Government eyes Subic-Clark cargo railway system

The Department of Transportation will pursue a dedicated cargo railway line between Subic and Clark as part of reforms in the cargo sector that would help resolve the country's traffic crisis.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, who was guest speaker at an event Tuesday organized the World Trade Center in Metro Manila, revealed the Subic-Clark railway line as among his plans for the transportation sector.

Tugade said connecting Subic port to Clark via a railway for carrying cargo, which he said has President Duterte's approval "in principle," will also be able overcome trucking costs.

The transport chief also vowed to build a passenger train line linking Metro Manila and the Clark freeport zone in Pampanga, where the alternative gateway Clark International Airport is located. The train line would connect Clark to Metro Manila either in the Trinoma Shopping Mall in Quezon City or the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City, Tugade said.

These plans are among the campaign promises of President Duterte which form part of a massive effort to increase connectivity and cut road and air congestion via mass railway systems.

As part of a longer term goal, Tugade said all freight vehicles would travel around the country only via railway and roll-on/roll-off, or Ro-Ro, shipping systems, helping decongest roads.

Tugade said plans would still need to be studied by the National Economic and Development Authority, but it was the government’s intention to move swiftly. Tugade said his department would formalize plans within 90 days.

“The train will be there,” Tugade said.

Clark International Airport, despite excess capacity, has struggled to lure passengers due to the lack of mass transit options. By contrast, Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where expansion options are limited, is operating beyond its intended capacity.

The need for railway systems has been identified under previous administrations. The difficulty has been getting these projects off the ground, typically due to their complexity, high-cost and right-of-way issues. (Inquirer.net)

PHOTO:
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade

http://business.inquirer.net/212193/transport-chief-vows-train-line-to-clark

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Coast Guard continues patrol in disputed waters

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday it will continue patrolling in the West Philippine Sea following the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) favoring the Philippines’ case against China’s territorial claim to the disputed waters.

Coast Guard Spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said he has instructions on what action to take in the West Philippine Sea but for the meantime said the Coast Guard vessel BRP Pampanga will continue to patrol the area from Subic to Northern Luzon.

BRP Pampanga

Balilo said that although the vessel’s position far from the Scarborough Shoal, it is ideal that the BRP Pampanga is already at sea so it can immediately deploy once orders arrive.

Once the BRP Pampanga is deployed at the Scarborough Shoal, it will likely stay there for only a few days at a time, he said.

He recalled that when they went to the shoal in 2013, they stayed there with a vessel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for four days before another ship arrived.

“Vessels take turns at the Shoal every three to four days,” he said, adding that they have a smaller ship available for deployment.

He said that the Coast Guard has been conducting sovereignty patrols in the West Philippine Sea since 2013 but only covered 12 nautical miles as ordered by Coast Guard Rear Admiral William Melad.

“We have not been approaching Scarborough Shoal but BRP Pangasinan has been patrolling along the territorial waters. For national security reasons, Admiral Melad gave an order to not go beyond 12 nautical miles,” Balilo said. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos, Manila Bulletin)

http://www.mb.com.ph/coast-guard-continues-patrol-in-disputed-waters/

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SBMA continues private sector partnership for mangrove management

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has continued its partnership with the private sector in the restoration and management of mangrove forests in this free port, gaining more support this year for planting and clean-up projects, as well as public awareness campaigns.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the agency has again successfully tapped business locators in the Subic Freeport for sustaining its mangrove restoration program, which was launched by the SBMA Ecology Center early last year.

He said the companies that joined SBMA mangrove projects in the first half of 2016 were Asia International Auctioneers, Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Services, Chowking, Sankyo Denki Corp., and Anscor Swire.

The project participants since January also included the International School of Manila, international delegates to the Asia Forestry Week Convention, and SBMA employees.

“We’re evidently getting more support for this program,” Garcia said, pointing out that five business locators and two schools joined restoration projects last year.

“I believe that through our diligent information program, more and more stakeholders in the Freeport as well as other areas have come to appreciate the importance of mangroves not only in food production, but also in coastal protection and tourism,” the SBMA official added.

He said the project participants helped plant mangrove seedlings, clean mangrove areas and collect saplings, tag mangrove trees, construct seed plots and establish mangrove nurseries, donate nursery materials and equipment, and conduct lectures to local students.

According to Rhea Jane Mallari, senior forest management specialist at the SBMA Ecology Center, project participants have planted saplings at the Binictican, Malawaan and Maritan mangrove areas here.

Mallari said the SBMA mangrove reforestation program followed the natural zoning of species. Hence wildlings of the pototan, bungalon, and saging-saging species were planted at the Binictican site, bungalon wildlings at Malawaan, and nursery-propagated piagau and bakawang lalaki at Maritan.

Based on the Ecology Center’s monitoring, it was found out that nursery-raised seedlings had a higher survival rate compared to wildlings that were harvested from the planting sites.

The SBMA initiated the mangrove awareness and restoration campaign in early 2015 to increase public awareness on the importance of mangrove ecosystems; encourage stakeholder participation in mangrove management; protect and maintain the integrity of mangrove forests in the Subic Bay Freeport and ensure their sustainability; and attract research and ecologically-sound activities in the mangrove areas of Subic Bay. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and volunteers from business companies at the Subic Bay Freeport plant mangrove seedlings at the Triboa Mangrove Park during the Earth Day celebration in Subic Bay Freeport last April. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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PAL supports plan to move private aircraft out of NAIA to Sangley, Clark or Subic

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines over the weekend expressed support on the plans of the government to remove private jets parked at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

"We declare our full support to the new government's decision to move the operation of general aviation of general aviation out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to either Sangley, Clark, or Subic," Chairman and CEO Lucio Tan said in a statement.

Sought for clarification, PAL said that general aviation refers to privately owned aircraft, charter services, and all other related operations.

"This declaration of support includes moving out of NAIA my small fleet of private jets as gesture of compliance to the Department of Transportation initiative," Tan said.

The transportation department earlier announced plans to move out all private operations in NAIA, leaving the airport to purely commercial operations in efforts to decongest it.

"The move of the Department of Transporation will significantly decongest the NAIA which currently shared by general aviation operators and scheduled airlines," Tan said.

"Any measure to reduce air traffic congestion at NAIA will not only improve airlines' flight schedule reliability but also enhance passenger convenience," he added.

The PAL in April announced it has inked a purchase agreement with Airbus for the firm order of six A350 XWBs, plus six options.

The airline currently has more than 70 planes with flight services to 30 domestic, and over 40 international destinations. (ALG, GMA News)

PHOTO:
The Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA)

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/574030/money/companies/pal-supports-plan-to-move-private-aircraft-out-of-naia

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Toyota dealership to open in Subic

TY family-led conglomerate GT Capital Holdings Inc. has entered into a joint venture deal to set up Toyota car dealerships within the former US naval base, Subic Bay Freeport.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday, GT Capital said it had obtained the go-signal from the Securities and Exchange Commission to incorporate Toyota Subic Inc. (TSI).

TSI is a joint venture between GT Capital Auto Dealership Holdings Inc. (GTCAD), a newly incorporated and fully-owned subsidiary of GT Capital, and JBT Global Holdings Inc. GTCAD will own 55 percent of the new company while and JBT Global will own 45 percent.

JBT Global is the holding entity of businessman Jose B. Tan, a strategic partner of Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. – the automotive subsidiary of GT Capital – in Toyota San Fernando, which operates Toyota dealerships in Plaridel, Bulacan and Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City.

TSI, for its part, will operate future Toyota dealerships of the joint venture within the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). (Doris Dumlao-Abadilla, PDI)

http://business.inquirer.net/212030/gtcap-to-open-toyota-dealership-in-subic

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US Navy missile cruiser docks at Subic following WPS patrol

The USS Shiloh, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy, docked at this premier Freeport yesterday after conducting routine operations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The ship arrived here two days after the release of the United Nations (UN)-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that rejected China’s claims over much of the WPS.

The USS Shiloh was part of the group of the US Carrier Strike Group 5, including the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).

The patrolling US Navy fleet also included the USS Chancellorsville, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON), and aircrafts from Carrier Air Wing (CVW).

A report from the US Navy stated that the routine operations in the WPS are conducted to maintain and improve readiness and develop their cohesion as a strike group.

Meanwhile, the John C. Stennis Strike Group and the Carrier Strike Group-5 (CSG-5) conducted Dual Carrier operations.

According to the Rear Admiral John Alexander, commander of Task Force 70, the Dual Carrier operations is done to maintain interoperability between the ships and aircrafts.

He added that these forward-deployed ships are operating in the WPS to maintain the area “open for all to use.”

“The U.S. Navy has flown, sailed and operated throughout the Western Pacific in accordance with international law for over a century, and will continue to do so,” Alexander said. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

PHOTO:
The USS Shiloh, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy, is moored at the Alava Wharf of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone for a routine port call Thursday (July 14) morning. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

http://www.mb.com.ph/us-navy-missile-cruiser-docks-at-subic-following-wps-patrol/

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STATEMENT OF SBMA CHAIRMAN & ADMINISTRATOR ROBERTO V. GARCIA ON “FLOATING SHABU LAB” SEIZED OFF SUBIC BAY

This is to clarify that the suspected “floating shabu lab” raided by PNP operatives Monday night (July 11) was intercepted within the municipal waters of the town of Subic, and NOT within the secured waters of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority/Subic Bay Freeport.

The vessel was seized off the coast of Calapandayan in the municipality of Subic, Zambales

Further, please be informed that SBMA, through our Intelligence and Law Enforcement offices, has been closely coordinating with the PNP during the surveillance of the vessel in question.

We assure our community and the public at large that the SBMA is always alert in securing the waters of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone against sea-going vessels that may engage in illegal activities.

The SBMA will continue to fully cooperate with our national law enforcers as we actively pursue our government’s fight against drugs and criminality in our country.

-end of statement-

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Floating shabu lab seized off Subic, 4 HK nationals nabbed

Authorities seized Monday night a 50-meter Chinese fishing vessel-cum-floating shabu laboratory off the coast of Subic in Zambales, arrested four Hong Kong nationals and recovered half a kilo of shabu valued at P2.5 million.

This is the second time that a shabu floating laboratory was discovered in Philippine waters. The first one was in 2013.

Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) spokesman Supt. Enrico Rigor said they learned about the floating shabu lab after the arrest of a member of a drug syndicate and confirmed by tipsters.

“I believe this is the first time that we encountered this — a floating shabu laboratory. We are yet to determine how large the production but we believe that this ship is supplying a big portion of the shabu consumption in Luzon,” said Rigor.

The raid on the fishing vessel which was docked 30 minutes away from the Subic Bay port was pulled before midnight Monday.

“It’s a fishing vessel. But when it was boarded, there is no trace whatsoever that it is being used or was previously used for fishing,’ said Rigor.

PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa motored to the area, inspected the ship and confronted the four Hongkongese identified as Shu Fook Leung, 49; Kam Wah Kwok, 47; Wing Fai Lo, 42; and Kwok Tung Chan, 29. One of them is a chemist.

Rigor said the vessel is equipped with high-tech navigation equipment which includes a sonar capable of detecting approaching ships.

Senior Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro, AIDG director, said the K-9 dog of the Coast Guard sat down in one of the areas of the ship indicating traces of shabu inside.

Authorities seized a transparent plastic pack containing half-a-kilo of white substance suspected to be shabu and the hydrogenator which, according to sources is capable of manufacturing 25 kilos of shabu a day.

The travel record of the Hongkong nationals show that they arrived in the country by plane seven days ago. Kwok, according to Rigor had been to other countries, including Europe prior to his arrest.

“We believe that they are the chemists. They were there for the manufacturing of the shabu inside the vessel,” said Rigor.

Since May

Tipsters said the fishing boat has been in the area since May sailing in the areas of Ilocos, Cagayan and Subic area at least three times in the past months. Persons on speedboats and jet skis were also seen visiting the docked vessel.

Rigor said they are eyeing the possibility that the P1 billion worth of shabu which was dug up on a beach resort in Cagayan recently came from the fishing vessel. Cohorts may have already unloaded a shabu shipment when the AIDG operatives boarded the vessel which explains why they only seized a small amount of shabu.

Based on intelligence reports, Rigor said the vessel would get either finished product or raw ingredients in manufacturing shabu from China.

“It only takes two to three days to manufacture shabu. And this seems to be the safest for them to manufacture shabu in the sea,” said Rigor.

The Hong Kong nationals will be brought to the AIDG headquarters in Camp Crame and charged with violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act. The vessel is currently being guarded by the Coast Guard. ( Aaron B. Recuenco, with reports from Jonas Reyes, Franco G. Regala, Manila Bulletin and PNA)

PHOTO:
ON ALL FRONTS – What looks like an ordinary fishing vessel on the outside (left photo) is actually a floating shabu laboratory that was seized by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in an operation Monday in Subic Bay. PNP chief Director General Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa (Inset) confronts four Chinese nationals nabbed in the 50-meter vessel which was said to have ferried drug shipments to Zambales, the Ilocos, Cagayan, and Pangasinan. (Jonas Reyes, PNP-Public Information Office Photo/mb.com.ph)

http://www.mb.com.ph/floating-shabu-lab-seized-off-subic-4-hk-nationals-nabbed/

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Four-in-one aquathlon up at Subic Freeport

The quest for glory in the run-swim-run aquathlon format of multisport fires off Sept. 11 when the first Philippine Aquathlon Championship is held at the Camayan Beach Resort in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The 4-in-1 event’s race courses will be composed of a 2.5K run-1K swim-2.5K run in the Standard Distance, 1K run-600m swim-1K run (sprint) at the Camayan Beach Resort, Subic and the Ilanin Forest Reserve.

The event will have national championships for high-school level and college level participants, the Youth and Junior competition (athletes born in 2001 to 2002 will be considered for 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina), the Age-Group Para-Aquathlon (for athletes with disabilities) and Open Age Age-Groupers.

At stake in the event supported by Philippine Sports Commission, Camayan Beach Resort, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Tourism Department (SBMA-Tourism), Subic Holiday Villas, The Lighthouse Marina Resort, Standard Insurance, Gatorade, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines, RaceDay, SBR.ph, Multisport, Kikay Runner, SWIM and DZSR Sports Radio 918 are cash prizes worth P3,000, P2,000 and P1,000 plus medals for the Top 3 overall male/female winners, and medals for Top 3 winners of age categories as well as inter-school and para-aquathlon. The awarding ceremony will be held at Camayan Beach Resort at 9:30 a.m.

Registration is ongoing with early bird entry fees at P1,000 for Youth participants, P1,500 for Junior and individual age-group participants and P2,500 for the two-man relay until July 31.

Effective Aug. 31 entry fees will be P1,500, P2,000 and P3,000, respectively, for the various categories. Inclusive with entry fees are a swim cap, timing chip, event shirt, finisher’s medal and post-race meal.

Interested parties may call up the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) at tel. Nos. 710-8259 and 399-6598, email trap.aquathlon@gmail.com. (The Philippine Star)

TRAP logo c/o TRAP facebook page

http://www.philstar.com/sports/2016/07/11/1601727/four-one-aquathlon-subic-freeport

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Pakistani terror suspect arrested in Subic

A Pakistani fugitive wanted for terrorism was arrested Saturday night in a joint operation by law enforcers in Subic, according to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente.

Morente identified the man seized in Subic Bay Freeport Zone as Malik Muhammad Sharif alias Sharif Ahmad.

“The 39-year old Sharif, who was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, is wanted in Islamabad, Pakistan for double murder, attempted murder, terrorism and rioting. According to the Interpol Red Notice, subject carries a sentence of death penalty in Pakistan,” Morente said.

Elements from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Police helped the immigration agents, particularly the BI's Fugitive Search Unit, in their operation.

According to Morente, the operation, which was coordinated with the Anti-Terrorism Council, is part of the BI’s target-hardening campaign.

Morente earlier declared Friday, when he took office, that the bureau will focus on, among others, tighter border control, considering the intensifying, more frequent terrorist acts around the worldwide.

BI, stressed Morente, must “secure Philippine borders by shoring up border control, especially our anti-terrorism and anti-crime efforts, to guard against the entry of foreign terrorists or criminal elements who may want to hide in the country to escape prosecution in their home country, or who might try to engage in lawless activities.”

He gave assurances such violent elements "will not be able to make our country their safe haven.”

Sharif's arrest is just the start of the stepped-up campaign against lawless foreigners seeking to use the Philippines as sanctuary, Morente said. “More arrests will be done in the coming days and weeks, targeting not only fugitives from justice but also foreigners who are abusing their stay in the country by continuing to engage in unlawful activities or who continue to violate our Immigration laws.” (Jaime Sinapit, InterAksyon.com)

http://interaksyon.com/article/129880/pakistani-terror-suspect-arrested-in-subic

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SBMA cites robust Subic Freeport growth

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has successfully turned the country’s first free-port zone into a productive engine of growth, overperforming in the last four years in terms of revenue generation and remittances to the national treasury.

Figures released by the agency last week showed SBMA managed to reverse its dismal financial performance starting in 2012, when it posted a net income of P800 million, from a P1.1-billion loss the previous year and a negative record of P2.54 billion—the agency’s biggest beating—in 2008.

This was consistent with a gross income that started out at P200 million in 1993 a year after the establishment of the free port, then rising to P800 million in 1996; P1.54 billion in 2002; P1.57 billion in 2008; P1.63 billion in 2012; P2.44 billion in 2014; and P2.75 billion in 2015.

In terms of operating income, SBMA was “awash with cash” last year when it posted a P1.41-billion operating income, a far cry from the P329 million it worked with in 2011 following heavy losses in previous years.

SBMA was also able to reduce its total debt by 36 percent in the last five years, or from P10.39 billion in 2011 to P6.64 billion 2015.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, who presided over the agency’s financial turnaround in the last five years, said SBMA’s positive cash position has allowed it to undertake various infrastructure projects last year, including repairs of major roads here to the tune of P60 million.

“These are signs that SBMA is very healthy,” Garcia said in a recent news briefing. Meanwhile, the Subic agency further increased its contributions to the national economy by intensifying remittances in customs duties, taxes, dividends and shares to the national and local government units (LGUs).

Last year SBMA said it contributed a total of P19.3 billion to the national economy, broken down as P16.4 billion in collections by the Bureau of Customs (BOC); P1.73 billion in tax collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); P373 million in shares to the national government; P248 million in shares to neighboring LGUs; and P527 million in dividends to the national government.

This, as BIR collections here increased from P1.1 billion in 2011 to P1.73 billion in 2015, accounting for a 57.3-percent growth; while the BOC collections grew from P6.05 billion in 2011 to P16.4 billion in 2015 for a record-breaking 171-percent increase.

All in all, SBMA posted a 157-percent increase in various contributions to the national economy by increasing them from a total of P7.51 billion in 2011 to P19.32 billion in 2015, SBMA figures indicated.

With the unprecedented growth created in the last five years, the Subic Bay Freeport is now poised for more business and better income, Garcia said. He said Subic’s robust performance, current fiscal health and positive business outlook could be traced to the agency’s efforts in promoting transparency and good governance, aggressive marketing, as well as policies that fostered the protection of Subic’s natural environment.

“The only way for SBMA to go is up, and we can only expect better times,” Garcia confidently said in a statement.

“The Subic Bay Freeport is not only the first and largest free port in the country today; it is also the most progressive and the most successful,” Garcia said. (Henry Empeño, BusinessMirror)

PHOTO:
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Roberto V. Garcia in his recent the State of the Freeport Address (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/sbma-cites-robust-subic-freeport-growth/

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Subic volunteers plant 5,600 trees on Arbor Day

More than 1,300 volunteers planted about 5,600 seedlings of various fruit trees here in Subic Bay Freeport during the Arbor Day Celebration organized by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Friday, June 24.

Spearheaded by the SBMA Ecology Center, the tree-planting activity was conducted at the Pastolan Ayta village in this freeport.

The seedlings planted were mostly local species like cashew, calamansi, coconut, santol, pomelo, and kaong, which are endemic in the area and therefore beneficial even to local wildlife.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, who also joined the event, stressed that with the number of seedlings planted, about six orchards have been established that will soon provide additional sources of food and livelihood for the Ambala Ayta tribe living near the tree-planting sites.

Aside from SBMA employees, who made up the bulk of the volunteers, workers from locator-companies in the Subic Freeport, students, members of the Philippine Coast Guard, the local police, Boy Scouts, and some Olongapo officials joined the activity.

Most of the volunteers had earlier joined another SBMA activity during the Earth Day celebration last April that saw more than 500 representatives from various groups in the Subic community collecting talisay seedlings and mangrove saplings and planting them at the Apaliin Mangrove Trail at the former ​Naval ​Magazine area here.

Last Friday’s Arbor Day celebration started with a breakfast treat for participants at the SBMA administration building, followed by a hundred-vehicle motorcade to Pastolan village for the actual tree-planting.

Now celebrated worldwide, Arbor Day was founded in the Spanish village of Mondoñedo where the first arbor plantation festival in the world was documented in 1594. In 1805, another small Spanish village named Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.

Arbor Day in the Philippines was institutionalized in 1947 through Proclamation No. 30, which called for a nationwide observation of the event by planting trees and ornamental plants and other forms of relevant activities. In 2012, Republic Act 10176 was passed, which revived tree-planting activities “as yearly event for local government units.” (RAV-MPD/SBMA)

PHOTOS: (Clockwise from top left)

[1] SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia (left) receives an Apitong seedling from Senior Forester Edward Sernadilla during the kick-off ceremony for the Arbor Day celebration in the Subic Bay Freeport on Friday, June 24. The Apitong is among the endangered dipterocarp tree varieties listed as vanishing forest tree species, which will be propagated by the SBMA Ecology Center.

[2] Volunteers plant seedlings of fruit-bearing trees at the Pastolan Ayta village.

[3] Volunteers enjoy a “boodle fight” after planting fruit-bearing tree species at the Pastolan Ayta village.

[4] SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia (left) and other SBMA employees join Aeta tribal leaders Bonifacio Florentino and Conrado Frenilla in the Arbor Day tree-planting activity.

(AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic now most advanced logistics hub in Phl

The Subic Bay Freeport Zone is ready to accommodate rising demand in local and international trade with recent facility upgrades and enhanced logistics solutions, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said.

SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia said Subic’s facilities now stand as the most advanced of its type in the country.

Garcia said the freeport’s available services likewise give locators in Asia and around the world the perfect venue for exports and imports while offering dealers, institutions, and companies a stable and secure location to store and trade products.

“Some of the best-known and biggest freeports like those located in Geneva, Singapore and Luxembourg have effectively attracted investments from small, medium and large industries through seamless logistics solutions. These are the same solutions available now in Subic and we expect more and more companies to come here to take advantage of what we can offer them,” he said.

According to SBMA, freeports were originally intended only to provide space to store goods in transit, but this role soon evolved to include the complete conduct of trade and business both inside and outside the country.

With recent developments, SBMA said Subic Bay Freeport has emerged as the main logistics hub for business and industries in Northern and Central Luzon.

“We’ve consistently provided cost-effective logistics for foreign and local industries in Central and Northern Luzon. That is necessary for the country’s competitiveness so that we can attract more foreign direct investments and propel the Philippines towards continued growth. More than that, we want to provide the necessary support to all companies in the Philippines that need access to the rest of the world,” Garcia said.

Located in Olongapo, Zambales, the Subic Bay Freeport is the largest in the country and is supported by the Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), a subsidiary of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. which operates New Container Terminals 1 and 2.

SBITC has terminals with a combined area of 28 hectares and an annual capacity of 600,000 twenty-foot equivalent units or the total number of container vans ships can carry in the terminal.

SBITC’s New Container Terminals 1 and 2 have a combined 11.14-hectare container yard with a modern fleet of mobile container handling units for moving and hauling duties. (Richmond Mercurio, The Philippine Star)

PHOTO:

The New Container Terminal 1 (NCT1) in Subic Bay Freeport Zone (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/06/26/1596583/subic-now-most-advanced-logistics-hub-phl

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SBMA employees sign Integrity Pledge to stamp out corruption

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is confident of stamping out corruption in this premier free port, as officers and employees of the agency signed the Integrity Pledge to support the national campaign to eliminate graft and corruption.

Led by agency head Chairman Roberto Garcia, more than 1,000 senior officials and employees of the SBMA formally indicated their commitment to ethical business practices during a mass signing ceremony held at the start of the recent SBMA Mini-Olympics.

Garcia said that practicing good governance, such as eliminating red tape and undertaking transparent and faster transactions, goes a long way in promoting good business and building investor confidence.

“We have seen the fruits of good governance right here at the SBMA,” Garcia said, pointing out that with such practice SBMA was able to resurrect its finances from the brink of bankruptcy to become one of the top revenue contributors among the economic zones in the country.

Garcia said that the SBMA managed to remit a total of P572.9 million worth of dividends to the national government in 2015 after posting total revenue of P2.75 billion.

“Last year, we were ranked number 11 among all the government-owned or –controlled companies,” Garcia noted.

The Integrity Pledge is a document whereby an individual or company expresses commitment to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national campaign against graft and corruption.

Garcia signed the Integrity Pledge on behalf of the agency in June 2013 as a means to instill a culture of transparency and accountability in the Subic Bay Freeport.

The pledge is acknowledged to be an effective tool in preventing corruption in public contracting, as it stipulates rights and obligations to the effect that neither side will pay, offer, demand or accept bribes, collude with competitors to obtain contract; or engage in such abuses while executing the contract.

Garcia said that the SBMA has institutionalized the Integrity Pledge in the Subic Bay Freeport with the creation of a Code of Conduct for all employees and officials of SBMA, and encouraging stakeholders like business locators, suppliers, and the local government units surrounding the Freeport to sign the Integrity Pledge before any transaction is to be made.

The SBMA board has also passed a resolution recently making the Integrity Pledge a precondition to the renewal of business permits for all locators in the free port.

In January 2015, the SBMA sponsored a mass signing of the Integrity Pledge for more than 150 executives from various locators and investors here in Subic, making it the first Philippine free port to do so. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
SBMA employees sign the Integrity Pledge during a mass signing ceremony in support of the national campaign against graft and corruption. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic now key logistics hub for industries in Regions 1, 3

THE Subic Bay Freeport Zone is primed and ready to accommodate the increasing demands of both local and international trade by serving as the main logistics hub for business and industries based in northern and central Luzon.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) highlighted the free-port zone’s metamorphosis into one of the nation’s strategic gateways for international and local cargo shipping and handling, capabilities seen to boost efficiencies of business enterprises in Northern and Central Luzon provinces.

The free port is the largest in the Philippines and is supported by the Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), a subsidiary of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. , which operates New Container Terminals (NCT) 1 and 2. These terminals are dedicated to providing the most cost-effective logistics solutions for foreign and local industries and the burgeoning tourism industry.

While SBMA continued to deliver seamless service as a partner in providing international cargo shipping services for multinational companies here in the region over the past years, it has recently shown eagerness in providing services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This interest is caused by the increasing opportunities for businesses and industries to capitalize on the nation’s continuing economic growth, along with various well-established locators and entrepreneurs who want to operate at a much faster, more efficient and highly productive way.

SBITC President Roberto Locsin said, “A lot of developments are happening now in Subic that provide immense business opportunities for SMEs, especially in the northern and central Luzon regions. Companies looking to broaden their networks and connect with markets and suppliers anywhere in the country, or the world for that matter.”

The opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses have the definite potential to usher in logistical improvements in the country and provide a seamless transport of goods from Subic to other parts of the country. This would then spur much higher growth and make business operations more sustainable, allowing productivity improvements and other innovative solutions.

Originally, free ports were only intended to provide space to store goods in transit, but this role soon grew to include the complete conduct of trade and business both inside and outside the country.

Located in Olongapo, Zambales, the Subic Freeport allows for the rapid and highly efficient transfer of a wide range of export and import products and other valuable items. It offers efficient and effective logistic services, storage rooms and business solutions ranging from big-bulk item and small cargo transportation to providing access to fully managed exclusive industrial parks.

Subic’s port operator, SBITC, has terminals with a combined area of 28 hectares and an annual capacity of 600,000 20-foot equivalent units or the total number of container vans ships can carry in the terminal. SBITC’s NTC-1 and 2 have a combined 11.14-hectare container yard with a very modern fleet of mobile container-handling units for moving and hauling duties.

Subic Freeport terminals can be accessed via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and soon, through a planned new connector and bypass road running through Bataan and into other parts of Luzon.

SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia said Subic’s facilities stand as the most advanced of their type in the country. Its available services give all locators in Asia and around world the perfect venue for exports and imports while offering dealers, institutions, SMEs, and other companies an efficient, stable, and secure location to store and trade products.

Garcia said, “Some of the best-known and biggest freeports like those located in Geneva, Singapore, and Luxembourg have effectively attracted investments from small, medium, and large industries through seamless logistics solutions. These are the same solutions available now in Subic and we expect more and more companies to come here to take advantage of what we can offer them.”

Subic Bay Freeport has become an emerging trade hub in the Philippines with its roster of resident companies that directly ship their goods to the many different parts of the country. It also allows the export of locally made products and the provision of logistics support to companies that export their products abroad. Truly, this is an ideal situation not only for many well-established companies but also for SMEs that need to reliably get their products to their clients while getting access to the best supplies from around the world.

“We’ve consistently provided cost-effective logistics for foreign and local industries in Central and Northern Luzon. That is necessary for the country’s competitiveness so that we can attract more foreign direct investments and propel the Philippines towards continued growth. More than that, we want to provide the necessary support to all companies in the Philippines that need access to the rest of the world,” Garcia said, adding SBMA has been consistent in its efforts to push the participation and presence of SMEs in regional and global markets as part of the Freeport’s commitment to the goals of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC of 2015 on building inclusive growth in the region. (BusinessMirror)

PHOTO:
A cargo ship full of container vans leaves the New Container Terminal in the Subic Bay Freeport, as authorities project the Port of Subic to surpass its record-breaking performance last year with more cargo transshipment from nearby economic zones. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/subic-now-key-logistics-hub-for-industries-in-regions-1-3/

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