Divers now on retrieval mode for lost companion inside USS New York

Divers here have located the two foreign divers who drowned inside a shipwreck site in Subic Bay Freeport.

Six divers from the Boardwalk dive shop inside Subic Bay Freeport located the two divers at around 5:30pm today (Monday).

Although the drowned divers identified as America dive master Steven Brittain, 47 and Hong Kong resident Shun Chuen Tin, 30 were located thier body has yet to be recovered.

The two divers including another Chinese national identified as Fong Lung Chow dove to see USS New York, a popular dive site in Subic Bay Freeport at around 3pm Sunday.

Chow left the dive site first and said that he saw Tin stop and turned around as they were leaving USS New York, Brittian signaled to him that he would go back to go Tin.

Chow proceeded to surface, he added that the site was dark and muddy and that he lost site of the two divers.

Chow waited for the his two companion for 30 minutes and decided to dive back to look for them but failed. He reported the incident to authorities.

Before divers from Boardwalk Dive Shop went to search for the two drowned victims, 4 divers from Johann’s Dive Shop located in Barangay Barretto in Olongapo City dove but failed to located the two foreigners.

The search started Sunday afternoon a few minute Chow reported the incident to local authorities.

Johan De Sadeleir, a Belgian national, who owns Johann Dive shop was one of the divers. The two victims originally came from Sadeleir dive shop were they rented their gears before going to the dive site.

Brittain is a known dive expert which is why his fellow diver were puzzled as to what really happened with the two. (Anthony Bayarong, Subic Times)

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Subic Power Expands With $1B

MANILA — The entry of the Pangilinan-led Meralco in the coal-fired Subic power plant would pave the way for the expansion of the 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant into a 600-mw with investments of almost $1 billion for the entire project.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator Armand C. Arreza told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippines-Taiwan Joint Economic Conference (JEC) Thursday that the entry of Meralco PowerGen Corp. in Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. in Subic would dilute the shareholdings of the Aboitiz Group and Taiwan Cogeneration Corp. (TCC) to less than 50 percent.

Originally, the Aboitiz group owns 51 percent share and the Taiwanese with 49 percent. After the Meralco entry, the Filipino investors would have 75 percent shareholdings and the Taiwanese would be diluted to 25 percent, Arreza said.

According to Arreza, only one third of the first phase 300-mw power plant would be supplied to Subic and the rest for Olongapo and Clark. But with the additional 300-mw capacity, the Subic plant would be augmenting power supply to the national grid.

The power distribution giant Meralco headed by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan had earlier announced plans to enter power generation as "part of its over-all strategy to assist in ensuring efficient, adequate and reliable electricity at cost-competitive rates."

The company plans to put up at least 1,500 MW of new generation capacities over the next five years.

Earlier, Brian S. Hsu, TCC president, said that construction of the first phase of the project was scheduled to start in 2009 and commercial operation in 2012 and the second phase of 300MW to start three years after the commercial operation of the first phase.

The first phase was to be funded through 70 percent loans and 30 percent equity contribution.

Hsu said that the entry of the additional power capacity into Subic would mean lower power cost to Subic Freeport, which has a good number of Taiwanese investors.

“We are trying to bring the cost of power down especially that lots of users in Subic are paying very high rates,” he noted.

Aside from lower cost, Hsu said the coal-fired plant is using the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) technology, an environmentally-friendly technology and is considered a ‘clean coal technology.’

Even at that time, Hsu already said that the joint venture was already considering of taking in new investors but it could be arranged after the project has come into commercial operation saying it would be easier to pursue a project with only two partners negotiating.

The Taiwanese power company supplies 25.4 percent of the total 7,721 megawatt power requirement of in Taiwan.

The Subic project is the first international foray of the Taipei Stock Exchange-listed company. (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, Manila Bulletin)

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Meralco to sign shareholders' agreement

MANILA — Following the decision of its board on the acquisition of majority shares in the proposed Subic coal plant, the power generation arm of utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is already scheduled next week to ink the shareholders agreement with partners in the project.

In an advisory-statement to the media, original project sponsor Aboitiz Power Corporation indicated that the pact signing with Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MPG) and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation (TCIC) will be on July 22, 2011 at the Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic Bay.

“The signing will formalize the agreement of the three parties to develop a 600-MW circulating fluidized bed coal-fired power plant project within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone consisting of two 300-MW generating units,” the company said.

In the deal firmed up by the parties, Meralco PowerGen will assume majority stake in the coal project – an investment thrust that the company has always batted for with its prospective partners.

No direct statement from project partners yet if the deal will also cover off-take arrangement with Meralco on the electricity to be generated from the plant.

Apart from meeting the demand of its captive customers or those which will not have choice yet with the introduction of industry open access, Meralco is also excited on prospects that it may be able cater to contestable customers outside its franchise area once it decides to enlist as retail electricity supplier.

So far, the power utility firm enthused that this will be its “showcase venture” as it pursues vertical reintegration as investment strategy in the deregulated power industry.

For this segment of its investment, Meralco executives previously hinted that they will opt for cash infusion of P9.0 billion for their equity portion in the project.

The coal facility, which is currently placed under corporate vehicle Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc.; is a solution being aligned to beef up power supply in the Luzon grid by 2015.

“The new power facility is expected to augment the generation capacity in the Luzon grid. It will also help ensure the availability of efficient, adequate and reliable power to the grid and competitively priced power for customers,” it was noted.

In Meralco’s case, this will be part of its short-term investment which shall address its needs for additional supply that would be coming from a baseload generation facility. The first undertaking it has been pushing for would be a peaking facility which it anticipates coming on-line by next year.

The longer-term investment proposition for Meralco would be a facility that may run on indigenously-extracted natural gas or imported liquefied natural gas.

At this stage though, the prime consideration they have been weighing is how to set scale on such kind of investment and what would be the supply-demand scenario when the LNG facilities would finally come on stream. (Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin)

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SBMA cites Subic college for CSR program

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) presented an award to Mondriaan Aura College, a Subic-based educational institution that provides seminar-trainings to agency employees as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.

SBMA human resources manager Lolita Mallari, on behalf of the Subic authority, gave plaques and certificates of appreciation to Aura officials for the school’s “continuous support to the agency” during last Monday’s flag ceremony.

The awardees were Dr. Edgar Geniza, president of Mondrian Aura College; Dr. Editha Geniza , executive vice president; and school staffers Leo Eusantos, Roma Salvador, Thomas Erween Davis, and Ludivina Carballo.

“This is an example of SBMA and its stakeholders synergizing,” Mallari said of SBMA and Aura’s partnership.

She added that the SBMA presented the awards to recognize the college’s efforts in helping to enhance the skills and capacities of SBMA personnel.

Aura began conducting trainings and seminar-workshops for SBMA employees last year, after launching its CSR program dubbed “Summer Experience”. The project was proposed by Dr. Editha Geniza to SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, who readily agreed to the program.

Since its inception, Aura has conducted four seminars for SBMA personnel. These are the Seminar on Handling Difficult Behavior, which was held on March 25 and April 29, 2010 with 77 attendees; Seminar on Accounting for Non-Accountants held on March 26, 2011 with 31 attendees; Strategic Ethics and Decision-Making Analysis held on May 26, 2010 with 44 participants; and Seminar on Human Relations Skills held on July 7-8, 2011 for 30 SBMA employees. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO:
Mondriaan Aura College personnel receive certificates of appreciation for their training program for SBMA employees, from left: Thomas Erween Davis, Ludivina Carballo, Roma Salvador, Dr. Editha Geniza, SBMA human resources manager Lolita Mallari, and Leo Eusantos.

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New Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge Opens July 12

The new Kalaklan-Lighthouse Bridge will be opened to motorists and pedestrians starting July 12 after more than a year since construction began in June 2010, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has announced.

”Ang pagbubukas ng bagong Kalaklan Bridge ay malaking tulong sa publiko – mga empleyado at estudyante kasama na ang mga turista at dumaraang motorista mula sa ibang bahagi ng Luzon,” according to Mayor James “Bong” Gordon Jr.

The new two-lane bridge replaces the some 50-year old span built by the US Navy in the 1960’s which served as a gateway to and from the province of Zambales. It is one of the four bridges connecting the freeport zone to Olongapo City.

An average of two thousand five hundred (2,500) vehicles and some three hundred (300) pedestrians, according to SBMA, pass through the Bridge every day before it was totally closed to pave the way for the construction of its replacement.

The ensuing rerouting of all vehicles through the Olongapo City proper resulted to heavy traffic in its main thoroughfares, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. (Pao/fr)

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Garcia stays put in SBMA

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — President Benigno Aquino III has reappointed Francis Garcia as representative of the province of Bataan in the Board of Directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Garcia and fellow directors were sworn into office recently in a ceremony held at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañan Palace.

Bataan’s second district Rep. Albert Garcia joined Balanga Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III and sister Gila, former SBMA director, to witness the oath-taking of their brother.

“I am committed to the vision of President Noynoy Aquino and the SBMA itself of attracting more investors that will translate to more employment opportunities for our people and gain much-needed revenues for our government,” the young Garcia said.

He was director from March 2010 to August 2010 until his reappointment to the post in the former American Naval Base, three-fourth of the total land area of which belongs to Bataan.

Garcia graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Engineering majoring in Computer Science. (Butch Gunio, Manila Standard Today)

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After GN Power entry, DoE still seeking 900MW for Luzon

MANILA — After the much-anticipated entry of the 600-megawatt capacity of GN Power by 2013, the Department of Energy (DoE) is still soliciting additional 900 megawatts of capacity to plug forecast capacity shortfall in the Luzon grid until 2015.

In the supply-demand outlook which has been the anchor for its Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP) for 2011, the DoE indicated that capacity additions for Luzon must reach 1,500 megawatts until 2015. It shall be spread as follows: 300MW by 2011; 300MW by 2012; 450MW by 2014; and another 450MW by 2015.

But with the project of Redondo Peninsula Energy in Subic being firmed up, and of which capacity may likely be ramped up to 600-MW, the government’s dilemma for Luzon supply may already be solved partly. As of latest developments, the project would already be spearheaded by the newly-formed power generation unit of Manila Electric Company and still in partnership with the Aboitiz group and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation.

Even with these capacity additions though, it is seen that the anticipated increase in demand may still render shortfalls, especially in the reserve requirement. Industry studies portend that power demand may expand to 4.5 percent within this five-year period from the historically-logged growths of 3.7 to 3.9 percent.

The prescription then is for DoE to ensure the entry of other firmly-committed projects which may come from greenfield ventures or from the uprating of the privatized power plants.

Based on data it submitted to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the energy department indicated that the existing dependable capacity by year 2013 would be at 9,384 megawatts as against peak demand forecast of 8,309 megawatts. This entails that the required reserve margin of 23.4-percent vis-à-vis peak demand at that time, which would be around 1,944MW, cannot be met fully.

A decent reserve margin is a “must” in an electricity system for it to function efficiently and be able to meet end-user demand. It is significant in such a way that in case of forced outages, there would be ready capacity that can be relied upon as substitute for capacities being displaced or suddenly taken out from the system.

Of the required capacity shoring up, it qualified that the only ones committed have been 41MW for 2011; and the GNPower facility of 600MW by 2013; while the rest according to the energy department are still “indicative.”

Nevertheless, the DoE qualified that it is similarly counting on the capacity uprating of some plants, such as the Bacon-Manito geothermal facility as well as the other privatized plants in Luzon in beefing up power supply for the grid.

Given the circumstances, the energy department viewed that the most necessary step it has to consider during such crucial transition would be to continuously operate the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal plant, thus, postponing its retirement which would have been scheduled as early as 2011. (Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin)

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Subic taps San Miguel for electricity requirements

THE Subic Bay Freeport Zone has tapped San Miguel Corp. (SMC) for its electricity requirements.

Under the agreement inked by the Freeport’s distributor, Subic Enerzone Corp. (SEZ), SM Energy Corp. (SMEC) will supply the utility’s electricity needs for six months.

SEZ, in particular, will source over 16 to 17 megawatts from April to September 2011 from SMEC at a flat rate of P3.89 per kilowatt-hour subject to fuel and foreign currency exchange adjustments.

The Energy Regulatory Commission already approved the two parties’ agreement in a provisional decision released last month subject to some conditions.

These are the determination of the final generation rate to be determined by the ERC; and the refund to consumers in case the initial rate agreed upon by SEZ and SMEC are higher than what the regulator comes out with.

Prior to the supply deal, the Freeport sourced its electricity from state-owned National Power Corp.

Most of the latter’s generating plants in Luzon, however, have been privatized under the government’s power sector reform and restructuring program.

Among those that acquired Napocor’s plants from the state auction block was SMEC, which spearheaded SMC’s diversification to the power generation business.

The assets acquired by SMEC from Napocor include the 620-megawatt Limay combined cycle power plant, and the administration for the contract for energy output of the 1,000-megawatt Sual coal-fired power plant, 345-megawatt San Roque multi-purpose hydro plant and the 1,294-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant.

SMC shares rose to P123 apiece on Tuesday from P119 on Monday. (Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Manila Times)

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Meralco acquires 2 Subic plants

MANILA — Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is acquiring a majority stake in an Aboitiz Power Corporation joint venture that is building two 300-megawatt independent coal-fired power plants in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In separate disclosures to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the two firms said Meralco’s wholly-owned unit Meralco PowerGen Corporation will invest in Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. (RP Energy).

RP Energy is a 50-50 joint venture company formed by AboitizPower’s wholly owned subsidiary Therma Power, Inc. (TPI) and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation (TCIC) for the construction and operation of the proposed Subic Bay coal-fired power plant.

MPGC is expected to take a controlling interest in RP Energy, with TPI and TCIC will be diluted and end up equally owning the remaining stake of less than 50 percent.

Commercial operation of the proposed Subic Bay coal-fired power plant is projected to start in 2014. The plant is expected to augment the power supply of the Luzon Grid.

Meralco earlier said that its entry into power generation is part of its over-all strategy to assist in ensuring efficient, adequate and reliable electricity at cost-competitive rates.

The utility said that the potential partnership with TCIC and TPI will add to Meralco’s competitive electricity supply portfolio sourced from existing generating plants and from new highly efficient baseload, midmerit and peaking power plants, which MPG is putting up to meet customer requirements.

Meralco reiterated its commitment to existing long time and new customers in offering a wide range of valued products and services as a total energy solutions provider.

Meanwhile, in a separate disclosure, Meralco said it has priced P5 billion 7-year and 10-year fixed rate notes with a group of primary institutional lenders with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited acting as the sole lead manager and bookrunner.

The notes will be issued on June 29, 2011 with the proceeds from the facilities to be used to finance Meralco’s capital expenditures and for general corporate purposes.

The 7-year and 10-year notes were fixed at a yield of 6.2692 percent and 6.8900 percent respectively.

The notes fetched a credit spread of 20 and 21.12 basis points over the relevant respective 7-year and 10-year benchmark rates, the lowest priced by the investor market for a peso capital market transaction by a corporate issuer in recent history.

The notes issue was 2.35 times oversubscribed from the original announced issue size of P3 billion with books reaching P7.05 billion in orders, thus allowing Meralco to exercise its oversubscription option of P2 billion. (James A Loyola, Manila Bulletin)

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PLDT-Subictel employees plant fruit trees under CSR program

Despite the rainy weather and muddy mountain pathways, employees of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Corp. – Subic Telephone Corp. (PLDT-Subictel) marched their way up Mount Sta. Rita here for their tree-planting activity last Saturday.

They were joined by employees of other subsidiaries and affiliates of the PLDT Group, such as Smart Telecommunications and Manila North Tollways Corporation.

The group planted about 50 fruit-bearing trees during the activity, said workers from the Ecology Center of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who assisted in the project.

PLDT-Subictel president Dennis Magbatoc said that through this activity, PLDT-Subictel aimed to demonstrate their commitment in creating social and economic benefits in the Freeport, as well as contributing to greater environmental sustainability within the zone.

Magbatoc said that this was the first time for their company to undertake a tree-planting project here, although it was just one of their activities under their company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.

“When I started managing PLDT-Subictel, it became one of my mandates for our firm to participate in CSR activities specific to Subic,” Magbatoc said.

He also noted that PLDT-Subictel has been always involved in community-based projects, including outreach programs in Aeta communities.

Magbatoc said that the firm also donated some items to Aetas last year, and plans to carry out another assistance project for the indigenous tribe by the third or fourth quarter of this year.

The SBMA has been encouraging business locators in the Subic Bay Freeport to participate in the agency’s reforestation program, which was launched in 1996.

Employees and officials of the agency’s 29 departments participate in at least two tree-planting projects each year, joined by students and members of various community organizations.

The SBMA Ecology Center also conducts seminars on reforestation and proper handling and care of seedlings to help raise the awareness of groups and residents in the Subic Bay area, as well as to motivate them to participate in environmental protection projects. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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SBMA, volunteer divers seed Subic Bay with giant clams

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) joined the global celebration of World Oceans Day on Wednesday by seeding an endangered species of giant clam at the Ilanin Bay marine sanctuary in this free port.

The SBMA Ecology Center, along with 12 volunteer divers from various dive shops in the Subic Bay area, “planted” 72 giant clams (tridacna gigas) species to help enhance marine biodiversity in Subic Bay.

The volunteer divers were from Boardwalk Dive Center, Johan’s Scuba Dive, Ocean Adventure, PNP Maritime Command, SBMA Harbor Patrol, SBMA Intelligence Office, and SBMA Ecology Center.

Ilanin Bay was chosen for seeding of giant clams after an examination by volunteer biologists showed the presence of giant clams in the area, which also passed the physical and biological criteria for a seeding bed, said Ecology Center manager Amethya Koval.

The visibility of the seeding area from the shore would also make it easy for authorities to guard it against illegal poachers, Koval added.

The giant clam “seeds”, which measured 15 centimeters in diameter, can actually grow up to 1.54 meters in diameter and weigh up to 258.55 kilos, biologists said.

The clam seeds were purchased from the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Bolinao, Pangasinan with money raised from the “Takbo para sa Taklobo” fun run that was organized by the SBMA Ecology Center last year.

“We raised some P54,000 from registration fees in the fun run, and that’s what we used to buy giant clam seeds, as well as for other incidental expenses like food for volunteers during the seeding process,” Koval said.

“If the seeding project turns out to be a success, the Ecology Center will organize more ‘Takbo para sa Taklobo’ fun runs to help fast track our mission of saving these beautiful creatures from extinction,” she added.

Meanwhile, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said the project is part of the agency’s vision of making the Subic Bay Freeport an eco-urban center that effectively blends industrial development with ecological tourism.
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“Eco-tourism is one of our biggest industries here, and Subic Bay is among the dive sites that are frequented by tourists because of its historical shipwrecks and ecological biodiversity,” Arreza said.

“While we have these natural attractions as assets, we recognize the need to also help in protecting and propagating marine species like the endangered giant clams,” he added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO:
Volunteer divers from the SBMA Ecology Center and different dive shops in the Subic Bay area seed the Ilanin Bay marine sanctuary in the Subic Bay Freeport with giant clams in an effort to enhance marine biodiversity.

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Big waves capsize boat in Subic; 1 dead

One fisherman died while three others survived after their motorized fishing boat capsized near Sitio Naglatore in Redondo Peninsula at the mouth of Subic Bay at the height of tropical depression Dodong.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Seaport Manager Captain Perfecto Pascual identified the rescued fishermen as Adonis Igmao, Melchor Nakar, and Ruperto Miranda, all of Barangay Calapacuan, Subic, Zambales.

The lone fatality was identified as Felix Datoon, 50, also a resident of Calapacuan.

Reports said that at around 10:40 in the morning, Thursday (June 9), M/V “Majelyn-1” was anchored at sea at about two kilometers from Sitio Naglatore with the four fishermen on board.

However, strong winds and big waves pummelled the boat, causing the anchor ropes to detach and making the boat unstable.

All passengers then decided to abandon the boat. Using empty plastic containers as floating devices, the fishermen swam towards the shoreline of Sitio Naglatore.

However, Datoon lost his plastic container due to strong and high waves, causing him to drown. The other three fishermen were able to swim to safety.

The initial report received by the SBMA Seaport Department said that workers of First Balfour Inc. were the first to respond and provide assistance to the three fishermen and to retrieve the body of Datoon.

First Balfour is a contractor of RP Energy Inc., the company that is building a power plant at the Redondo Peninsula.

According to Miranda, they went fishing at Sabang, Morong Bataan in the afternoon of June 8, but decided to return early morning of June 9 due to bad weather.

On their way back, they encountered strong waves that prompted them to anchor their boat in the waters off Sitio Naglatore, Miranda added.

Personnel of the SBMA Seaport and Law Enforcement Departments were dispatched to bring the victims to SBMA for medical attention. However, due to strong waves, the SBMA vessel M/V Redondo could not immediately get near Redondo Peninsula's shoreline.

It was not until 5:30 PM that the SBMA team was able to pick up the three fishermen and the body of Datoon.

The survivors were brought to the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital for further treatment while the body of Datoon was brought to the Subic Homes Memorial Service and was claimed by his family. (Henry Empeño, Corporate Communications)

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Chess: Laylo captures Pichay Cup title in Subic

SUBIC, June 9 (PNA) -- Mission accomplished for Filipino Grandmaster Darwin Laylo.

Laylo settled for a quick grandmaster’s draw with GM Wen Yan of China to capture the title in the 2011 Chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay Cup international chess championships at the Subic Bay Travelers Hotel here Wednesday.

The draw with the white-playing but overly-cautious Wen came after only 31 moves of the Slav and less than two hours of play, but it was more than enough to clinch the title for Laylo.

The 31-year-old campaigner from Lipa City actually finished in a three-way tie for first place with Wen and GM Li Shilong of China with similar scores of 7.5 points in this prestigious 10-round competition organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Laylo, however, clinched the title by virtue of a higher tiebreak score over the two Chinese players.

The three pocketed US$ 4,333 each out of the guaranteed cash prize of US$ 30,000 put up by Pichay.

“Thank God. Masayang-masaya ako dahil nanalo na din ako at nakabawi na sa masamang nangyari sa akin nung Asian Zonals sa Tagaytay,” said Laylo, referring to his monumental collapse in the Asian Zone 3.3 championships held in Tagaytay City last May 24 to 31.

Actually, Laylo flirted with disaster anew when he lost to Li in their ninth and penultimate round encounter and yielded the solo lead late Tuesday.

After drawing with Wen in the final round, Laylo agonized for nearly two hours waiting for the outcome of the match between Li and GM David Arutinian of Georgia on second board.

But Li failed to translate a slim endgame advantage in a must-win game against the higher-rated and more-experienced Arutinian and halved the point to tie for first place with Laylo and Wen.

Laylo’s smashing triumph enabled him to become only the second Filipino player to win a major international chess championship in Subic after GM Jayson Gonzales achieved the feat in 2008.

Gonzales, who now serves as tournament director, made history by ruling the Subic Open chess championship in May 2008.

GM John Paul Gomez battled Lu Shanglei of China to another draw in 34 moves of the Dutch opening to finish in a tie for fourth to 10th places with six other foreign players with seven points.

Gomez, who moved into contention by beating Asian Youth gold medalist Jan Emmanuel Garcia in the ninth round, earned US$ 1,214 for his effort.

Tied with Gomez are Lu, Arutinian, Ma Qun of China, GM XuJun of China, GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia and Xie Deshum of China.

Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre outclassed IM Yves Ranola to join GM Mark Paragua, IM Olilver Barbosa and IM Rolando Nolte in a tie for 11th to 18th places with 6.5 points.

Paragua and Barbosa also fought to a draw, while Nolte split the point with top seed GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia.

IM Chito Garma humbled GM Cerdas Barus of Indonesia in 54 moves of the Scotch, IM Oliver Dimakiling outlasted Guo Qi of China and IM Richard Bitoon bested IM Kim Steven Yap in an all-Filipino showdown to lead a big group of players with six points.

WFM Zhansaya Abdumalik of Kazakhstan, one of the youngest participants here at age 11, outlasted NM Efren Bagamasbad in 88 moves of the Philidor’s opening in one of the most keenly-watched games in the tournament.

Garcia, who vaulted into prominence by earning his IM title outright during the Asian Zonals, dropped his second straight game to Yu Ruiyuan of China and plummeted into a tie for 27th to 33rd places with only 5.5 points.

In other notable final-round results, Alex Milagrosa crushed Ben Polao; reigning national junior champion Mari Joseph Turqueza halved the point with FM Haridas Pascua, Paulo Bersamina split the point with Roger Sarip, Emmanuel Emperado drew with Randy Segarra, Leo Alidani downed Felica Trenseco, Kristine Mae Mariano beat Ferdinan Tesman of Indonesia, and Danrev Garcia subdued Daniel John Lemi.

IA Gene Poliarco served as the chief arbiter. (PNA)

Final standings: (Filipinos unless stated)

7.5 points – D. Laylo, Y. Wen (China), S. Li (China)

7 -- S. Lu (China), D. Arutinian (Georgia), Q. Ma (China), J. Xu (China), J. Gomez, S. Megaranto (Indonesia), D. Xiu (China)

6.5 -- Z. Zhang (Singapore), M. Gagunashvili (Georgia), M. Paragua, E. Torre, C. Wang (China), O. Barbosa, R. Nolte, R. Yu (China)

6 – R. Bitoon, O. Dimakiling, C. Zeng (China), A. Datu, A. Novitas (Indonesia), T. Purnama (Indonesia), C. Garma, J. Wang (China).

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SBMA, JobStreet.com tie-up now serving jobseekers worldwide

People looking for work in this free port can now easily land a job here without having to spend a single peso in the application process.

The cost-free convenience is made possible through a tie-up between the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and JobStreet.com , the Malaysia-based job portal which is now the biggest online employment company in Southeast Asia.

The SBMA-JobStreet tie-up unveiled early this year an online career portal and joint recruitment process, which provides a faster, easier and more cost-effective venue for both employers and jobseekers.

“With this program, we hope to provide our investors and business locators with qualified workers, while helping jobseekers with information on available jobs within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone,” said outgoing SBMA administrator Armand Arreza.

“And because this portal has a global reach, we can also extend our recruitment efforts worldwide,” Arreza added.

SBMA labor manager Severo Pastor, Jr. meanwhile cited the ease with which the system draws applicants even from outside the Central Luzon region.

He further said that while the SBMA’s recruitment policy prioritizes applicants from areas “in and around the zone,” workers from outside the zone can also be accommodated through for jobs that require specialized skills.

Glenn de Guzman, JobStreet.com territory manager, meanwhile explained that the SBMA-JobStreet project is a “shared advocacy program” intended to automate the recruitment services that the SBMA provides to Subic investors and business locators.

“This is absolutely free for jobseekers. They do not have to pay any company nor the SBMA to access this facility,” De Guzman stressed.

De Guzman said that jobseekers could easily access the career portal by opening the SBMA official website, which is www.sbma.com, then clicking on the “Job Opportunities” link at the upper left side of the home page to view the job postings.

He added that the portal also provides convenience to jobseekers, who won’t have to spend money for photocopying several sets of application papers even if they would apply for jobs in several companies.

“What they have to do is create an online resume and submit it to as many companies as they want for positions they are qualified for. It’s that simple. And that’s what makes it cost-efficient for jobseekers,” De Guzman said.

According to senior customer care supervisor Voltaire Jose, when a jobseeker submits his or her resume, the system will match job requirements with the applicant’s qualifications. Once the system finds a match, qualified applicants will be notified through e-mail.

He added that In the event that an applicant does not qualify for a position, the system sends the resume to the SBMA labor department’s database, so that when a locator posts a position that matches the applicant’s qualifications, the applicant will be notified as well.

De Guzman said that JobStreet.com provides the service at no cost to the SBMA, but employers availing of the service pay a one-time a year fee of P5,000. The membership fee allows them unlimited posting for the year.

“Without this SBMA-JobStreet partnership, companies wanting to post job vacancies would have to P5,000 per position,” he added.

JobStreet.com, which was founded in 1997 in Malaysia, is now the number one job portal in the country and the Asia-Pacific. It now operates in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Japan, HongKong, and the Philippines. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO:
Two fresh college graduates browse the JobStreet.com website for job opportunities at the Subic Bay Freeport.

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SBMA to open Kalaklan Bridge on July 5

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced on Thursday that the new Kalaklan-Lighthouse Bridge, which has been under construction since June last year, will be opened to motorists and pedestrians starting July 5.

Lawyer Ramon Agregado, SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services, said the completion of the bridge project will give commuters and pedestrians a big relief.

The P200-million project involved the construction of a new two-lane bridge to replace the 50-year old span built by the US Navy, and the establishment of a security plaza, which will also house a Customs field office.

The Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge, which is the free port’s gateway to the province of Zambales, is one of the four bridges connecting the free port zone to Olongapo City.

This bridge, along with the Magsaysay (Main Gate) Bridge which leads to Magsaysay Drive, the entertainment and business district of Olongapo, was built by the U.S. Navy in the early 60’s.

The old bridges used to carry even heavy trucks and buses going in and out of the Subic free port, but inspections made in recent years showed they already have some severe structural defects due to strain over the years. Early last year, the SBMA resolved to replace the Kalaklan Bridge with a new one and also closed the Magsaysay Bridge to vehicular traffic.

The SBMA said that an average of 2,500 light vehicles and some 300 pedestrians passed through the Kalaklan Bridge every day until it was closed to the public in February 2010 to pave way for the speedy construction of its replacement.

The closure, however, necessitated a rerouting of traffic through the Olongapo City proper, thereby causing heavy traffic in the area, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Moreover, travel time from the free port to Subic, the first town in Zambales, took longer by about 30 minutes.

“Starting July 5, however, the Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge will help ease the traffic going to Zambales,” said Agregado.

He added that aside from the two-lane bridge with covered walkway, the Kalaklan Bridge project also includes a security plaza, spacious parking area for all types of vehicles, and an administration building that will accommodate SBMA offices for its Treasury Department, Law Enforcement Department, Seaport Department, as well as the Bureau of Customs.

The Kalaklan Bridge construction project is part of SBMA’s efforts to build vital infrastructure for the planned expansion of the Subic Freeport into nearby areas, such as Olongapo City and the towns of Zambales, Agregado also said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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