SBMA and Port of Kaohsiung Ink Landmark Sister Port Agreement

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has officially entered into a Sister Port Agreement with the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s premier maritime hub, marking a transformative step toward making Subic Bay a world-class, eco-friendly gateway in Southeast Asia. 

The agreement was formalized on February 25, 2026, at the Port of Kaohsiung Cruise Terminal. It was signed by SBMA Director Patrick Jean O. Gonzales, representing Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño, and Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC) Chairman Chou Yung-hui. 

The ceremony was witnessed by key officials, including Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-Mai and SBMA Deputy Administrator for Port Operations Atty. Martin Kristoffer Roman, signaling high-level commitment from both regions to foster maritime synergy. 

A Blueprint for Green Maritime Operations 

Central to the pact is Subic’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality. By leveraging Kaohsiung’s expertise as an award-winning "EcoPort," the SBMA aims to implement advanced green technologies, including shore-side power and sustainable waste management systems. 

"Our collaboration with the Port of Kaohsiung is a cornerstone of our 'Green Subic' initiative," said SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Port Operations Ronnie Yambao. 

"By adopting their proven models for sustainable infrastructure, we are ensuring that Subic remains competitive in a global market that increasingly demands environmentally responsible logistics." 

Boosting Regional Trade and Tourism 

The agreement establishes a framework for immediate cooperation in several high-impact areas: 

• Logistics Efficiency: Promoting increased shipping frequency and direct routes to lower costs for Philippine and Taiwanese exporters. 
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• Cruise Industry Growth: Collaborating on terminal management to position Subic as a key destination in the Asian cruise circuit. 
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• Expertise Sharing: Formalizing exchanges in port development, security management, and digital transformation. 

Expanding Global Connectivity 

The Port of Kaohsiung becomes Subic’s third international sister port, joining the Port of Virginia (USA) and the Port of Eilat (Israel). This alliance is part of a broader push by the SBMA to integrate the Freeport into the world's most efficient maritime networks, with future talks planned for hubs in San Diego, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. (SNL)

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SBMA gets $1.225M in cash dividends from SBDMC

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) received US$1.225 million in cash dividends from the Subic Bay Development and Management Corporation (SBDMC) during a ceremony in Taipei.

According to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Rolen C. Paulino, the dividends is part of the agency’s share from the SBDMC. He added that the company has declared US$2.5-million in cash dividends for its shareholders, wherein the SBMA has a 49 percent stake in the company.

The SBDMC Board of Directors approved the declaration of the US$2.5-million cash dividend during the board’s 68th meeting held on March 29, 2023 in Taipei. 

The SBDMC Inc. is a joint venture company formed in 1995 between the SBMA and Taiwan’s United Development (UD) Corporation to establish, construct, operate and manage the then Subic Bay Industrial Park, now named the Subic Bay Gateway Park (SBGP).

“The SBDMC, Inc. declared US$2.5M cash dividends with the SBMA having a 49 percent equity share. Meanwhile, UD Corporation, with 51 percent equity share in the company, received US$1,275,000,” Paulino said.

Chairman Paulino represented the SBMA in Taipei, Taiwan, along with Directors Cynthia Paulino, Rolando Ampunin, Raul Marcelo, Ma. Cecilia Bitare, and Senior Deputy Administrator Ramon Agregado.

The SBMA Chief also cited that this is first time that the SBDMC has distributed cash dividends from 1994 since the company has been paying religiously to the agency relative to the Supplemental Agreement until 2025.

The SBMA officials were in Taipei for a trade mission, where they attended the inauguration of the Taipei Bioinnovation Park.

During the visit, Paulino expressed his gratitude to TECO Group of Companies Chairman and Century Development Corporation Chairman Theodore Huang, and SBDMC Inc. Chairman Willy Wang for the warm reception.

He cited that the public-private collaboration formula being used by the companies is beneficial for the growth and development of the community, adding that the formula can also be applied in Subic Bay Freeport. (MPD-SBMA)

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Central Luzon pushed as ideal site for Taiwan’s southbound trade

The Philippines is now pushing to establish Central Luzon as the ideal destination for Taiwanese investments under Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy that seeks enhanced economic collaboration with countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australasia.

Speaking as a member of the Philippine delegation in the recent Philippine Investment Promotion Plan (PIPP) Investment Roadshow to Taiwan, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Wilma Eisma urged Taiwanese business groups in Taipei and Taichung City to take a closer look at the so-called Central Luzon Manufacturing and Logistics Zone (CMLZ) as a prime investment destination.

She said the CMLZ, which is composed of the Clark Freeport, the Subic Bay Freeport, and the Freeport Area of Bataan, covers a land area of more than 90,000 hectares, has several advantages that make it a haven for businesses, and is managed by devoted agencies that have come together as one unit.

The first advantage of locating in CMLZ, she told the businessmen, is its strategic location. Eisma said the CMLZ “is a critical entry point to the ASEAN region populated by some 650 million people, as well as a natural gateway to East Asian economies such as China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.”

Moreover, the CMLZ is at the crossroads of international shipping and air lanes, and accessible to the ASEAN region within three to four hours by plane via the Clark International Airport and four days by ship to and from the Port of Subic.

She added that the three free port zones in the CMLZ are perfect for targeted key industries like electronics, automotive parts and aerospace products for Clark; shipbuilding and maritime industries, including cruise ships for Subic; and high-end garments manufacturing for Bataan.

The Taiwan investment roadshow was organized by the PIPP, an aggrupation of 19 investments agencies that seeks to create quality jobs by attracting high-impact, innovative, and inclusive investments.

The SBMA is one of the seven investment promotion agencies that make up the manufacturing and logistics/IT-BPM cluster of the IPP. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

Photos from Team Invest Philippines in Taiwan album c/o Ms. Jem Camba

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Evergreen adds Subic to Korea-Taiwan-Philippines service

Taiwan’s carrier Evergreen will add Subic to its existing Korea-Taiwan-Philippines (KTP) service from next month, utilising Subic’s New Container Terminals 1 and 2 operated by Manila-based International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI).

The addition of Subic to Evergreen’s KTP service will open the port to direct trade links with South Korea and Taiwan. The trade will also include transshipment service for overseas cargo.

Cargo unloading at the container terminal in Subic Bay Freeport

The first Evergreen container ship is scheduled to make its maiden call at Subic on 19 April. The weekly KTP service port rotation is Korea’s Incheon and Kwangyang, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung, the Philippines’ Batangas, Manila and Subic, and back to Kaohsiung.

Roberto R. Locsin, general manager of ICTSI subsidiary Subic Bay International Terminal Corp, commented: “Our inclusion in the KTP service is a clear indication that the markets of central and northern Luzon are growing, and will benefit from another large global carrier participating in this growth.”

In December 2016, the Taiwan Maritime and Port Bureau (TMPB) expressed interest to partner with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to increase container transhipment traffic between the ports of Taiwan and Subic.

The Philippines has been able to capitalise on Taiwan’s ‘Southbound Policy’ which aims to strengthen trade and investment relationship between Taiwan and countries south of the latter’s territory.

Taiwan is the Philippines’ sixth biggest trading partner, facilitating around $7.85bn worth of bilateral trade in 2015. South Korea, on the other hand, is the Philippines’ fifth largest trading partner in 2015 with bilateral trade reaching $13.4bn in 2014.

Recently, SBMA has urged local government units around the Subic Freeport Zone to start developing industrial parks to accommodate the growing number of investors.

“We’re now seeing the results of our campaign to promote Subic. We are doubling our efforts to sustain the current momentum to ensure we don’t lose on the gains we have achieved in putting Subic at the center of economic growth in central and northern Luzon, ” said ICTSI’s Locsin. (Lee Hong Liang, Seatrade Maritime)

http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/asia/evergreen-adds-subic-to-korea-taiwan-philippines-service.html

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SBMA, Taiwanese port firm sign MOU to better utilize Kaoshiung port

The Taiwan International Port Corporation (TIPC) has signed in April a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in the Philippines on the transit or transfer goods at Kaohsiung Port.

The Philippines has seen phenomenal economic growth in recent years and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, with 15 piers, is a focus for economic development by the Philippine government as it is close to Clark International Airport, as well having its own international airport, all of which makes Subic Bay a valuable investment target, state-run TIPC said.

Huang Yi-ming, senior supervisor of TIPC’s Kaohsiung branch, said the Subic Bay Freeport Zone houses 1,300 companies from around the world, including Taiwanese firms Wistron Corp, Hitachi Taiwan and Tong Lung Metal Industry Co.

These companies need logistics warehouses, and the partnership agreement between the two ports could motivate more manufacturers in the zone to consolidate their products at Kaohsiung Port before shipping them to the US, elsewhere in Asia and to other nations, he said.

Subic Bay has seen 50 percent growth in cargo handled since 2013, and the SBMA has forecast growth of 30 percent this year, Huang said.

TIPC spokesperson Stephen Liu said the long-distance shipping business, particularly to the North America, has been Kaohsiung Port’s strong suit. "Through Kaohsiung, one can also go on to ports in China,” Liu added.

Compared with ports in Hong Kong and Singapore, Kaohsiung offers competitive rates for transit goods containers, Liu said, adding that the exchange between the seaports would draw more investments in both seaports. (Taipei Times)

PHOTOS:
[1]  SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia (right) exchanges pleasantries with members of the Taiwanese trade delegation led by TIPC Chairman Chih-Ching Chang in a meeting held early this year as part of the delegation's visit to Subic Bay. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[2] TIPC Chairman Chih-Ching Chang (left) presents SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia with a memento during the visit of Taiwanese investors to the Subic Bay Freeport in January this year. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

Read more: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/04/27/2003644944

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Philippines' Subic seen as investment-worthy for Taiwan

Taiwanese businessmen are coming back to Subic Bay again after a previous investment craze in the 1990s, as the Philippines is once more being seen as an ideal springboard for tapping into the promising Southeast Asian market.

With lingering economic challenges in Europe and only moderate growth in the United States and Japan, developing Asian countries have become a major driving force for the global economy in recent years.

In particular, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies seem to have brighter prospects because they are expected to transform into a single market and production base in the near future.

Jeff Lin (林繼武), president of Subic Bay Development Management Center Inc. (SBDMC), a joint venture between the local government authority and Taiwan's United Development Corp. (世華開發), told CNA that the ASEAN market looks promising in terms of its manufacturing sector and trade, thanks to the region's economic ties with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Lin suggested that Taiwanese businessmen should take advantage of the Philippines as a springboard to the ASEAN market, which has a population of 640 million and a combined gross domestic product of US$2.4 trillion.

In the Subic Bay Special Economic Zone (SBSEZ), there are no taxes for investors except for a 5 percent tax on gross income, which can help save costs for investors, Lin said. If at least 40 percent of the investors' products are manufactured locally, their products will be duty-free when sold in the ASEAN market, he added.

Roberto Garcia, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, said in a recent press conference that the Subic Bay Special Economic Zone is expanding its scale to neighboring areas because of an increasing number of investors who need more industrial land.

The first-phase complex of the Subic Bay Gateway Park, operated by SBDMC, has almost reached its full capacity with more than 170 companies currently operating there, of which roughly 30 percent are from Taiwan.

Taiwanese investment in Subic Bay is estimated at US$700 million. (CNA)

(By Emerson Lim and Jeffrey Wu)

PHOTO:
SBDMC headquarters at the Subic Gateway Park

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201510040008.aspx

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DTI Woos Taiwanese Electronics Firms, Formulates 5-Year Timetable Roadmap

MANILA -- The Department of Trade and Industry is crafting a five-year “Taiwan Roadmap” to attract electronics companies to relocate here as computer-maker Wistron Infocomm has substantially slowed down its manufacturing operation in Subic.

Trade and Industry for Trade and Investment Promotions Group Cristino L. Panlilio said that roadmap should highlight the Philippines’ competitiveness as a manufacturing location “We should be able to capture other electronics firms in Taiwan because of the rising cost in China,” Panlilio said adding the roadmap has a five-year timetable to bring in other Taiwanese firms.

Panlilio noted that Wistron, which used to manufacture most of its electronics products in Subic, has substantially reduced its operations as it relocated the bulk of its production in China because of competitiveness issues and the supply chain problem in the Philippines.

“Wistron is producing laptops only in Subic,” Panlilio said. It has reduced operations since the past three to four years.

Wistron Infocomm Philippines was the largest exporter in 2007 with freight on board (FOB) value of $448.7 million out of $971.7 million total Subic exports that year. In 2011, Wistron’s exports substantially declined to only $75.3 million.

But, Panlilio pointed out that the situation has reversed as cost in China has gone up substantially and some manufacturers like Taiwanese businesses are looking elsewhere. The Philippines is deemed gaining back its competitiveness as a manufacturing hub.

Panlilio said that Taiwanese could put up another economic zone although it has already an existing ecozone in Subic.

“Subic is always prepared to accommodate them,” he said.

In fact, he said, the 100 businessmen who joined in the one-day trade mission and business matching event yesterday at Dusit Hotel in Makati are going to visit Subic.(Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, Manila Bulletin)

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