PH gov’t urged to fast track projects that will propel cargo traffic to Batangas, Subic

Philippine business groups and joint foreign chambers (PBG-JFC) have expressed their support for shifting cargo traffic from Manila to Batangas and Subic to help stimulate economic activities in the two areas.

Prior to the President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address on July 28, the PBG-JFC sent him a letter dated July 21 containing a list of key issues and proposed measures the group strongly believes will “help achieve our shared vision of inclusive growth through job generation, poverty reduction, and global competitiveness.”

One of group’s suggestions is “to shift cargo traffic from the Port of Manila to the Ports of Subic and Batangas and support these with parallel initiatives to stimulate economic activities in these areas, and to reduce the cost of logistics.”

The group is also asking to fast track construction of the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway Connector, as well as the feeder road that will connect it to the Port of Manila.

The group believes this will “facilitate the movement of goods to and from production sites and our major ports.”

For the aviation sector, the group reiterated its call for a multi-airport system, in which the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Clark International Airport, and a future third airport will serve the country’s current and prospective aviation requirements.

“On this note, we strongly believe that we should continue to enhance the advantages given by an international gateway in close proximity to the National Capital Region, while complementing this with further improvements in the capacity of Clark International Airport,” the letter said.

Noting that public-private partnership initiatives have steadily gained steam since 2010, with close to 50 projects for implementation, PBG-JFC said they fully support the government’s efforts to raise infrastructure spending to 5% of GDP by 2016.

The PBG-JFC also underscored the pressing need to bridge the wide infrastructure gap to support the economy, mainly through completion of these pipeline infrastructure projects as soon as possible.

The business sector likewise welcomed Aquino’s pronouncement at the recent Daylight Dialogue that he plans to issue an executive order institutionalizing a mechanism for public-private cooperation that instills integrity in governance.

It encouraged government agencies to follow the Department of Public Works and Highways’ lead and compel companies bidding for government contracts to sign an integrity pledge and commit themselves to ethical business conduct.

Furthermore, the group is pushing for the immediate enactment and enforcement of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act currently pending in both chambers of Congress.

PBG-JFC noted that in a forum with business organizations, Customs Commissioner John Sevilla estimated the value of smuggled merchandise in 2011 alone to be between P350 billion and P1.4 trillion.

“This hole must be plugged,” the group said.

Moreover, PBG-JFC reiterated its proposal for high-level government representatives to continuously engage the private sector in a joint effort to address smuggling, similar in form to a Cabinet-level oversight committee with private sector participation, something that was done in previous administrations.

The letter was signed by representatives from the Makati Business Club, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc., Employers Confederation of the Philippines, IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, Management Association of the Philippines, Alyansa Agrikultura, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, American Chamber of Commerce, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce, Japanese Chamber, Korean Chamber of Commerce, and Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters. (PortCalls Asia)

PHOTO: The New Container Terminal (NCT) in Subic Bay Freeport

http://www.portcalls.com/ph-govt-urged-to-fast-track-projects-that-will-propel-cargo-traffic-to-batangas-subic/

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Subic Freeport firms, schools form ICT council

Companies, schools and government agencies involved in information and communications technology (ICT) at the Subic Bay Freeport have formed a multi-sectoral organization to maximize industry prospects and boost the potentials of this free port as a world-class ICT hub.

In a meeting organized by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone ICT Advisory Council was formed with Atty. Severo Pastor Jr., manager of the SBMA Labor Department, elected as president.

Among the attendees to the organizational meeting were senior officers and delegates from various schools and ICT-related companies in Olongapo City and the provinces of Zambales and Bataan, network providers, representatives from the media and the academe, and government agencies like the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“The Subic Bay Freeport Zone ICT Advisory Council has renewed enthusiasm in establishing a stronger network with more direct linkages to build a better partnership towards a more focused ICT industry,” Pastor said.

He admitted that a number of investors engaged in business process outsourcing (BPO) that found it hard to recruit qualified staff in the Subic Bay area eventually closed shop.

However, BPO investors should not be discouraged by this and instead train their own workers to reach the desired level of excellence, he added.

“At the Hanjin shipyard, local workers used to work only with acetylene or stick welding machines. However, after providing training in various types of arc welding, Hanjin has become successful with plenty of locally hired welders,” Pastor pointed out.

Meanwhile, in a message read by SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator Joy Alvarado, SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that in a short period of time, the Philippines has become one of the top outsourcing destinations in the world.

“We in Subic should take a chunk of that opportunity,” Garcia added.

SBMA Director Benjamin Antonio III, who was chosen as adviser for the ICT Council, noted that Subic is very much ready to become an ICT hub but that only business locators are lacking.

“Magkaroon lang ng kahit isa pang (BPO) player sa Subic, makikita nila ang kakaibang opportunity ng BPO sa Subic Freeport,” Antonio said.

He also pointed out the facilities that are already in place in Subic to provide the needs of the BPO locators, including those of PLDT SubicTel, fiber optic cable system for reliable linkages, dependable security system, related infrastructure, power supply and access linkages to other economic zones and Metro Manila.

“We are in a unique position to attract locators. That is why we need to be more aggressive and focus on creating job opportunities, focus on creating a more resilient SBFZ, and promote a positive image of Subic Bay,” Antonio also said.

In the same forum, Director Benhur Baniqued of the TESDA Zambales provincial office recommended aligning and adjusting the educational curriculum of the country towards defining the requirements of the BPOs.

Baniqued said that the government should encourage educational institutions to improve and support the ICT industry, while urging the experts to share their knowledge and equipment that are lacking in most of the schools in the locality. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

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PCCI says diverting other cargo to Subic may boost Luzon trade

NORTHERN Luzon can draw more investments and expansions if the government shift the traffic of container cargoes in the Subic Bay Freeport and put a cap on the container volume to be handled by Manila, said the country’s largest business groups on Friday.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is advocating a mandatory cap on the capacity of Manila’s ports and reiterates the maximizing of Subic ports, echoing the call of its Northern Luzon members.

PCCI President Alfredo M. Yao met with presidents and delegates of PCCI member-chambers in Northern Luzon during the North­ern Luzon Business Conference in Baguio City in July.

Northern Luzon member - chambers said the shift of car­goes to Subic will benefit not only business communities in Luzon outside Metro Manila but also the port users.

Reg ions in Luzon out side Metro Manila account for about 20 percent of gross domestic product.

“Efficient movement unleashes a lot of business projects in prov­inces,” Yao said in a statement.

“Subic uses only 6 percent of its capacity because cargoes do not go there. It’s time for the Philippine Ports Authority to look seriously at recommendations for a manda­tory cap.

The port in Manila is now at about 120 percent and have long overstretched its capacity,” Yao said.

Trucking costs have shot up to about P50,000 per trip from P18,000 per trip in the first quar­ter, he said.

The shift also will remove uncer­tainties about the reliability of port users as part of the production and distribution links of global supply chains.

The chambers are confident that the mandatory cap makes growth of future earnings of port users sustainable, Yao said.

Member-chambers that recom­mended the limit on container traffic in Manila’s congested ports and the use of Subic Freeport by international shipping lines are the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Clark Investors and Locators Associa­tion, and the Export Processing Zone Chamber of Exporters and Manufacturers.

The government and private sector collaboration on logistics and transportation issues will be a topic to be taken up between Cabi­net officials and business execu­tives during the 40th Philippines Business Conference, scheduled this October. (Catherine N. Pillas, BusinessMirror)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/regions/36407-pcci-says-diverting-other-cargo-to-subic-may-boost-luzon-trade

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SBMA: Measures in place to avert ore spill in Subic Bay

The top official of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the agency has institut­ed measures to avert the recurrence of iron-ore spill following complaints from local fishermen that the off­shore terminals of a freeport-regis­tered company polluted the waters of Subic Bay last week.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Gar­cia said in a media forum here on Wednesday that he ordered the management of Vale, which operates two floating transfer stations (FTS) in Subic Bay, to stop transshipment during heavy rains to avoid spillage.

The company has also committed to increase the capacity of the rain­water collection tanks in its floating terminals so that excess rainwater will not wash down whatever iron ore is left on the deck of the ships, Garcia added.

The firm, Brazil-based Vale In­ternational SA, is the world’s largest producers of iron ore and controls the largest share of the seaborne trade in iron ore. The company expanded its operations in Subic Bay after one year by deploying another FTS in April.

Garcia said some iron ore on the deck of the floating terminals “were washed away” when it rained hard on July 25.

“We have monitored the spill, which caused discoloration of the waters around the vessels, and by the third day, it has already dissipated,” Garcia said.

The discoloration, however, alarmed residents, particularly fish­ermen, in the Subic Bay area. They initially thought the discoloration was due to rust coming off the hulls of the two floating terminals.

But a resident who recently opened a page called “Stop Vale Ore Operations in Subic Bay Now” in the Facebook social-networking site pointed out that the reddish water around the ships was the result of iron sediments.

The Facebook activist also assert­ed that Olongapo City should earn money from the multimillion-peso income of SBMA from Vale opera­tions because “it is clear that the part of Subic Bay where Vale ships operate is under the jurisdiction of Olongapo, and not of SBMA.”

“The SBMA enjoys huge income while Olongapo gets the damage,” the Facebook page also said.

Garcia, however, gave the assur­ance that Vale operations do not pose a threat to the environment, as well as the health of residents, adding that the firm is “very much safety-conscious.”

He also said it would not be pos­sible for any local government unit (LGU) to collect more fees from Vale operations “because the SBMA is re­leasing revenue shares regularly to all LGUs affected by Subic Bay Freeport operations.”

The Subic agency had just an­nounced on Tuesday it would re­lease a total of P93.7 million to eight LGUs in the Subic Bay area. This includes Olongapo, which will get the lion’s share of P22.7 million as revenue share from Subic Bay Freeport operations for the first semester this year.

On concerns about the environ­ment, Garcia said iron ore is not a toxic substance and that because it is a naturally occurring element, “does not react to the environ­ment.”

The only possible hazard that iron ore may pose, Garcia said, “is when you inhale it in dust form.”

He said, however, that Vale is wetting the iron ore slightly during transshipment to prevent the forma­tion of dust that may be blown by the wind into the sea.

“We have done due diligence here in coordination with Vale even before they started operating,” Garcia said.

Garcia, however, may not be ready for an offshoot of the alarm raised by the reddish waters seen around the Vale ships last week.

Olongapo City Councilor Noel Atienza said he will file two separate resolutions about the issue: The first to urge the Office of the President and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to conduct an investigation into the Vale iron-ore spill, and the second, to urge the SBMA to stop Vale operation to pre­vent further spillage.(Henry Empeño, BusinessMirror)

PHOTO: VALEMAX OF BRAZIL

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/regions/36405-sbma-measures-in-place-to-avert-ore-spill-in-subic-bay

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Olongapo launches novel way to prevent recurrence of dreaded disease

OLONGAPO CITY - Cash for rats, this is the theme of the local government after it declared the month of August as Leptospirosis Prevention Month.

Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino said that the aim of the local government is to have a strong awareness campaign against the dreaded disease that once hit the city that infected more than 600 people and killed several others.

It can be recalled that the city was hit by a leptospirosis outbreak last year after a massive flooding.

Leptospirosis is caused by a strain of bacteria called leptospira found in rats and mice which can infect humans after a natural disaster, such as a flood.

“This campaign was not meant to be a livelihood for our residents, it is really an awareness campaign to let our residents know that rats equals to leptospirosis,” Paulino said.

He added that the target for this year is zero (0) leptospirosis cases.

Doctor Rodrick Bustamante, head of the Olongapo City Health Office said that the program would run for the whole month of August.

“We will be giving out P10 per big rat and P5 for small ones.” Bustamante added.

He added that residents could bring the dead rats at the city health office and then a health officer would bring the collected rats in an isolated place for proper disposal.

“Ayaw na naming maulet yung nagyare last year, and frankly speaking we have already sent out our health workers before the rainy season to give out medicines against common disease and leptospirosis,” Bustamante added.

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SBMA to release P93.7-million LGU revenue shares for 1st sem 2014

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is set to release a total of P93.7-million in revenue shares to local government units (LGUs) adjacent to and affected by the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said the funds would be available for the eight adjacent and affected LGUs starting August 4.

The amount to be released consists of P87.32 million in shares for the first semester of 2014 and P6.38-million in the 10-per cent retention share for the first semester of 2012.

“This is part of our commitment to our neighboring LGUs to spur development in the local communities
and help achieve President Aquino's goal of inclusive growth,” Garcia said, adding that the amount is 26 per cent higher than the P74.5 million released in the same period last year.

The SBMA also released last February a total of P81.3 million in revenue shares for the second half of 2013.

For this period, Olongapo City will again receive the biggest share of P22.7 million, while Subic, Zambales will get P14 million; Dinalupihan, Bataan, P11.8 million; San Marcelino, Zambales, P11.3 million; Hermosa, Bataan, P9.6 million; San Antonio, Zambales, P8.3 million; Morong, Bataan, P8.1 million; and Castillejos, Zambales, P8 million.

The LGU shares come from part of the five percent corporate taxes paid by Subic Bay Freeport-registered enterprises, of which two per cent goes directly to the SBMA treasury while the other three goes to the national coffers through the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The direct payment scheme was initiated by the SBMA some four years ago to hasten the release of LGU shares, which aim to augment LGU funds for developments projects on health, education, peace and order, and livelihood generation programs.

The LGU share is determined according to the following criteria: population, 50 percent; land area, 25 percent; and equal sharing, 25 percent. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBITC waives port fees for ships bringing empty containers to Subic

Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has agreed to waive any port fees including stevedoring on all shipping lines bringing their empty containers to Subic port.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said that starting August 10, container empties will be transferred to Subic Bay’s new container terminals 1 and 2.

International shipping lines and port operators have agreed to send empty containers piling up at Manila ports to Subic port and in order to ease congestion brought about by the Manila truck ban.

Association of International Shipping Lines (AISL) President Patrick Ronas said as of July 11, there were 11,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) empty containers at Manila ports, down 21% from 14,000 TEUs recorded on July 7.

PPA said foreign shipping lines agreed to send “sweepers” to the Port of Manila to ship out empties to Subic Bay port following a July 7 meeting attended by representatives of the Bureau of Customs, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), port operators ICTSI and Asian Terminals, Inc, AISL and Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP).

PPA said all parties are looking at directly sending container empties originating from north of Manila to Subic instead of bringing them to Manila then sending them back to Subic via the sweepers.

Approximately 30% of cargoes passing through Manila ports are northbound. PPA said CTAP agreed to come out with a “favorable fare matrix” for this scheme. The transportation of container vans via trucks is on account of importers, which are clients of truckers.

PPA said for southbound cargoes such as Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, empty containers will be directly transported to Batangas Port. On the other hand, empties to and from Cavite will be transported back to neighboring Manila.

For exporters needing boxes for shipments out of Manila, they can secure containers stored in Batangas or Subic.

Aside from Subic and Batangas as temporary empty container depots, PPA is also looking at tapping a 21-hectare property of ICTSI in Cabuyao, Laguna as depository for empties.

The PPA expects yard utilization at Manila ports will normalize within a month’s time if all agencies acted their part. (Edu Lopez, Manila Bulletin)

http://www.mb.com.ph/sbitc-waives-port-fees-for-ships-bringing-empty-containers-to-subic/

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SBMA Fire & Rescue Team in Bulacan blaze (photos)

Members of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Fire and Rescue Team apply aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to put out a raging 10-hour fire that gutted a plastics factory in Meycauayan, Bulacan on Tuesday, July 22. The SBMA Fire and Rescue Team had received various citations for their volunteer work, including the prestigious Gawad Kalasag Awards in 2009 and 2013. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

Members of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Fire and Rescue Team gather together after helping to put out a raging 10-hour fire that gutted a plastics factory in Meycauayan, Bulacan on Tuesday, July 22. The SBMA Fire and Rescue Team had received various citations for their volunteer work, including the prestigious Gawad Kalasag Awards in 2009 and 2013. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA H1 earnings increased by 62% to P738M

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has recorded an increase of 62 per cent in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) during the first semester this year.

This was announced by SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, who also cited the added flexibility in the agency’s financial program as a result of its efforts to increase its earnings.

“Our EBITDA increased by 62 per cent - from P454 million in the first semester last year to P738 million in the same period this year,” Garcia said in a recent press briefing.

“This gives SBMA the desired spending power and fiscal flexibility to manage its various financial obligations,” he added.

Garcia explained that this year’s first semester earnings of P738 million was derived from a total of P1.2-billion in operating revenue, less the P461-million total in operating expenses.

He added that the increase in EBITDA can be attributed to a 27 per cent increase in total operating revenues and a 6 per cent decrease in total operating expenses.

According to a report from the SBMA Finance Group, the Subic authority posted operating revenues of P627,319,504.39 from leases; P380,800,701.72 from port services; P8,277,995.15 from tourism services; and P182,220,722.83 from other operating incomes.

On the other hand, the agency incurred operating expenses of P194,216,593.46 in manpower; P80,823,616.77 in bad debts; P43,504,924.73 in power; P17,459,000.74 in supplies, materials and fuel; P3,584,204.33 in water; and P121,145,435.64 in other operating expenses.

Records from the SBMA Accounting Department also revealed that the agency’s net income after tax to-date amounted to P322 million.

In 2013, the SBMA shattered its all-time record after posting P1.2 billion in net profit, along with the highest gross revenue of P2.1 billion and the highest EBITDA of P992 million in the 21-year history of the Subic institution.

The present SBMA administration headed by Garcia has been largely credited for turning around the agency’s financial standing from several years of non-profitability to attaining record earnings starting 2012.

Garcia said the SBMA is now committed to further improving its financial condition to develop facilities here and attract more investments in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO: SBMA Administration Building 229

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Clean-up after typhoon Glenda (photos)

Members of the 2013 ​and 2009 ​Gawad Kalasag Award​ee ​SBMA Fire and Rescue Team, along with utility workers, cut a huge fallen tree into pieces to clear the road​ and facilitate the restoration of power supply​ after Typhoon Glenda cut a swath of destruction in the Subic Bay Freeport as it exited the country on Wednesday last week. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Bay ports to be used as temporary container depots starting August 10

MANILA - Foreign shipping lines will soon be sending sweepers to the Port of Manila, composed of the Manila International Container Terminal and the Manila South Harbor, to ship out the empty containers to Subic Bay.

This setup was agreed upon in the cluster meeting on the Manila Port Congestion presided by Philippine Port Authority (PPA) General Manager Juan Sta. Ana.

It was attended by the Bureau of Customs, the Association of International Shipping Lines, ICTSI, Asian Terminals, Inc., the Trade Industry, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, among others.

According to the PPA, the move was to help reduce the number of empty containers piling up at the ports of Manila, which have been a major contributor to the Port's congestion worsened by the day-time truck ban.

In turn, Subic Bay International Terminal, Corp. (SBITC) and mother firm International Container Terminal Services, Inc., operators of Subic’s New Container Terminals 1 and 2, will not levy any port fee.

This includes arrastre and stevedoring, to all shipping lines that will bring their empties to these ports.

To give ample time for both parties to iron out the kinks of the process, both the foreign shipping lines and ICTSI agreed to start the process tentatively for August 10.

Meanwhile, instead of bringing it back to Manila and sending it to Subic via the sweepers, all parties are also eyeing at directly sending boxes bound for North of Manila to Subic once the consignees empties the containers.

Approximately 30 percent of cargoes passing through the Manila ports are northbound.

The Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines has agreed to come out with a favorable fare matrix for this alternative as shipping of containers via trucks will be in the account of the importers.

For Southbound cargoes, particularly those for Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, empty containers will be directly transported to Batangas Port while empties to and from Cavite will be transported back to Manila with other empties that will be pick-up immediately by the shipping lines.

Port rates, on the other hand, will be levied with an obscene discount.

For exporters needing boxes for shipments that will be ship-out via Manila can get boxes in Batangas or Subic before it will be transported to Manila.

As of the moment, there are about 17,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) empty containers occupying spaces at the Ports of Manila. Once shipped out of Manila congestion will greatly be reduced.

Containers are owned by the shipping lines. Shipping out these boxes from ports is the sole decision of the carriers. (PNA)

PHOTO: The New Container Terminal 1 (NCT 1) in Subic Bay Freeport Zone

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Phil’s Subic Shipyard holds a naming ceremony for five container carriers at the same time

HHIC-Phil’s Subic Shipyard made history again in the world’s shipbuilding industry by holding a naming ceremony for five vessels at the same time, the company said in its press release.

Around the globe, it is very rare to hold a naming ceremony for five vessels at a time. In Korea, a large shipyard once held a naming ceremony for four ships at the same time. In fact, Hyundai Heavy Industries set the world record by holding a naming ceremony for five vessels at a time in March.

HHIC-Phil’s Subic Shipyard finally held a naming ceremony for five vessels at the same time for the second time in the world and for the first time in the Philippines.

The five vessels are eco-friendly 5,400TEU container carriers ordered by the global investor ‘Oaktree Capital Management’. They were named ‘Wide Alpha’, ‘Wide Bravo’, ‘Wide Charlie’, ‘Wide Delta’ and ‘Wide Echo’.

The naming ceremony was held with the attendance of nearly 200 related officials and investors including Ahn Jin-gyu, President of Subic Shipyard, and Andrea Cramer, Vice President of Oaktree. At the ceremony, President Ahn said, “We are very pleased to go with renowned investors such as Oaktree.” He added, “We are going to keep moving forward to enhance our competence and maximize customer satisfaction with high-tech, environment-friendly vessels”.

HHIC-Phil’s Subic Shipyard is a large-scale shipyard built in the Subic Free Economic Zone (3,000,000㎡) in the Philippines in 2009. It has strengthened its ground as a leading exporter since its establishment through promotion of related industries, job creation and contribution to a local society.

In particular, it entered the world's top 10 for the first time last month, displaying a sharp growth. This year, it has already won the bids to build 300,000TEU Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and very large container ships (more than 10,000 TEU). The global shipbuilder has already booked enough advance orders for three years of production (approx. US 3.2 billion dollars, 50 ships).

An official from HHIC-Phil’s Subic Shipyard said, “Subic Shipyard targets to leap into the world’s leading shipbuilder by maximizing the efficiency of its production system through the establishment of a systematic two-track system which means that Subic Shipyard specializes in the production of large vessels and offshore plants while Yeongdo Dockyard focuses on mid-size and special-purpose vessels”. (PortNews)

http://en.portnews.ru/news/183631/

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Korean studes complete week-long outreach program in Subic Ayta community

Volunteer students and faculty coordinators from a university in South Korea ended a week-long outreach program in a tribal community inside this free port over the weekend, engaging in an exchange of cultural dance and music, and trying out traditional games with Ayta children.

The event provided the lighter side of a five-day immersion program at the Pastolan Ayta Village here that saw the foreign visitors repairing, repainting, and completing the tiled floor and electrical wiring of a day care center, as well as the roofing of the village’s multi-purpose hall.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia, who lent support to the project by coordinating with the Ayta leaders, said that a total of 44 student-volunteers and three faculty coordinators from Youngsan University (YSU) in Busan, South Korea, conducted the week-long cultural exchange and outreach program.

“This is the third time that Youngsan University volunteers visited Subic under their cultural exchange and outreach program,” Garcia noted.

Aside from fixing the day care center and the multi-purpose hall, the Koreans also replaced the basketball back boards at the community plaza with fiber glass, and concreted the pathway inside the local elementary school campus.

The Korean students also donated school supplies for Ayta schoolchildren, and taught them arts and crafts, as well as proper grooming.

The closing-day ceremony last Saturday turned out to be the most fun, as the visiting Koreans entertained the Ayta children with Korean songs, Gang-nam style dance, as well as taek-won do and drum exhibitions. The “party” was carried out under heavy rains.

Pastolan tribal chieftain Conrado Frenilla said the tribal community was “very happy” for the outreach program. “We really enjoyed their presence here,” he said.

Pastolan Elementary School principal Hilda Sayson said that the outreach program developed attachment among the Korean and the Ayta students, as they enjoyed each other’s company. Both the children and the volunteers alike were in tears as they hugged to bid goodbye.

“Although most of the Koreans cannot speak and understand English or Filipino, language was not a problem in understanding what the other was saying,” Sayson observed. “Apparently, friendship and the willingness to help overcame barriers of communication,” she added.

Meanwhile, in his letter to Garcia, YSU president Gu-Wuck Bu thanked the SBMA for the continuous support the agency has given to the university programs.

“With our partnership with the SBMA, Youngsan University teacher-coordinators and volunteer-students were able to donate school and community supplies, and render community services to indigent students,” Bu said.

Bu noted that aside from the community work undertaken at the Pastolan Ayta Village, his group also donated a total of 1,000 chairs for the Pastolan Elementary School, the Cabalan and the Columban elementary schools in Olongapo City; Payangan Elementary School, an Ayta community school in Dinalupihan, Bataan; and another school in Castillejos, Zambales. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
A student-volunteer from the Youngsan University in Seoul, South Korea, teaches origami or the art of paper-folding to an Ayta girl at the Pastolan Village, an indigenous tribal community inside the Subic Bay Freeport, during an outreach project coordinated by the SBMA Public Relations Department.

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Subic freeport colleges sign up for school-based PESOs

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the provincial government of Zambales recently inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GIS Institute of Technology, Mondrian Aura College, and College of Subic Montessori for the establishment of school-based Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs).

“Our newly-established school-based PESOs are the latest addition to our 17 existing school-based PESOs here in Zambales. Our partnership with these schools will further boost our campaign in ensuring that our programs and services will be more accessible to our incoming entrants to our labor force,” Vice Governor and Provincial PESO Manager Ramon Lacbain II said.

For her part, DOLE Regional Director Ana Dione commended the strong partnership of DOLE, PESOs, and participating schools in ensuring that programs and services are readily available for graduating students.

“Being the first province in the country with 100 percent PESOs institutionalized and a Secretary’s Award recipient, I thank and commend the dynamic tandem of Governor Hermogenes Ebdane and Vice Governor Lacbain for their endless efforts in pursuit to make our programs and services more reachable to our youths. I’d also like to thank the support and cooperation of our new school-based PESOs in partnering with us in this endeavor. Rest assured that we will extend the necessary assistance to ensure that we will be able to empower our youths and make them the prime movers in the region’s competitive labor force,” Dione said.

Under the MOU, DOLE and provincial PESO shall exercise administrative and technical supervision by developing, administering, and managing area-based or region-specific employment projects and services; recommend requirements for human resources, equipment, facilities and other necessary resources for the effective management and administration; maintain computerized regional registry of skills as well as employment and business opportunities for easy access of the clients; make the Phil-Jobnet accessible and free of charge and assist in its operationalization whether off-line or on-line; and regularly monitor and evaluate the performance of the school-based PESO.

The partner schools, on the other hand, shall commit its available resources in maintaining and improving various PESO services to their students and graduates; provide required necessary resources, facilities, staff and operating funds for the PESO including a focal person charged with the Phil-Jobnet operations; provide labor market information services to their students and graduates; provide referral and placement services both for local and overseas employment for their students and graduates; support, utilize, subscribe and advocate the use of the Phil-Job net for the registration of their graduates as well as a source of employment opportunities and making the system accessible to their students and graduates; provide the concerned local government unit a copy of their encoded registry of their graduates under the off-line feature of the Phil-Jobnet on a regular basis for integration to the Computerized National Manpower Registry of Skills ;and provide inputs/feedbacks for greater usefulness of the Phil-Jobnet as well as other PESO programs and services.

Prior to this, DOLE has established this year school-based PESOs in Wesleyan University in Aurora, Center for Research and Technology in Nueva Ecija, Holy Cross College in Pampanga, and Kolehiyo ng Subic in Zambales. (CLJD-PIA 3)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=561404627688

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SBMA, Singapore’s Interflour Group close $30-M investment deal

Singapore-based Interflour Group Pte Ltd. (Interflour), one of the producers of the finest flour in the world, will be building its Philippine mill in Subic as part of its expansion program to meet flour demand in Southeast Asia.

This developed as Interflour Managing Director and Chief Executive Greg Harvey, Subic Bay Gateway Park President Jeff Lin, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia signed a 50-year lease contract paving the way for the construction of the flour mill facility.

The event was witnessed by SBMA COO Joven Reyes, SBMA Deputy Administrator Joy Alvarado and SBMA Investment Manager Ronnie Yambao. Representing Interflour were Group COO Jack Joseph Cwach, Group Marketing Director Angel Umali, Group CFO Ma. Cristina Piguing, Group General Counsel Mark Neo, Mabuhay Interflour Mill Inc. (MIMI) Board Members Jesus Alcordo and Edgardo Gallo, and MIMI General Manager Vicente Magbanua.

Registered under the business name Mabuhay Interflour Mill Inc, the new flour mill is part of the US$30-million committed project investment of Interflour in Subic.

Garcia said the new Subic entrant is proof that the Philippines is “in the screen” of foreign investors who are encouraged by the trust and confidence earned by President Aquino’s good governance program.

The new flour mill will be constructed in a 52,852-sq.m. lot inside the Subic Bay Gateway Park. It is expected to be completed in 24 months’ time.

The company will engage in milling of wheat into food flour for direct sale to consumers, distributors and retailers in the domestic and for-export markets.

Garcia added that the project would provide bakeshops and entrepreneurs in the country with the highest quality flour in competitive or much lower price, as the cost of hauling and transporting flour to parts of Central and Northern Luzon will be cut by as much as fifty percent.

This will also mean additional revenue for SBMA of about P5.5 million a year, for the use of ports by transport ships coming from wheat-growing countries like Australia, United States, Canada, as well as Europe and the Black Sea countries.

For Interflour, Harvey noted that Interflour Group is one of the biggest flour milling companies in the world with seven flour mills located in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey. The combined wheat milling capacity of these mills is nearly 6,000 tons per day, which is equivalent to almost 1.5 million tons of flour produced each year.

He added that Interflour holds international certifications for its world-class technology, including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and a certification for producing Halal food products.

The proposed mill in Subic will be capable of producing 500 metric tons a day of flour. However, Interflour plans to expand its capacity with an additional 500 tons by 2019.

“The Philippines is an important market in Asia, with an estimated 25,000 bakeshops and with Gardenia as the largest. Interflour will be offering the finest flour for the local market, particularly in Central Luzon,” Harvey said. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia (center) signs a memorandum of agreement for the flour mill project with Interflour Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Greg Harvey (left) and SBDMC Inc. President Jeff Lin.

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