday, the first day of the government’s three-day “Bayanihan Bakunahan” national vaccination program.

Among those who waited patiently for the vaccination to start at 8 a.m. was Jovelyn Merced, an employee of Datian Subic Shoes, Inc., who said she has queued as early as 5 a.m. to be sure she would get the vaccine shot that day.

“It’s just now that I registered for the Covid-19 vaccine because I didn’t want to miss work before,” Merced explained. “It’s a good thing they declared a holiday for this, and that somebody assisted us in registering while we’re already lining up.”

Also in the queue was Red Cross worker Eduardo Buena of Olongapo City, who brought along his three teenaged children for the vaccine rollout. “We have long wanted to have the kids vaccinated, so we are here to take advantage of this government program,” Buena said.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said a total of 784 persons were vaccinated in the first day of the rollout that targeted Freeport residents and workers, including those who are seniors or with comorbidities, as well as children aged 12 to 17 years.

“We are ready to double our usual number of vaccine recipients in the next two days and we will accommodate anyone, including walk-ins, just as long as they’re registered at the SBMA-Department of Health (DOH) vaccination program website,” she added.

Eisma said two vaccination sites were set up here for the three-day “Bayanihan Bakunahan” national vaccination program: the Ayala Mall Harbor Point activity center and the Allied Care Baypointe Hospital.

The vaccines available for this rollout are Pfizer and Astra Zeneca brands, as we’ll as Sinovac for second doses of those who have earlier received Sinovac shots.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), said that government targets for the three-day program have been actually increased to double the usual goal of 700 inoculations per day.

He said some members of the Olongapo Medical Society arrived to help SBMA health workers administer the shots so that the target number of doses can be completed.

“We’ll give the shots to everyone—seniors and children, those for their first dose or second dose, as long as they’re registered,” Jacalne added.

The SBMA will also open a drive-through vaccination site on Wednesday at the west wing entrance of Ayala Mall Harbor Point to provide shots to Subic stakeholders who cannot walk to the indoor vaccination site, said SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao.

The government’s three-day vaccine campaign dubbed as “Bayanihan Bakunahan: Ligtas. Lakas. Buong Pinas” was designed to increase vaccine coverage and mobilize stakeholders to support the national government’s goal of giving Filipinos a safe and healthy Christmas, the DOH said in a statement.

Prior to the three-day national vaccination project, the SBMA has administered a total of 13,063 doses of various Covid-19 vaccines under the SBMA-DOH vaccine program. These included a total of 5,841 doses for economic frontliners in the Subic Freeport, and 3,962 doses for those with comorbidities.

The beneficiaries came from Olongapo City, which received a total of 8,138 doses; Subic Bay Freeport, with 1,937 doses; Zambales, 1,653; and communities outside Zambales, 1,335 doses. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout reaches 13k jabs

More than 13,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for workers and residents in the Subic Bay Freeport under the agency’s vaccination program in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the vaccine rollout seeks to ensure adequate protection for stakeholders in Subic and facilitate the revival of local businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

“We’re gunning for herd immunity with the vaccination program in Subic because that’s the only way that we can reopen and sustain the economy. We need to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the residents and workers in the Freeport so that we can minimize, if not contain, the spread of the virus,” she added.

Eisma said that as far as SBMA employees are concerned, 82 percent of the agency’s 2,249 workforce are already fully vaccinated while 12 percent are awaiting their second dose.

“On the other hand, we still have a long way to go among residents and workers in the Freeport, but with more vaccine allocation from the DOH, we are closing the gap steadily,” she added.

“It also helped a lot that we have received donations of biomedical refrigerators, as well as freezers and vaccine transporters, thus enhancing our capacity for storage and distribution,” Eisma said.

According to Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), the agency’s health workers have already administered a total of 13,063 vaccine doses as of November 24. This is broken down into 8,404 first doses and 4,659 second doses.

Most of the beneficiaries of the SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout are residents of Olongapo City, who received a total of 8,138 doses. Meanwhile, 1,937 jabs have been administered to residents of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone; 1,653 doses for residents of Zambales; and 1,335 shots for those coming from communities outside Zambales.

Figures from the SBMA-PHSD also showed that most of the shots administered were Pfizer vaccines with a total of 5,516 doses, followed by Sinovac, with 3,881 shots; Astra Zeneca, with 3,306; and Janssen, with 360.

The SBMA-PHSD reported early this month that the Subic Bay Freeport no longer had any active Covid-19 cases among residents, transient workers and SBMA employees for the first time since July 2020, following the recovery of five Subic residents and three SBMA employees who were the last to contract the virus in late October.

However, Jacalne said the month-long record was broken last Tuesday when an SBMA employee, who is a resident of Olongapo City, tested positive while undergoing diagnosis for an unrelated medical procedure in Manila.

The latest case is asymptomatic and is under home quarantine, Jacalne added.

Eisma meanwhile reminded Subic stakeholders and visitors to maintain health safety protocols, even when Subic had eased quarantine restrictions following its classification as under Alert Level 2.

The SBMA no longer required negative test results for persons entering the Freeport, but is enforcing here government guidelines on outdoor and indoor activities for both residents and visitors.

“The virus is still here, although we’re slowly defeating it,” Eisma said. “We cannot be complacent in observing health measures because we simply cannot afford another surge that will shut down businesses and livelihood here in Subic,” she added. (MPD-SBMA) 

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SBMA ramps up vaccine drive for economic frontliners

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has expanded the coverage of its vaccination drive to include more workers in locator-companies here and sustain productivity in this special economic and free port zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency is getting more workers inoculated with increased vaccine allocations from the Department of Health (DOH), as well as donations from private groups like the ICTSI Foundation.

Last Thursday, Eisma supervised the launch of the second phase of SBMA’s vaccination program at the Subic Gym, with 250 employees of MSK Group Work, Inc. (Subic) and some SBMA personnel receiving their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine from the ICTSI Foundation.

“This is the start of a more intensified vaccination program for Subic stakeholders because we are able to secure more vaccines now since we have a storage facility with a total capacity of 40,000 doses,” she added.

The SBMA chief also pointed out that under the SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout, the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department continues to vaccinate qualified recipients in the A1 to A4 categories of the government’s priority list.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao said the intensified rollout is also made possible by the availability of two inoculation sites: the Subic Gym and the activity center of the Harbor Point Ayala Mall here.

Yambao said that as the SBMA administered the second dose of Sinovac vaccines from the DOH to locator employees at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall on Friday, another team was inoculating workers of the Mikuni Terminals Mechatronics Philippines Corp. with the first dose of AstraZeneca.

“We can do simultaneous vaccine rollouts because we have these two vaccination sites that can accommodate hundreds at a time,” Yambao explained.

“This morning at the gym, we finished up with 180 doses of AstraZeneca for Mikuni employees and in the afternoon, it was the turn of employees from GrainPro. All the while, the rollout for Sinovac was continuing at Harbor Point,” he added.

Aside from the aforementioned companies, Chairman Eisma said that Subic companies like Exxinum and Sanyo Denki will have their employees inoculated within company premises. Another firm, Nicera, will have its workers vaccinated at Harbor Point. Juken Sangyo, a Japanese firm at the Subic Techno Park, had its workers vaccinated on Sunday.

Eisma recounted that last July, the Subic Bay Freeport launched the vaccination program for essential workers in the A4 priority list with Secretary Vince Dizon, the deputy chief implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19, and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque gracing the occasion at the Nidec factory site.

“This is just the continuation of the A4 vaccination program we launched last July, but this time we’re doing it at a faster pace because we have a steady supply of vaccines,” she said.

Eisma also expressed thanks to the ICTSI Foundation for the vaccine donation, as well as to Subic companies that provided biomedical refrigerators to store vaccines.

“This is the first step for the Subic Bay workforce to get back to normal life and help renew economic growth. It is very important that we all get vaccinated and back on track,” Eisma added. (MPD.SBMA)

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Second group of A4 workers get jabbed in Subic Freeport

Another Covid-19 vaccination program for workers was carried out here on Wednesday (Aug. 11), exactly two weeks after the launching of the government’s vaccination drive for frontline personnel in essential sectors or the A4 priority group in this Freeport. 

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the second privately-initiated workers’ vaccination program opened at the TeleEmpire Inc. office here to benefit the firm’s 280 employees.

The project was held in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), which assisted in vaccne access, as well as in the Resbakuna center accreditation.

“I hope more companies in Subic would follow suit to have their employees vaccinated, so that we all can have peace of mind while going about our own businesses,” said Eisma, who continues to drumbeat the importance of having workers inoculated against the Covid-19 virus.

“Again, I urge Freeport workers to register for any vaccination program offered by their employers, or by their respective local government unit. It doesn’t really matter what brand of vaccine is available; what’s important is getting the dose that would keep you safe from the virus,” she added.

Eisma and Secretary Vince Dizon of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19, Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-an, and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque launched the government’s vaccination drive for economic frontliners at the Nidec Subic Philippines Corp. here on July 27.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao the vaccine rollout at TeleEmpire was administered by medical staff from the privately-owned ZMMG Coop Women’s and Children Hospital in Olongapo City, using Sinovac vaccine.

Charry Navarro, administrative officer of TeleEmpire, said the one-day vaccination schedule would provide the first dose of the vaccine to all the firm’s 280 workers.

Meanwhile, TeleEmpire president and CEO Johannes Lin lauded the SBMA for its efforts in enforcing health protocols in the Subic Bay Freeport and helping locators get vaccine allocations.

Lin also thanked the firm’s Filipino employees for their concern to fellow workers and for showing discipline during the pandemic.

“Everybody wants to be comfortable while working inside the office, that is why everybody is doing their share to keep themselves healthy and Covid-free,” he added.

Lin also said that TeleEmpire had prohibited employees from going around the Freeport, even in the malls, and had set up recreational facilities and a mini-store in the TeleEmpire complex to encourage workers to stay in their quarters when not in duty.

The firm provides facility management services and business process outsourcing services to Philippine overseas gaming operators located out of the Freeport.

Lin said the firm had planned to initiate vaccination of workers as early as April this year, but most of the employees worried about the effect of the vaccines after reading negative reactions from the social media.

“Proper information from medical experts and distributing reading materials about the Covid-19 vaccines convinced our workers to get vaccinated,” Lin happily said. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA chief urges Subic stakeholders to get vaccinated

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma called on residents and workers in the Subic Bay Freeport to register for Covid-19 vaccination and take advantage of the free vaccines being rolled out by the government. 

Eisma made the appeal on Wednesday as the SBMA and the Department of Health (DOH) began administering the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines to Subic Bay residents and SBMA employees in the A1 to A3 priority groups and after launching the vaccine program for economic frontliners in the A4 group last Tuesday.

“This is very important in order for the Subic Bay Freeport businesses to pick up and reopen new opportunities,” Eisma said.

“Because the workers and resident-investors are the backbone of the local economy, we urge them to keep safe so that they may continue to be healthy and productive. And the best way to keep safe in this pandemic is to get vaccinated,” she added.

Eisma said the DOH-SBMA vaccination program is moving at an even faster rate with more vaccines being allocated by the government to the Subic Bay Freeport.

Last Tuesday, a total of 300 doses of Sinovac vaccine arrived as initial doses for the A4 group following the ceremonial A4 vaccination held at Nidec Subic Philippines Corp. office.

Eisma said she has also received a commitment from the national government for the weekly release of vaccines for workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to boost the A4 vaccination program.

She said the A4 vaccination program is expected to snowball among business locators here and will help bring about Subic’s economic revival.

On Wednesday, hundreds of recipients, including senior citizens, queued at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall here for the scheduled second dose of Astra Zeneca vaccine administered by SBMA health workers from 10 a.m. to 12 noon under the DOH-SBMA program.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao said the DOH has allotted 240 doses for Wednesday’s rollout, and gave 180 doses of the Janssen one-dose vaccine for the July 27 rollout at the Harbor Point here.

Yambao said the SBMA’s Public Health and Safety Department had so far recorded a total of 2,068 recipients of Covid-19 vaccine in Subic, of whom 1,105 are SBMA employees.

“With the continuous deployment of vaccines by DOH, we would achieve the level of population protection, hopefully, within the third quarter of the year,” he added.

In last Wednesday’s rollout, Customs District Collector for Subic Marites Martin lauded the SBMA for its Covid-19 vaccination program, and thanked the Subic agency for accommodating Customs personnel in the rollout. “You are helping many of our residents in the Freeport,” she said.

Martin, who resides in the Subic Freeport, also received her second dose of Astra Zeneca vaccine that day. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic kicks off vaccination of economic frontliners

The vaccination drive for economic frontliners in the country began in this Freeport on Tuesday with five workers at Nidec Subic Philippines Corp. getting their first shot of Covid-19 vaccine in a ceremonial launch.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Wilma T. Eisma said the vaccination program is expected to snowball among the registered business locators here and help bring about Subic’s economic revival. 

“This undertaking is very important because the workers are the backbone of the economy and it is important that we maintain their well-being and safety at all times,” she also said.

The ceremonial vaccination was organized by the SBMA, the Department of Health (DOH), the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF), and the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

Secretary Vince Dizon, who is deputy chief implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19, witnessed the ceremony along with Eisma, DOH Undersecretary Roger Tong-an, Zambales Vice Governor Jay Khonghun, and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who also conducted a press briefing later at the vaccination site.

Among the first to be vaccinated were Nidec President Kiyoshi Sato, the firm’s general manager Marissa Tamayo, and Carol Adamos, Dexter Saludez, and Ruel Fernandez, all workers at the manufacturing company.

Sato said the Nidec employees were honored to be chosen for the launch of the A4 mass vaccination in the Philippines. “Due to the support that we received from SBMA Chairman Eisma, the DOH team and the Philippine government, we are able to provide the vaccine to you all today, free of charge,” Sato also told Nidec workers.

Sato said the company has been operating in the Subic Freeport since 1998 as a factory for hard-disc drive motors, and has invested $100 million to produce gearboxes mainly for robotics and other automation-related industries.

“Nidec Subic currently has 458 workers and plans to increase to 800 employees by this year. We plan to continue to grow this company and continue to value the health and well-being of all our employees,” Sato added.

A total of 300 doses of Sinovac vaccine arrived here on Tuesday for the initial inoculation drive for economic frontliners. Eisma said Nidec workers will receive the rest of the doses in the next two days.

She added that she has also received a commitment from the national government for the weekly release of vaccines for workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to boost the A4 vaccination program.

“From the men and women of the Subic Bay Freeport, we thank you for the A4 vaccination program that is supported by President Duterte,” Eisma told Secretary Roque during the ceremony. “We are happy that our economic frontliners may do their work without fear of getting serious effects of Covid-19,” she added.

With the commitment for additional vaccines, Eisma on Tuesday urged Freeport workers to register for the vaccination program. She added that while the vaccine is subject to availability and approval by the DOH, the SBMA will coordinate the registry of workers qualified under the A4 priority group.

As of now, the SBMA and the DOH are continuing with the vaccination of Subic stakeholders in the A1 to A3 priority groups, she added. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA health frontliners get vaccinated vs Covid-19

A total of 78 personnel from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Public Health and Safety Group (SBMA-PHSG) got inoculated with Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday, March 25.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the mass vaccination was made possible through the assistance of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Olongapo City Health Office.

SBMA doctors, nurses, medical technicians and other frontline health workers were on the DOH’s priority list for vaccination as they are exposed to Covid-19 risks because of their job, Eisma said.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the DOH placing our frontliners on the priority list and we thank Health Secretary Duque and Region 3-DOH Dir. Cesar Casion for that. We also thank Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. as it is the Olongapo City Health Office that administered the shots,” Eisma added.

She added that Paulino had also offered to include Freeport residents in the city’s vaccination program, as the Subic Bay Freeport is not under any local government unit.

“I am so happy that we are taking a whole community approach to the Covid-19 problem and I’m certain that when neighbors band together, they can do things better and faster,” the SBMA chief also said.

Meanwhile, Eisma said that the SBMA is preparing for a mass vaccination program for stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport in partnership with the DOH, the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC), and the SBMA Employees Welfare Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SBMA-EWMPC).

“We’re covering all possible access points to get hold of vaccines for workers and business locators, as well as residents in the Freeport and SBMA employees and their families,” Eisma revealed.

“We are in touch with the Philippine Red Cross to help us procure vaccines, and we’re also eyeing this tie-up between the SBFCC and a pharmaceutical outfit to help us realize a mass vaccination program here in Subic,” she added.

In her recent State of the Freeport Address (SOFA), Eisma underscored the agency’s fight against Covid-19 as an important factor in the continuing economic growth in Subic, pointing out that “proactive measures to fight Covid-19 gave us the resilience to be able to bounce back” after the economic slowdown.

The mass vaccination program, she said, is a crucial component of the SBMA’s anti-Covid battle along with mass testing and strict implementation of health protocols.

Subic business locators, meanwhile, have given the SBMA excellent scores for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic since March last year, citing the agency’s strict implementation of safety protocols that allowed businesses to continue operation amid the health crisis. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA frontline health workers receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday in Olongapo City

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