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)

Read More

Subic OFW flights now cover Diego Garcia

Repatriation flights by Philippine Airlines (PAL) for Filipinos working overseas now cover Diego Garcia, an island military outpost in the Indian Ocean where hundreds of Filipino contract workers are employed.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the first PAL flight from Diego Garcia to Subic arrived here on Monday, Dec. 13, after the Philippine flag carrier decided to expand it “Bayanihan” flights to bring home more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in time for the holidays.

The OFW flights via the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) began last July under the government’s repatriation program to assist Filipinos stranded abroad because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With this, Subic is now connected to 10 cities and major destinations in the Indo-Pacific area. We are now the gateway for OFWs coming from the Middle East, as well as Asian ports,” said Eisma.

The areas with PAL connections to Subic include Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Doha in Qatar, Macau, Palau, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and now Diego Garcia.

SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao said the latest PAL flight brought to Subic a total of 303 passengers, who are mostly contract workers from Diego Garcia.

One of them was Oscar Ebalan, a native of Masinloc, Zambales, who arrived with his son Aldean, also a contract worker employed by KBR Diego Garcia LLC, a military contractor which provides operations, maintenance, and logistics services in the island.

Ebalan said the OFW flight from Diego Garcia to Subic took more than seven hours non-stop, a more difficult long haul compared to the usual flights that normally made a brief stopover at Singapore.

“But we arrived safe and OK, and the arrival procedures at Subic went smoothly,” he said, adding that they expect to be home after the mandatory quarantine and the requisite RT-PCR test five days upon arrival here.

Eisma said the SBMA expects more OFW flights via Subic before the yearend, but stressed that none of these would originate from countries that the Philippine government has placed on its red list in view of the emergence of the Omicron virus variant.

“We can be assured that no passengers will be brought here from any red-listed country because the government has prohibited the inbound international travel of all persons from red-list areas regardless of vaccination status,” Eisma said.

Prior to flight from Diego Garcia, the Subic airport also received arrivals from Dubai—a total of 280 passengers on Dec. 10, and 269 passengers on Dec. 12, said SBMA airport manager Zharrex Santos.

The recent flights brought the number of OFW flights to Subic since July at a total of 45, with a total of 12,262 passengers processed at the SBIA, Santos also said. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

Subic school resumes face-to-face classes

The Manila Times College (TMTC) in this Freeport has received the go signal from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to resume face-to-face classes here, becoming the only tertiary-level school in Central Luzon to be granted such a permit so far.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic school has complied with all the necessary requirements issued by CHED to resume in-person classes at the former George Dewey High School campus here.

Eisma, along with CHED Regional Director Dr. Maria Teresita M. Semana, first inspected the TMTC campus facilities before the school was allowed to bring students back to the classrooms.

“We want to ensure that the educational facility is safe and free from Covid-19. We all want to go back to our normal lives after this pandemic, and it is certainly difficult for students to study remotely without any hands-on learning,” Eisma said.

She said the SBMA worked hand-in-hand with the TMTC to ensure that all the requirements set by the CHED were complied with.

The SBMA official also visited the TMTC campus on Monday to witness the start of the first face-to-face classes here under the continuing Covid-19 pandemic and said the school had passed the grade.

“To start with, The Manila Times College Subic has a very good teacher-student ratio, so it’s not that difficult to adopt the health safety protocols,” Eisma pointed out.

“I’m glad that face-to-face classes are already allowed here in Subic, and this further boosts Subic’s hard-earned reputation as a safe haven for both business and leisure,” she added.

The Manila Times College Subic, which offers mostly medicine-related programs, is by far the only tertiary-level school in Central Luzon to be granted a permit by the Commission on Higher Education for limited in-person classes.

Last month, the national government allowed limited in-person classes in 118 participating schools with about 7,000 learners across the country. These included seven schools in remote communities in Zambales.

Last Monday, the Department of Education (DepEd) said an additional 174 schools started face-to-face classes as part of the second batch of the pilot program.

 CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III said that for colleges and universities to have limited face-to-face classes, they should follow guidelines on minimum health standards, have high vaccination rate among students and faculty, secure approval from local government units, and should retrofit their facilities.

The schools that were allowed limited face-to-face classes should have curriculums that offer program in medical and allied fields, engineering and technology, hospitality/hotel and restaurant management, tourism/travel management, and marine engineering and marine transportation. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

OFW repatriation flights continue via Subic Freeport

Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) under the government’s repatriation program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will continue here until the yearend even as travel curbs were imposed by some countries to stem the spread of the latest Covid-19 variant Omicron.

For the first time on Sunday, two PAL aircraft arrived here within two hours of each other to bring home two more batches of OFWs from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, both cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The recent arrivals brought the OFW flights via Subic to a total of 42 and the passengers coming in through the Subic airport since July this year to a total of 11,410.

“The OFWs continue to be repatriated through Subic, and everything’s as normal as when the program started here in July,” Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma said on Sunday.

“We can be assured that no passengers will be brought here from any red-listed country because the government has prohibited the inbound international travel of all persons from red-list areas regardless of vaccination status,” Eisma added.

The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) had earlier placed South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique on the red list after the Omicron variant was identified in South Africa last November 25.

But as the variant was discovered in Europe days after, the IATF added to its list Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy effective November 28 until December 15.

The government had earlier said it planned to suspend measures to relax entry for vaccinated tourists because of the emergence of the Omicron variant, but the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday that there was no reason to panic over the Omicron as there has been no sudden increase or clustering of cases lately.

Eisma also pointed out that the OFW repatriation program here is being handled carefully by the Department of Transportation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Bureau of Quarantine.

“We all see to it that IATF guidelines on health safety are strictly enforced while the repatriation program continues here,” she added.

According to SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao, more PAL flights are expected this month because of the holiday season.

He said 10 OFW flights from the UAE were scheduled in Subic this December: the first on December 3 followed by two on December 5; then on

December 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, and 31.

So far, a total of 42 OFW flights had brought in 11,410 passengers, including returning overseas Filipinos, to the Subic Bay Freeport, said SBIA manager Zharrex Santos.

These included six flights in July, seven in August, 10 in September, five in October, 11 in November, and three so far in December, Santos said.

Upon arrival in Subic, OFWs and other returning Filipinos are required to stay in Subic hotels for a BOQ-supervised quarantine of up to 10 days. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

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)

Read More

SBMA, DA sign MOA for P509-M agri border control facility in Subic

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the establishment of a control facility for fresh and frozen agri-fishery commodities entering the country through the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Agriculture Secretary William Dar formalized the agreement here on Friday, following initial talks in July.

The proposed Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA) in Subic—the first of five such facilities planned to be built nationwide —will cost P509.5 million and will facilitate 100-percent inspection of agri-fishery cargoes arriving here.

“It will also enhance industrial and commercial activities in Subic and foster the free flow of goods in the Freeport Zone,” Eisma noted.

The project supports the national government’s thrust to strengthen the food safety regulatory system in the country to protect consumer health as mandated by Republic Act No. 10611, or “An Act to Strengthen the Food Safety Regulatory System in the Country to Protect Consumer Health and Facilitate Market Access of Local Foods and Food Products.”

Sec. Dar said the Subic CEFA will ideally be constructed in a 2,000-sqm area along the San Bernardino Road near Subic’s New Container Terminal. The CEFA will be completed within eight months upon the start of construction, he added.

Dar said the DA will use the property strictly as a “first border facility” to thoroughly inspect imported containerized agri-fishery commodities and prevent the entry of transboundary agri-fishery pests and diseases.

He said the facility will house examination areas and laboratories intended for the execution quarantine and inspection protocols enforced by the agency’s Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

“We have also taken into consideration the volume of cargoes arriving here,” Dar pointed out. “We expect 26,000 containers of meat, meat products, fisheries and plant commodities to enter the Subic Freeport each year,” he added, citing the need to examine all these cargoes.

With the proposed facility, Dar said the DA will be able to undertake 100 percent in-depth inspection of containerized animal, fish and plant commodities identified through the Risk Assessment Categorization, and will be complemented by the X-ray screening of the Bureau of Customs which will be subject to sampling and laboratory testing.

He said the facility will also have a crematorium to dispose of confiscated agricultural products and by-products, including those mis-declared, unfit for human consumption, and contaminated and/or infected.

“I assure everyone that the emission from the components of the crematorium and its appurtenance will not cause harm to the health and well-being of the port workers and port users or cause adverse effect to the environment,” Dar also said.

Prior to the signing of agreement, Dar had announced that the Subic CEFA will earn at least P130 million a year in testing and inspection fees.

The DA said similar facilities are being eyed for construction in the ports of Manila, Batangas, Cebu and Davao. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

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) 

Read More

SBMA honors volunteers, outstanding workers in 29th founding rites

Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) paid tribute on Wednesday to some 8,000 volunteers who worked without pay to kickstart operations here in early years of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Speaking during the 29^th SBMA founding anniversary celebration, the agency’s Chief of Staff Vicente Evidente recalled that it became the special mission of the SBMA to provide livelihood opportunities to residents of Olongapo City and nearby communities that were badly affected by the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy from Subic in 1992.

“When the U.S. Navy pulled out, the whole place was devastated. Olongapo’s Magsaysay Drive, which was the center of rest and recreation for American sailors, was like a ghost town. Businesses had to close because they did not have any option,” said Evidente, who delivered the message on behalf of SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

“The only option left for then SBMA Chairman Richard Gordon, was to rally the people of Olongapo to come to the Freeport, to preserve the facilities left behind by Americans, and build a new future,” he added.

Evidente, who was a volunteer himself and served as an executive assistant at the Chairman’s office, said the spirit of volunteerism “mesmerized” even prospective investors and convinced them to put up businesses here.

“To this day, we commemorate the volunteers’ sacrifice and hope to continue living the culture of volunteerism that these people have started,” he added.

Evidente and SBMA Treasury Department head Agnes Cabling, who is one of the original volunteers in 1992,  also offered flowers at the Volunteers Shrine, where the names of the Subic volunteers are etched on granite.

In the same ceremony, the SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services Ramon Agregado presented outstanding employees from rank-and-file and supervisory positions with plaques of recognition, sashes and collar pins.

The finalists among the rank-and-file employees were Loreta Reforba of Planning and Development Office; Lucky Niño Baula, Business and Investment Department for Manufacturing & Maritime; Joseph Egalla Jr., Seaport Department; Tomas Dionson II, Maintenance and Transportation Department; and the eventual winner, Christian Paulo Belisario of Labor Department.

Among the supervisors, the finalists were Rolando Paloma Jr. of Planning and Development Office; Edwina Taguiam, Business and Investment Department for Logistics; John Quevedo, Seaport Department; and the winners Darwin Bitangcol of Maintenance and Transportation Department, and Rommel Aquino of Labor Department.

The celebration of the 29^th SBMA anniversary was capped by the switching-on of the giant SBMA Christmas tree at the Boardwalk Park here by Agregado, Senior Deputy Administrator for Business Renato Lee II and Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

SBMA OK’s P16.2-B new investments in 3rd Qtr.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) approved new investment proposals worth a total of P16.2 billion in the third quarter of this year to reassert Subic Bay Freeport Zone’s claim as one of the biggest business destinations in the country.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the new investment commitments were made by 40 companies that sought registration as Subic business locators from July to September, as well as by three existing locators that pledged additional investments for expansion projects totaling P49.44 million.

The new investments consisted of 15 projects under the leisure industry, 13 in general business, 11 in logistics and one in information and communications technology, while the expansions were all under the manufacturing sector.

The new investments will bring in a total of 71,522 new jobs, while the expansion projects will generate additional employment of 1,200 in the freeport zone.

According to the SBMA Business and Investment Group (SBMA-BIG), the new projects approved in Third Quarter 2021 represented a 233 percent increase over the 12 new proposals in the same period last year. In terms of new jobs, the variance showed thousands-fold increase over the 163 posted in 2020.

SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Business Renato Lee III said the biggest investment proposals came from Subic Supreme Industries, Inc., which committed P15.5 billion for a leisure project; Empress Maritime Subic, Inc., with P201.2-million for another leisure project; Bicol Oil (International) & Shipping Corporation, with P179.3 million in logistics; SBGP Food Services, Inc. with P74.62 million in leisure; and Da Fu Yuan Corp. with P57.28 million in general business.

Subic Supreme also topped the employment department with 71,250 projected jobs.

Meanwhile, the biggest commitment for expansion came from Philippine Easepal Technology Ltd. Corporation at P37.45 million. Philippine Easepal, which manufactures sports and leisure articles and apparel, also committed to hire 810 more workers for its expansion.

Lee also said in SBMA-BIG’s Thirds Quarter 2021 report that at least 18 new projects, including co-location agreements with the country’s three leading telecommunications players, are under consideration by the Subic agency.

He said SBMA is also reviewing and amending business processes, including the omnibus policy on the imposition of performance bond, to further reduce the period for processing and issuance of business permits and ensure efficient monitoring of development commitments by business locators here.

Eisma said on Friday that the continuing health crisis may have initially caused the closure of some companies in Subic, “but we’re definitely making a comeback as a preferred investment destination.”

“Aside from sound economic policies that gave investors much-needed support and respite during the pandemic, Subic’s superb safety record, which is due to the cooperation of stakeholders in observing health measures, also played an important part in gaining the trust of new investors,” she added.

Eisma pointed out the SBMA has been a favored destination for “bubble events” like business conferences, sports tournaments, and stay-cations at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a hub for international crew change and the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

SBMA conducts oil spill exercise to boost emergency response

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), along with stakeholders in the maritime sector, conducted an Oil Spill Simulation Exercise (SIMEX) at the Boton Wharf here on Friday to strengthen capabilities in emergency response.

According to Diego Aviles of the SBMA Seaport Department, who was exercise director, the exercise was in line with SBMA thrust to improve its competency to respond in the event of an oil spill, as well as develop better coordination with concerned stakeholders here.

 Aviles said Pure Petroleum Corporation and the Subic Seaport Terminal Inc., including the motor tanker MT WRC1, participated in the simulation.

“Part of the exercise is to test the capabilities of the motor tanker vessel and the Boton port facility, identify concerns among those involved, assess the needed resources to sustain the oil spill response operation, activate the Seaport Emergency Response Team, and measure the deployment of the oil spill equipment and response time,” Aviles explained.

Some groups also joined the SIMEX as observers, he said. These included the SBMA Law Enforcement Department, SBMA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, SBMA Harbor Patrol, SBMA Fire Department, and the Coast Guard Sub-Station Olongapo’s Marine Environmental Protection Group.

Aviles said an oil spill is defined as the release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution.

He said the term is usually used for marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land.

He added that oil spills may be due to releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products such as gasoline or diesel fuel and their by-products, heavier fuels used by large ships such as bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil.

At least nine shipping lines regularly make ship calls in the Subic Bay Freeport, which also receives port visits by military ships from time to time. Records show that ship calls increased from 874 in January to September 2020 to a total of 918 in the same period this year.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said earlier that the agency further expects container ship traffic to grow this year after posting a 12 percent increase in containerized cargo volume in the third quarter. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

Phase 1 completion of Subic’s Tipo eco-park eyed in 2022

The first phase of the P15-billion Tipo High-tech Eco Park (THEP), a 209-hectare development in a newly-opened expansion area of the Subic Bay Freeport, is expected to be completed by next year as Subic ramps up facilities to boost the economy amid the waning Covid-19 pandemic.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the 58.49-hectare Phase 1 area of the eco-friendly mixed-use project is now 57.81 percent completed, with Phase 2 and Phase 3 development also underway.

“This used to be an area for the SBMA’s social fencing program, wherein several families of upland farmers occupied grasslands in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, planted them with crops and, in the process, helped prevent the incursion of illegal settlers,” Eisma pointed out.

“After this was designated as an expansion area for investments, the project developer had since compensated the upland farmers involved in the program to gain the right to develop the area. Now some of the farmers or their family members are employed in the development project,” she added.

Eisma inspected the industrial eco-park on Wednesday with SBMA directors Maria Cecilia Bitare, Rolando Ampunin, Benasing Macarambon Jr., and Brian Patrick Gordon.

“Phase 1 already has 13 warehousing units, of which nine are ready for occupancy,” Eisma said. “Xantheng Subic International Corp. (XSIC), which is the major proponent of the eco-park project, is now building nine more warehouses to complete the development by 2022,” she added.

As planned, the THEP will house light industrial factories, commercial facilities, residential buildings, and a nature park. The project is at a most strategic area in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as it is near an entry/exit point of the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX).

XSIC President Simon Shu said that Phase 2, which is a 72.8-hectare industrial area, is already 11.79 percent developed, with a completion date of 2024, while Phase 3, which is a 68.87-hectare mixed-use area, is 2.92 percent developed and is set for completion in 2026.

Accordingly, Phase 2 already has two warehouse units with occupancy permit, while the developer is currently building four more units. Phase 3 is still in the preparation stage.

Shu said the company began developing the area in 2019 after it diversified into warehouse subleasing.

“We are dedicated to mixed-use development of zones consisting of industrial and technology parks, mixed-use commercial areas, as well as high-end residential and recreational zones,” he said.

He added that with Xantheng’s development and management unit, the firm will oversee and manage the park and offer value-added and professional services to locators.

Shu said that in the development stage alone, the XSIC has already hired more than 500 construction workers, including some upland farmers in the area, who were part of the social fencing project of the SBMA. The firm plans to hire more upon the start of THEP operations, he added.

According to the master plan submitted by THEP to SBMA, the development will include 101.47 hectares for light industries, 17.99 hectares for a commercial complex, 7.11 hectares for mixed use, 23.16 hectares for residential buildings, and 23.16 for a nature and environment conservation park.

There will also be a reserved area for utilities use and other purposes for a total development area of 209.27 hectares. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

Morong Ayta community gets P23,000 from SBMA recycling project

A total of 159 households belonging to the Magbukon Ayta community in Morong, Bataan received P23,000 worth of goods from the proceeds of a recycling project initiated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) through its Ecology Center.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the donation included 15 sacks of premium rice, four boxes of instant noodles, 80 cans of corned beef, 30 1,500-piece boxes of face mask, and 10 gallons of isopropyl alcohol—items that were specifically requested by the Ayta tribe.

These were turned over recently by SBMA representatives at the remote sitio of Kanawan in Barangay Mabayo, and received by Magbukon Ayta Tribal Council chief Berlinda Restum and other Ayta leaders.

Eisma said the donation was funded by proceeds from recyclable materials sold in the 9th SBMA Recyclables Collection Event (RCE) held last June.

The bi-annual SBMA recycling project allows Subic Bay Freeport stakeholders to sell recyclable materials and, as an option, donate the proceeds to underprivileged sectors of the Freeport community.

“By participating in our Recyclable Collection Event, residents and business establishments in the Subic Bay Freeport are able to address their waste problem, turn recyclables into cash, and at the same time, help members of the community who are in need,” Eisma said.

“The Kanawan Aytas are the latest beneficiaries of this recycling drive that has been transformed into another CSR project of the SBMA,” she added.

SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya Dela Llana said the RCE was initiated in October 2016 and the project had since been conducted twice a year, except last year when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

The second RCE this year was launched today and will last until Friday with a series of online lectures on waste management and environmental protection, a “refill revolution” project where detergents and other cleaning materials will be sold at bazaar prices to those who bring their own containers, and a junk art contest that aims to promote upcycling among the youth.

Through the RCE project, Dela Llana added, owners of recyclables have the option to take the earnings from the sale or donate them in whole or in part to beneficiaries like the ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan, which help in promoting environmental protection.

Among the waste materials collected during the RCEs are plastic bottles and cardboard, busted florescent bulbs, used oil, used lead acid batteries, empty ink cartridges, and wastes from electronics and electrical equipment.

Dela Llana said those that have benefited from RCE proceeds included the SBMA Employees Association, which received P40,000 as additional Covid-19 fund from the 7th RCE; and Happy Paws, which got P23,000 from the 8th RCE to fund temporary shelter for stray dogs and cats in the Subic Bay Freeport and Olongapo City.  (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

SBMA posts P997-M seaport income

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recorded more than P997 million in sea port income in the first nine months of this year, as containerized cargo trade in this free port continued to grow with the gradual reopening of the global economy.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA Seaport Department recorded a 15 percent increase in revenues in January to September 2021 compared to the P863.7-million earnings posted in the same period in 2020.

“The increase in container traffic definitely carried the day for Subic because it also helped us realize increases in processing fees, SBMA shares from the operation of the container terminal, as well as leases,” Eisma said.

“The positive figures in these revenue sources had offset decreases in other areas like non-containerized cargo, which has markedly fell since the Covid-19 pandemic,” she added.

Eisma said the SBMA further expects container traffic—and Subic port revenue—to grow this year, as third quarter figures placed container cargo volume at 69,355 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) compared to 62,103 in the second quarter.

“The 12 percent increase in containerized cargo volume corresponded to an 11 percent increase in our port revenue, which grew from P317.2 million in the second quarter to P351.9 million in the third quarter. And so far, this upward trend continues,” she added.

According to a report from the SBMA Operations Group, the biggest income earner for Subic seaport was the agency’s share from container terminal operations, which yielded P302.3 million in January to September this year.

The container terminal operation was buoyed by a 32 percent increase in exports, from 24,951 TEUs in January-September 2020 to 32,891 TEUs this year, and a 16 percent rise in imports that grew from 77,663 TEUs last year to 90,019 TEUs this year.

The next biggest income sources for the SBMA sea port are lease rentals, which brought in P252 million, cargo charges with P248.1 million, and vessel charges with P126.1 million.

SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao said the SBMA shares registered a 46 percent growth over the January-September 2020 record because of increased cargo handling fees, hauling and variable fees, even as a slight dip of 0.4 percent was noted in foreign container vessel ship calls in the same period.

Processing fees, cargo charges and lease rentals, meanwhile showed respective increases of 11 percent, 3 percent and 11 percent, Yambao added.

Yambao also pointed out that while total non-containerized cargo volume decreased by 10 percent in the same period, or from 5.39 million metric tons (MTs) in the first three quarters of 2020 to 4.86 million MTs in the same period this year, the liquid bulk petroleum sector defied the downtrend with an 18 percent increase, or from 1.84 million MTs to 2.17 million MTs this year.

Meanwhile, the SBMA Trade Facilitation and Compliance Department (TFCD), which handles import and export transactions in the Subic Bay Freeport, reported that its revenue grew from P83.66 million in the first three quarters of 2020 to P104.22 million in 2021.

TFCD manager Anna Joy Quito attributed the 25 percent increase to the increase in import-export fees and admission fees brought about by the gradual reopening of the economy.

TFCD records showed a 67 percent increase in Subic export transactions, from $630 million in 2020 to $1.05 billion in 2021, and a 52 percent rise in importations, from $815.9 million in 2020 to $1.24 billion in 2021. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

Subic gets Covid-free, but SBMA urges keeping health protocols, getting vaxxed

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced that there is no longer any active Covid-19 case among residents and transient workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as well as employees of the Subic agency as of Monday.

This developed as five Subic residents and three SBMA employees who contracted Covid from October 18 to 21 were all declared as recovered by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (SBMA-PHSD) after quarantine and treatment.

“For the first time since July last year when Subic Freeport recorded the first positive cases, we can all breathe that much-needed sigh of relief,” said SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma. “But still this does not mean we can already relax our guard against the virus,” she insisted.

“Remember that we are easing restrictions not because Covid-19 is gone, but because we have to sustain the economy, which has been badly affected by the pandemic,” she pointed out.

Eisma said that after Subic was placed by the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Alert Level 2 status, the SBMA relaxed entry to the Freeport and allowed children 14 years old and below to enjoy parks and other open spaces, as well as al fresco dining restaurants here. Seniors 65 years old and above are also allowed in malls, shops and other enclosed spaces when fully-vaccinated, she added.

However, she reminded Subic stakeholders and visitors not to get careless. “We cannot afford another surge,” Eisma said, urging everyone to wear mask, avoid crowded places, maintain physical distancing, and disinfect.

The latest SBMA announcement posted on Monday indicated that the last reported Covid case among Subic Freeport residents was on Oct. 20 and among transient workers and guests in the Freeport on Sept. 25. Meanwhile, the latest case among SBMA employees was recorded on Oct. 21.

The announcement also showed a total of 275 confirmed cases among Freeport residents, with 271 recoveries or 98.55% and four deaths (1.45%); and 128 confirmed cases among transients, with 124 recoveries (96.8%), one death and three relocated cases.

Meanwhile, cases among SBMA employees, which were actually counted in their respective places of residence but reported by SBMA for transparency, indicated 197 confirmed cases, with 190 recoveries (96.45%) and seven deaths (3.55%).

The SBMA chief also urged Subic residents and workers to get vaccinated in order to further reduce Covid-19 infections.

As of November 5, she said 93 percent of the 2,237 SBMA employees are already either fully vaccinated or had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and only seven percent have yet to receive anti-Covid shots.

Eisma said the SBMA is now arranging with the Department of Health (DOH) to allow walk-ins under the DOH-SBMA vaccine rollout so that more Freeport residents and workers could be inoculated.

“Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic, but let us not be choosy about the vaccine brand,” Eisma reminded stakeholders here.

“As experts say, the best vaccine is the one you get into your arm, and we owe it to ourselves and our community to get vaccinated so that we can help protect each other, begin reviving our economy and start moving on under the new normal,” she added. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More