DOTr holds dry run to test Subic crew-change protocols

 The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday conducted a dry run in the point-to-point embarkation and debarkation of seafarers in preparation for the proposed activation of the Port of Subic as a crew-change hub.

The practice run held at the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) complex involved departure and arrival procedures at the former Hanjin ferry landing near the airport, using tugboats to transport the crew to and from ships at anchorage.

Meanwhile, the more complex arrival procedure was simulated at the Subic airport terminal where new arrivals would undergo the required swab test, have their documents processed at a one-stop-shop, and thereafter proceed to a mandatory quarantine facility.

In the test run, DOTr officials gave assurances on the safety of the procedures and said the crew-change protocols to be implemented here are the best practices in the maritime sector.

“The system we are implementing has incorporated lessons we have learned from earlier activities,” said Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson, who is DOTr assistant secretary for communications and commuter affairs.

“During the mass repatriation of seafarers from cruise ships, there were steps that have already been corrected to ensure that health will not be compromised – for the workers and the seafarers. To be able to check this, we have involved all parties, national and local government and agencies,” Vingson added.

 

The simulations on Friday were witnessed by representatives of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), local government units (LGUs) around the Subic Bay Freeport, and other agencies involved in the project.

Feedback from LGU representatives present in Friday’s dry run focused mostly on local workers who might be exposed to Covid-19 infection during crew-change operations, a concern raised earlier by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

Eisma said that Subic is willing to host the crew-change hub project, but stressed that safety measures should be in place in all phases of the project and that LGUs should be consulted in all aspects because workers who would man crew-change facilities will come from communities contiguous to Subic.

So far, Eisma said, the SBMA board of directors had only approved the first phase of the project, which involves the point-to-point embarkation of seafarers, pending local consensus on the second phase which involves the quarantine of arriving crewmen in hotels within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In the dry run, DOTr Undersecretary Raul Del Rosario, who is administrator of the Office for Transport Security (OTS), pointed out that the one-stop-shop system would not allow direct exposure between seafarers and processors who would be coming from the Bureau of Quarantine, and that no airport staff would be directly involved in the crew-change operation.

Regarding phase two, Del Rosario said the safety requirements of LGUs “can be met easily because they have already been included in the protocols.” 

“All hotel workers will be housed. They will be quarantined for 14 days before being allowed to go home,” he added.

Del Rosario also said that in order to ensure transparency of crew-change operations, LGUs will be represented in the one-stop-shop monitoring team, which will be given updates and reports on a regular basis.

The activation of Subic as crew-change hub is national government undertaking involving the DOTr as lead agency, and supported by the Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Interior and Local Government, the SBMA, and other government agencies. 

The project seeks to implement the so-called Philippine Green Lane to facilitate the speedy and safe travel of seafarers, including their safe and swift crew change during the Covid-19 pandemic.  (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1-] “Outbound seafarers” arrive at the Subic ferry landing for ship embarkation during a crew-change dry run conducted by the Department of Transportation at the Subic Bay Freeport on Friday, Aug. 14.

[2] “Outbound seafarers” ride a tugboat to embark on a ship during a crew-change dry run. 

[3] “Inbound seafarers” undergo swabbing and processing of documents. 

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SBMA moves to cancel work permit of Chinese Covid-19 patient

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it will cancel the special work permit given to a Chinese national who was recently confined in a hospital here for Covid-19 infection. 

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said she has ordered the agency’s Visa Processing Office to cancel the Special Subic-Clark Work Visa (SSCWV) given to the Chinese patient because the holder has already resigned from work effective May 31.

“We’re taking this action because once a foreign national is no longer connected with a Subic-registered company, the employer must request for a downgrading of the employee’s special work visa,” Eisma explained.

“But in this case, his former employer was not able to notify the SBMA because of the quarantine, so we have to set the record straight now,” Eisma added.

Eisma revealed that the said Chinese national was the same 29-year old male Chinese that the SBMA had announced on August 7 as the latest Covid-19 case among guests and transient workers in the Subic Bay Freeport.

The announcement stirred some concern in the Subic community because the entry of tourists into the Freeport has been prohibited under Covid-19 quarantine rules.

Eisma said, however, that the Chinese patient was classified as a tourist or visitor by contact-tracers after learning that he had checked into a local hotel last June 6.

“The contact-tracers learned he was not a resident or an employed worker in the Freeport, so he was classified as a tourist. In fact, he voluntarily had his swab samples taken on August 5 because he needed it in looking for a job,” Eisma added.

The SBMA official said that further investigation into the case of the Chinese patient revealed that he first arrived in the Philippines in November 2018 to work as a customer service representative for TeleEmpire, a POGO service company in this Freeport.

Records from the Bureau of Immigration, meanwhile, showed that he briefly left the country on Oct. 12 last year for a trip to China and came back three days later. The patient said he visited his family at his hometown in Guangzhou, a city northwest of Hong Kong.  

The Chinese national had declared that aside for the 2019 trip to China, he had not left the Subic Bay Freeport because he “had no friends outside of the zone.”

He said he had resigned from the company effective May 31 because he had intended to return to China. But after looking into the availability and cost of air travel back to China, he said he had decided to stay in Subic and find another job here until the pandemic is over.

On June 6, he left the TeleEmpire guest house in the Freeport and checked into a local hotel together with a roommate, also a Chinese national. 

SBMA records indicate that the Chinese first secured a Special Subic Clark Work Visa (SSCWV) in February 2019 and had it renewed last March for another special work permit valid until March 2, 2022.

However, Eisma said this must now be cancelled because the Chinese national is no longer in the employ of any Subic-registered company.

Eisma said the SBMA will apply the same measure against the patient’s roommate, who had similarly resigned from TeleEmpire and was also looking for work. 

The patient’s roommate, who also took the RT-PCR test in preparation for a new job, has tested negative of the Covid-19 virus. (MPD-SBMA)

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LNG ship-to-ship transfer resumes in Subic, but ship crew won’t disembark

 

Ship-to-ship transfer operations of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has resumed in Subic Bay with the arrival here of a tanker over the weekend, but the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the ship crew won’t be allowed to disembark due to health protocols observed in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency has made it clear that the officers and crew of LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, a tanker that will transfer her LNG cargo to smaller feeder ships, would remain on board all throughout the two-week operation. 

“No one from the ship can be allowed to come ashore, sadly not even the 16 Filipinos among the 31 crew members, because of the health measures we must observe,” Eisma said.

The same policy will be implemented for the crew members of feeder vessels that will transport the LNG cargo from LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth to ports in China, she added.

Eisma described the resumption of LNG ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations in Subic as a “welcome boost to the economy” but stressed that health safety should be a paramount concern for both ship and port personnel.

According to SBMA seaport manager Jerome Martinez, LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, which has a gross tonnage of 95,753 tons, has a carrying capacity of 142,800 cubic meters of liquid gas.

He said the Bermudan-flagged carrier originated from Qatar and dropped by at a Hong Kong port to pick up three mooring masters before proceeding to Subic.

The ship is expected to stay at anchor here until August 15 for STS operations.

Martinez also confirmed that no one among the crew would be allowed to disembark from the ship for any reason while it is in the Port of Subic.

He said that aside from the 16 Filipino crewmen, 15 other foreign nationals are on board the vessel. These include nine Greeks, two Croatians, two Ukrainians, a Romanian, and a Latvian.

Martinez also noted that upon arrival at the anchorage area outside of the bay, a team from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) immediately boarded the tanker for health inspections and safety protocols, and followed by a boarding party composed of personnel from the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and Bureau of Immigration (BoI).

Following LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, another LNG carrier, the Singaporean-flagged LNG/C Lerici, will also conduct ship-to-ship (STS) transfer in Subic.

Eisma said the same health and safety protocols will be imposed by Subic authorities for Lerici’s STS operation. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:  

The LNG carrier Methane Shirley Elisabeth

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SBMA warns vs travel, exposure to visitors

 Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma warned against travel to other places and accepting visitors from areas with raging new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections, as authorities noted a new surge in positive cases here and in nearby communities.

Eisma said on Thursday (July 23) that the Subic agency is now strictly monitoring the entry of persons from Metro Manila and other Covid-19 hot spots after three Subic residents, as well as eight Freeport guests so far, tested positive of the virus recently. 

“Our sentries manning the Freeport gates are now asking for ID’s and documents that would indicate the residence of visitors, and if they were from Manila or any other area with high Covid incidence, then they would have to present health certificates,” Eisma said.

“We are also asking residents in the Freeport to be conscientious about accepting visitors, especially those from MECQ or GCQ areas, as we have traced the recent cases to exposure to visitors or travel to certain Covid hot spots,” she added.

Eisma pointed out that there has not been any community transmission recorded in the Subic Freeport, which has strictly restricted entry since the Luzon-wide quarantine was imposed last March. “So these new cases can only be attributed to outside contacts. These are imported infections,” she added.

According to the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (SBMA-PHSD), a total of 11 confirmed cases have been recorded in the Subic Freeport just recently, after it was placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Among Freeport residents, the first case was that of a 22-year old female, who received a visitor from Manila; the second, a 42-year old male, who had travelled to Laguna; and the third, a 38-year old male, who had no history of travel but is suspected to have been exposed to a visitor.

Meanwhile, a total of eight guests had tested positive while staying at a house in the Freeport. These included two visitors from Quezon City; three from Subic, Zambales; one from Palauig, Zambales; and two from Olongapo City. 

Two of these infected guests reportedly left the Freeport for Manila even before their test results came out. The rest, who are all asymptomatic, remained here on quarantine and under close monitoring by health workers, the SBMA-PHSD said.

The latest local cases traced to travel outside the Freeport were those of five members of the SBMA security force, who are suspected to have been exposed while in Manila.

Eisma said three of these personnel had remained under quarantine in Manila, while one was admitted into a local hospital last Tuesday (July 21), and the other into an SBMA care and isolation facility, along with three members of his family whose RT-PCR tests also turned positive. 

All of their significant contacts had been traced and have been scheduled for swabbing, Eisma said.

She added that the five security personnel are suspected to have been infected by a co-worker while eating together as a group in Manila.

“So this should be a lesson that we cannot be complacent and take the Covid-19 infections for granted, and that we could have a false sense of security when we are with friends or associates. The truth is, we can never tell who is infectious because a lot of positives are asymptomatic,” Eisma stressed.

Communities near the Subic Bay Freeport have also reported new Covid-19 cases following the easing of travel restrictions when they were placed under MGCQ. 

Zambales, which has recorded a total of 45 confirmed cases, reported five new ones on Thursday, July 23. Three had history of travel to Manila, one to Bulacan, and another to Quezon City.

Olongapo City, which has reported a total of 23 confirmed cases, announced three more on Wednesday, July 22 — all related to a person with a history of travel to Manila. (MPD-SBMA) 

PHOTO:

A traffic enforcer checks motorists coming into the Subic Bay Freeport as part of border controls during the community quarantine.

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Subic tourism firms start transition to ‘new normal’

 Tourism-related businesses are coming back to life in this Freeport and are starting transition to the “new normal” after a long hiatus since March when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was imposed in Luzon to stem the spread of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Restaurants and food outlets are leading the way in rejuvenating the tourism scene here by opening their doors to the public, first with essential delivery service to clients, and lately with the much-awaited dine-in convenience, said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

“It’s a painful struggle bringing businesses back to life, especially when we know that Covid-19 has not really gone away, but the economy should reopen lest we find ourselves in a more unsustainable position,” Eisma said on Wednesday.

She said restaurants and other dine-in food outlets here are now allowed to open up to 75% of their capacity since Tuesday (July 21) under DTI Memorandum Circular 20-39, but the SBMA insists on safety protocols like social distancing, disinfection, thermal scans, as well as wearing of mask among patrons.

“These are things that may be inconvenient, but which businesses and other stakeholders here have to abide with. We have to adopt certain measures to protect ourselves and our community, and to continue living. That’s the new normal in Subic,” Eisma added.

The SBMA Business and Investment Group said it has allowed 44 restaurants and food outlets to offer dine-in services at 30% of their capacity since Subic eased down to general community quarantine (GCQ) in June 1, and then to 50% when restrictions were further relaxed under modified GCQ a month after.

Now, these establishments find that transiting to the new normal also required them to work their way up in attracting customers. And that included setting up foot baths, thermal scanners, and alcohol dispensers for the public.

S&R Pizza manager Dennis Marasigan recalled that during the first time they opened their outlet under GCQ, it was only for take-outs and deliveries, with only 30% of their full workforce able to work.

“When the Subic Bay Freeport shifted to MGCQ, we started accepting dine-in customers, but we have to implement stricter safety protocols to ensure that they will have a safer dine-in experience,” he added.

Right now, Marasigan said, tables at the S&R outlet at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall here have X markings to tell customers where not to sit. And while customers can enjoy eating in groups, they still can’t be seated face-to-face. 

Elsewhere in the Freeport, Rali’s Restaurant and Magic Lagoon Bistro also have to observe health protocols, even when al fresco dining areas like them do not have the “3 C’s” where Covid-19 is said to spread more easily: confined space, crowded place, and close-contact setting.

At Rali’s, registration for contact-tracing, which is required in all dine-in establishments in Subic, is also done digitally to further ensure customer protection, said owner-chef Rubelh Peralta.  Placing orders, as well as paying, can also be done online here.

However, while restaurants, retail shops, and hotels are coming back on track, Subic’s iconic tourism attraction Zoobic Safari theme park is still awaiting advisory to open up. 

Zoobic chief operating officer May Gamir said that the popular animal theme park here had recently introduced a buy-one, take-one promo for admission tickets with no expiry in order to raise funds needed in feeding the animals and maintaining the park. 

Each ticket will admit two people for the price of one and valid for any day in the future when the theme park re-opens beyond the quarantine and under the “new normal”. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS: 

[1] A restaurant doorway sign reminds customer of health protocols at the Subic Bay Freeport

[2] A guard reminds mall-goers in the Subic Bay Freeport to practise social distancing

[3] Stanchions keep social-distancing among customers at a pizza restaurant in the Subic Bay Freeport

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SBMA reiterates safety protocols as SBFZ posts first Covid positives

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) repeated its call for the strict observance of health safety measures in this Freeport after it recorded the first positive cases of Covid-19 infection here on Tuesday.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon that two residents of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone had contracted the virus, breaking the Covid-free status that Subic had zealously maintained in the last four months of the quarantine.

By Tuesday night, however, six more cases were known, as results from the SBMA-Red Cross testing laboratory came in, Eisma said.

“While there has been no recorded local transmission of Covid-19 in the Freeport, we have now two residents who have tested positive of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the infection,” Eisma said in the statement.

She disclosed that the first patient, a 22-year old female, had a visitor from Manila recently, while the second patient, a 42-year old male, works in Laguna and simply comes back to Subic on weekends.

“Both are asymptomatic and in self-quarantine pending their transfer to an isolation and care facility,” she added.

On the other hand, Eisma said the six other cases “are just visitors in the Freeport, who were tested at the SBMA-PRC testing facility.” Two had reportedly left the Freeport before their swab test results came out, while the other four are being quarantined in Subic.

According to records, the six new cases are all female. The first two, aged 40 and 45, are residents of one address in Quezon City; the third is a 67-year old from Palauig, Zambales; while the rest, aged 46, 17 and 14, are all residents of one address in Subic, Zambales.

In the same statement, Eisma said that she had also gone into voluntary quarantine as a precautionary measure after attending the commissioning ceremony of BRP Jose Rizal, the country’s first missile frigate, here at the Alava Pier last Friday.

Eisma said she was informed that one of the Philippine Navy officials present in the ceremony had recently test positive of Covid-19.

Eisma noted that all the reported positive cases in Subic seemed to be imported, as six of them involved visitors to the Freeport while the first resident had a visitor from Manila and the other had history of travel to Laguna.

“So we’re confident that there is still no community transmission here in Subic and we want to keep it that way,” she added.

She said that the SBMA is doing all necessary contact tracing and other safety procedures like disinfection of public facilities and offices “to ensure the continued safety of all.”

“While this may be the price of economic revival when we have to open our gates to help heal the economy, it becomes clearer that our only road out of this crisis is eternal vigilance and mutual responsibility,” Eisma said in her statement.

“I reiterate my call for vigilance and strict adherence to established health and safety protocols,” Eisma also told Subic stakeholders. “We need your support now, more than ever, as we can overcome this pandemic only if we are stronger together.” (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS: 

[1-2] Members of the SBMA Fire Department disinfect facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport under the SBMA’s heightened Covid-19 response. (MPD-SBMA)

[3] Official statement of the SBMA posted over social media.

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Philippine Navy Commissions its First Ever Missile Frigate BRP Jose Rizal

The Philippine Navy commissioned its first ever guided missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), during a ceremony held Friday (July 10) at Alava Wharf, Subic Bay, Zambales.

The event was attended remotely via video (due to the pandemic) by Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte as guest of honor and the Philippine Navy’s flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo.

The commissioning ceremony should have taken place on June 19, date of the birthday of the ship’s namesake Dr. Jose Rizal. However, when the ship arrived in Subic on June 15, the crew of 65 had to quarantine for two weeks after one of its crew member tested positive for COVID-19. Following the quarantine, the frigate went through the final inspection before final acceptance.

The Philippine Navy announced earlier this week that BRP Jose Rizal will be participating in this year’s RIMPAC exercise along-side the U.S. Navy and 10 other nations. (NavalNews.com)

Read more--> https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/07/philippine-navy-commissions-its-first-ever-missile-frigate-brp-jose-rizal/

PH Navy starts ‘new era of dev’t’ with BRP Rizal: PRRD

MANILA – The commissioning of the BRP Jose Rizal, the country’s first missile-frigate, marks the start of the Philippine Navy‘s “new era of development and transformation,” President Rodrigo R. Duterte said Friday.

"Today is the beginning of a new era of development and transformation for our Philippine Navy as we witness the commissioning of (the) Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Jose Rizal,” Duterte said in a taped video message flashed on the screen during the handover, christening, commissioning, and blessing of the frigate at the Alava Wharf in Subic Bay, Zambales.

The BRP Jose Rizal, a multi-role frigate built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, is capable of conducting anti-air warfare, anti-surface war, anti-submarine warfare, and electronic warfare operations.

The President expressed optimism that with the BRP Jose Rizal, the Philippine Navy would be more motivated to serve the country.

“I convey my deepest gratitude and appreciation to (the) Philippine Navy for always delivering the highest standard of service to our country and our people,” he said. “I am hopeful that you shall likewise be doubling the passion and commitment you have already manifested in ensuring the peace and progress truly deserved by our country.”

The procurement of the frigate was signed in 2016, along with another frigate, the BRP Antonio Luna that was launched in November 2019.

Read more --> https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1108655

PHOTOS:

[1-2] The Philippine Navy commissioned its first ever guided missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) in ceremonies held at the Alava Wharf, Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (MPD-SBMA)

[3] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma attends the commissioning by the Philippine Navy of the BRP Jose Rizal in Subic Bay Freeport. Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines Maj. Gen. Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana (3rd right) leads the commissioning ceremony while being accompanied by PAF chief Lieutenant General Allen T. Paredes, Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Italia Gapay, SBMA chief Eisma, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., and Philippine Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Jamero Bacordo. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA extends grace period for rents, business fees

Business locators in this Freeport received yet another relief from the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown when the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) extended the suspension of rentals and other payments due since the start of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA board of directors passed a resolution on June 30 that gave a 119-day grace period for the collection of all due accounts, thereby moving the payment date for such collectibles to October 28.

The extended suspension period covered the March to September 2020 billings for lease rentals, common use services area fees, port charges, garbage collection fees, sublease shares, and gross revenue shares.

Eisma said the measure took off from Memorandum Circular 20-29 of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which provided for a minimum 30-day grace period for the cumulative amount of residential and commercial rents that fell due during the quarantine.

“But to better assist the businesses here in Subic, the SBMA opted for a longer time when payments could be deferred to give the local businesses enough time to recover,” Eisma explained on Tuesday.

“This is actually the third extension we granted since the ECQ was imposed last March,” Eisma pointed out. “There is really a need to cushion the impact of the lockdown and provide economic relief to Subic stakeholders in support of RA 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” she added.

Under the approved measure, the SBMA management also allowed amortized payments of all the unpaid billings from March to September 2020 in six monthly installments, or from October 2020 to March 2021.

Said billings will not earn any interest or penalty until March next year if the installment is completed, Eisma added.

Those who will benefit from the payment grace period include business locators leasing lands, buildings and other infrastructure from the SBMA, and residents paying lease on a monthly basis.

Eisma added that while sub-lessees are not covered by the suspension because only sub-lessors have contracts with the SBMA, the latter are encouraged to extend the same benefit to their tenants.

The SBMA official also clarified, however, that the regular policy on credit and collection applies to billings issued prior to the March ECQ, although interest and other charges are waived for such billings for the period July 1 to October 27, 2020.

Interests and other penalties will also be applied to installments that were not paid on time, and all unpaid bills by the end of the October 27 grace period will start earning interests, charges, and penalties the following day, Eisma added.

According to SBMA deputy administrator for finance Dea Sanqui, those who want to avail of the six-month installment scheme would have to apply by filling out a pro-forma promissory letter addressed to the SBMA chairman and administrator not later than September 30, 2020.

Companies availing of the installment scheme should attach a Secretary’s Certificate authorizing the signatory of the promissory note. Application forms may be obtained by sending an email to accounting@sbma.com, treasury@sbma.com, or oda.finance@sbma.com or from the account offices assigned to companies registered in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Sanqui said the SBMA Treasury Department will compute and determine the schedule of the six monthly installments and will notify the applicants before payment date. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma addresses business concerns during a meeting with representatives of Subic Bay Freeport locators at the start of the ECQ in March. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Freeport Covid-19 testing center now open to public

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, which is considered the gold standard in the accurate diagnosis of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19), is now available to residents in the Subic Bay Freeport area and neighboring communities.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the public may now avail of RT-PCR testing here even as employees of the Subic agency undergo testing on a staggered schedule.

“We are now close to completing the testing of SBMA frontline workers, and so we are calling on business locators and other stakeholders in Subic to get their frontliners tested, too, and for residents from nearby areas to also avail of RT-PCR for their peace of mind now that testing is conveniently available here in Subic,” Eisma said.

“The 3T’s — testing, tracing, and treating — is still the best way to beat Covid-19 and to keep our community safe and conducive to business,” she added.

The testing center, which was established jointly by the SBMA and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), is located at the former Wimpy's Restaurant near the Freeport main gate and is manned by technicians trained on taking swab samples.
Under the RT-PCR test, actual swabs from the nose or throat of patients are used to determine the actual presence of the coronavirus and if a person is currently infected.

The swab samples are then forwarded for analysis at the Red Cross molecular laboratory in Subic’s Naval Magazine area, which is capable of doing 2,000 tests daily.

Eisma said that to avail of the test, interested parties may register via email at swabtest.sbmaprc@gmail.com and pay a testing fee of P4,000 through any of the following bank accounts: Philippine Red Cross, Account No. 151-7-151524342 at Metrobank (Port Area Manila Branch), or Philippine Red Cross, Account No. 00-453-0190938 at Banco de Oro (Port Area Manila Branch).

Then applicants would have to email proof of payment (scanned or screenshot) along with applicants’ name to treasury.office4@redcross.org.ph, forms@redcross.org.ph, and swbtest.sbmaprc@gmail.com.

Following verification of payment, the confirmed testing schedule will be emailed to the applicants who should report at the SBMA-PRC Swabbing Facility on the scheduled testing date.

Eisma said that results of the RT-PCR Covid-19 test will be available in four days.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross announced on Sunday the launching of a COVID Samaritan program to ensure that poor people who could not afford the Covid-19 testing fees could get tested.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, PRC chairman and CEO, reiterated the need to ramp up testing to ensure victory over Covid-19 and added that the COVID Samaritan program would help those who could not afford the testing fee with funds donated for the program.

“Kailangan ma-test ang mga tao para manalo tayo laban sa Covid. This way, carriers can be separated from those who are not infected and they can be cured. At maaari na ring makabalik sa trabaho kapag na-test. Kaya sinimulan namin ang programang ito para pati ‘yung mga hindi kayang magbayad, maaaring makapagpa-test,” he said.

Gordon disclosed that the Automobile Association of the Philippines has donated €50,000 or almost P2.8-million for the COVID Samaritan program. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Workers pass by the SBMA-PRC Swabbing Facility near the Subic Bay Freeport main gate. SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma has urged Subic stakeholders and residents from nearby communities to avail of RT-PCR testing services offered at the facility. (MPD-SBMA)

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Covid-19 testing center opens in Subic Bay Freeport

A molecular laboratory capable of doing 2,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests daily has formally opened in the Subic Bay Freeport under a joint project between the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Senator Richard Gordon, who is PRC chairman, inspected the laboratory last Friday, along with SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and CEO Vince Dizon, who has been designated deputy chief implementer of the government’s Covid-19 response.

“The Subic lab is already open. We need to have the employees of SBMA tested first, then those of the locators, and then the public in Olongapo Zambales and Bataan,” Gordon said in a media briefing after the inspection.

“Our aim is to get our people tested so that we can immediately isolate those who are affected and prevent the non-carriers from acquiring the virus. We really have to ramp up testing to ensure victory over Covid,” he added.

PRC’s Subic laboratory located at the former naval magazine area here will be working in tandem with the SBMA’s swabbing center, which is strategically located at the Freeport main gate.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA will assign up to 15 swabbers in the facility to accommodate samples from nearby communities and provinces.

“Zambales is already sending swab samples for testing at the PRC labs in Manila. Now, Subic offers a nearer alternative that would also hasten the process and make the results available earlier,” she said.

Eisma explained that she has already enjoined neighboring local government units in Zambales and Bataan to have their residents tested in conjunction with the PRC-SBMA mass-testing project.

The Red Cross testing facility in the Freeport is equipped with an automated RNA extraction machine that can run 90 samples per hour, and two PCR machines that can each process 1,000 samples a day for a daily turnout of 2,000 tests.

Application for testing will be screened and processed through the Red Cross hotline 1158, and will cost P3,500 per test. Gordon said the minimal cost will defray the costs of equipment, manpower and supplies, and other overhead needed for the mass testing program.

Gordon said the PRC laboratory in Subic, combined with a similar laboratory that PRC had set up with the BCDA at the Clark Freeport Zone, will help step up the government’s mass testing program.

“We can do a total of 4,000 tests per day in the two new facilities, which will enable us to run an overall total of 16,000 tests a day,” Gordon said.

He said that as more laboratories are being prepared, the Red Cross will be able to increase its overall capacity to 32,000 tests a day by next week.

Aside from the testing laboratory and the swabbing center, the Subic Bay Freeport is also home to two Covid-19 care and isolation facilities that the SBMA has set up at the Subic Gym and the former Leciel Hotel.

Eisma said these projects had been put up with the help of donations from investor companies in the Subic Freeport and other private groups and individuals from all over the country. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
[1] Sen. Richard Gordon and SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma inspect the PRC molecular laboratory on Friday. The PRC lab has the capacity to complete 2,000 tests daily.

[2] Sen. Richard Gordon observes how a medical technician takes a swab sample at the SBMA swabbing center on Friday

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SBMA grants another 30-day extension for business permits

Another 30-day extension has been granted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to business locators here whose company registration had expired since the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March.

According to SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Kenneth Lemuel Rementilla, the SBMA will extend the validity of the Certificate of Registration (CR) and Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption (CRTE) until July 13 to give business locators enough time to renew their permits.

The extension has been approved by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma upon the recommendation of Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment Renato W. Lee.

Rementilla said the latest extension from the SBMA effectively granted a 120-day validity extension for business registrations since the Subic Bay Freeport operated under quarantine rules starting March 17.

He said that during a referendum on March 20, the SBMA board of directors initially approved to grant a 30-day reprieve to Subic Bay Freeport enterprises whose registration would have expired within the ECQ period, or from March 17 to May 13, as well as to those whose CR or CRTE expired prior to the ECQ but had already applied for renewal before March 17.

This extension also applied to sub-lessees whose sublease would have expired during the said ECQ period, provided that no protest was received from the sub-lessor during the extended period, Rementilla added.

Following the initial extension, Chairman Eisma, who was authorized by the SBMA board to further extend the validity as needed and pursuant to national government directives, first granted an extension until June 13.

“In view of the continuing community quarantine imposed in the Subic Bay Freeport, Chairman Eisma further extended the validity of the CRs and CRTEs of Subic Bay Freeport locators until July 13, 2020,” Rementilla said.

Prior to this, the SBMA also further suspended the collection of penalties and other fees from business locators and residents until the end of June to help ease economic difficulties during the pandemic.

The extension covered penalties on late payment of billings, fees on deferment of deposit for maturing post-dated checks, and due dates covering payment schemes with deed of undertaking, which were all initially suspended from March to May 2020.

The SBMA had similarly granted a validity extension for the IDs and access passes of SBF workers until June 30 and allowed the renewal until July 31 of vehicle decals with one-year validity issued in 2019. (MPD-SBMA)

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Bio-molecular labs in Subic, Clark to open this week

Philippine Red Cross Chairman and CEO Senator Richard Gordon on Sunday said two bio-molecular laboratories in Subic and Clark will open within the week to boost the PRC’s testing capacity amid the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country.

In a statement, Gordon said the two laboratories passed the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine’s proficiency test on Friday and were accredited as certified COVID-19 testing centers.

The Subic laboratory, which is located at the PRC Logistics and Training Center inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and the Clark laboratory, which is located at Clark Freeport Zone, are capable of running up to 2,000 tests per day.

“This is a very welcome development. We can do a total of 4,000 tests per day in the two new facilities, which will enable us to run an overall total of 16,000 tests a day. And with the hotel capabilities of both Subic and Clark, repatriation flights for overseas Filipino workers can now be directed to the airports in the two cities,” Gordon said.

Aside from the facilities in Subic and Clark, he said the PRC will open up eight other testing centers in Batangas, Laguna, Mandaue City, Isabela, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga City, Bacolod City, and Surigao.

The PRC will also add ten more PCRs in the Port Area molecular lab, which will enable the agency to conduct a total of 46,000 tests per day.

“According to the WHO (World Health Organization), we have to test 13 percent of the population so we can determine the disease’s positivity rate. For Metro Manila, alone, that would be 1.7-million and it would take ten months or 308 days to test 13 percent of its population at 46,000 tests a day. So we really have to ramp up testing to ensure victory over COVID,” Gordon said.

So far, the Philippines recorded 25,392 cases of COVID-19, including 1,074 deaths and 5,706 recoveries. (Ma. Angelica Garcia, DVM, GMA News)

PHOTO:

The Subic laboratory is located at the PRC Logistics and Training Center inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/742575/bio-molecular-labs-in-subic-clark-to-open-this-week/story/

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Subic firms retrench workers due to Covid-19 losses

At least 20 companies in this Freeport have implemented retrenchment measures that affected workers because of financial difficulties brought about by the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

A report from the Labor Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) indicated that the affected companies applied cost-cutting measures like forced leave, compressed workweek schedules, or outright termination of workers since February when the Covid-19 outbreak began to hurt business activities worldwide.

The report showed that as of June 2, a total of 2,435 workers underwent forced leave while 124 others were bumped off by compressed workweek schedules because of low demand for company products, or due to lack of materials and supplies for production.

On the other hand, around 700 workers have been terminated from employment since mid-February due to financial losses suffered by their companies.

The companies with most number of terminated employees were computer device manufacturer Wistron Infocomm (Philippines) Corp., with 551 affected workers; theme park operator Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc., with 110; and importer Simon & Stanley International Trading & Development Co., with 74.

Wistron also placed hundreds of workers on forced leave in February and March before finally separating 551 employees last April.

Meanwhile, ship repair firm Subic Drydock Corporation (SDC) is scheduled to separate 52 employees on June 25 after implementing mandatory leave for 149 workers on May 1 to 15, the SBMA report showed.

Subic Drydock administrative manager Diana Ross Mazo said in a statement that the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) last March “forced the business to shut down for two months without revenue.”

Mazo said that despite the cancellation of project bookings, the SDC has recalled back to work 40 percent of its employees as the company reopened in a staggered fashion starting May 18.

“Over the next few weeks, SDC will gradually increase capacity in support of the ‘new norm’. However, based on careful review of our operation, we need to reduce manpower by separating some of our employees effective June 25,” she added.

Mazo said the company will abide by laws and regulations regarding the separation of workers and will provide the applicable 13th month and service incentive leave pay, as well as half month pay per year of service. Payment for the affected employees will be given in two separate checks: one dated June 26 and the other dated July 26, she added.

Mazo also said that SDC officials, along with representatives from the SBMA Labor Department and the Department of Labor and Employment’s satellite office in Olongapo City, met with the affected workers in six batches until June11 to process the termination.

SBMA Labor Department manager Melvin Varias said the SBMA Labor Department is closely monitoring the implementation by Subic companies of their retrenchment measures to ensure compliance with labor laws.

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, various locators in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone employed a total of 138,940 workers, with close to 70 percent in the services sector and more than 15 percent in manufacturing, Varias said.

The terminated workers comprise about 0.6 percent of this total. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Computer device manufacturer Wistron Infocomm (Philippines) Corp. is among Subic locators that have retrenched workers due to financial difficulties brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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SBMA extends suspension of business fines, fees

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has further suspended the collection of penalties and other fees from Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) business locators and residents to help ease economic difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a memorandum issued last Friday, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency has extended the suspension of penalty payments until the end of June to further assist companies and other stakeholders in recovering from the lockdown.

The extension covered penalties on late payment of billings, fees on deferment of deposit for maturing post-dated checks, and due dates covering payment schemes with deed of undertaking, which were all initially suspended from March to May 2020.

“Following the imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning March 16, we have ordered the majority of Subic locators to stop their day-to-day operations and the residents to stay at home,” Eisma noted.

“Given the status that we are right now where some companies are still closed or operating on scaled-down capacity, we find it necessary to further assist our locators and residents by suspending the collection of these fees until June 30,” she added.

Prior to this, the SBMA board of directors approved the suspension of penalties and other fees as economic relief assistance to companies and other payers in support of RA 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

The measures ratified by the SBMA board by way of referendum were the following: Certification No. 20-087, which suspended the imposition of penalty on late payment of billings from March to May 2020; Certification No. 20-088, which suspended fees on deferment of deposit of the maturing post-dated checks of locators and residents with written request for deferment from March to May 2020; and Certification No. 20-089, which extended March to May 2020 due dates covering payment scheme agreements with deed of undertaking.

Eisma said the same resolutions authorized the SBMA chairman and administrator to extend the said measures for another 30 days, as needed.

“Taking note that the SBF further complied with the extension of the ECQ from April 16 to May 15, the modified ECQ from May 16 to 31, and the general community quarantine (GCQ) from June 1 to 15, local businesses really deserve some boost for them to recover,” she added.

Eisma also pointed out that the SBMA had extended the validity of expired IDs and access passes for SBF workers until June 30 and allowed the renewal until July 31 of vehicle decals with one-year validity issued last 2019.

The SBMA announced earlier that close to 900 companies are now operating in the Subic Bay Freeport under GCQ rules, which is about half of all the registered enterprises in the Freeport.

Under the IATF guidelines, some companies were allowed to reopen at either 100% operational capacity; 50% up to full operational capacity; or 50% work-on-site arrangements, work-from-home, and other alternative work arrangement. Still, others, mostly from the leisure sector, were not yet allowed to operate.

Eisma said the SBMA is expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines. (MPD-SBMA)

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50% of Subic Freeport firms now operational

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has approved the operation of close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1. 

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency lately gave the green light to 14 companies under GCQ rules, thus bringing the total number of open businesses here to 868. 

Most of those allowed to operate under various levels of quarantine are manufacturers of export products, producers and suppliers of food and medicine, those involved in logistics operation, and utility operators, Eisma added. 

Prior to this, the SBMA allowed 568 firms to remain open when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) took effect on March 16, and then approved the reopening of 286 more companies after Subic transitioned to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on May 16. 

“The total number of locators that are now allowed to operate is just half of the 1,648 enterprises registered in Subic, but we are expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines,” Eisma said.  

“But we have to remind everybody that we don’t allow companies to just open—even if they are qualified to open under Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines—without first passing compliance assessment by the SBMA,” the Subic Freeport chief added. 

Eisma explained the assessment entails an ocular inspection by SBMA health and safety officials, as well as the Incident Management Team, which coordinates the agency’s Covid-19 response program, and is based on guidelines on workplace prevention and control of Covid-19 issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). 

Among the requirements for submission is the company’s Personnel Deployment Plan (PDP), which takes into consideration social distancing in the workplace. 

Meanwhile, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Kenneth Rementilla said that IATF guidelines categorized industries into four groups: 100% or full operational capacity; 50% up to full operational capacity; 50% work-on-site arrangements, work-from-home, and other alternative work arrangement; and not allowed to operate. 

All applications for reopening by Freeport companies is checked against the SBMA Business and Investment Group’s consolidated list of locators that listed the firms under the four categories, Rementilla added. 

The industries that broadly fall under Category I, which allowed full operational capacity, are: agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; manufacturing and processing plants; hospitals, medical clinics, and health clinics; retail establishments; laundry shops; food preparation establishments and water-refilling stations; logistics service providers; delivery services; power, energy, water, information technology and telecommunications supplies and facilities; electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply services.

Also allowed for full operation are those engaged in water collection, treatment and supply; waste collection, treatment and disposal activities, and materials recovery; sewerage, pest control, garbage collection and disposal, sewer maintenance and treatment; repair and installation of machinery and equipment; real estate activities; telecommunications; energy companies, and contractors and service providers; gasoline stations; construction work accredited by the Department of Public Works and Highways; manufacturing companies and supplies of equipment or products necessary to perform construction works; and media establishments. 

Meanwhile, those in Category IV which are not allowed to operate include: gyms, fitness studios and sports facilities; entertainment and amusement industries; libraries, museums, and other cultural centers; tourist destinations; travel agencies, tour operators, reservation service; gambling and betting stations; personal care services; and any other leisure establishments that promote mass gathering. 

Under GCQ, the SBMA relaxed access to the Freeport as more business locators resumed operation, but Chairman Eisma said strict health and safety measures against the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will remain in force. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Bird's-eye view of SBFZ's port and industrial areas. Close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services are now operating in the Freeport, following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1. (MPD-SBMA)

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Firm tampering with product expiry faces cancellation of permit

A company found to be tampering with the expiration dates of food products kept in its warehouse here is facing revocation of its permit to operate, and may eventually lose its certificate of registration as a Freeport enterprise.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said she has ordered the suspension of the certificate of registration and tax exemption (CRTE) of Phil-Em Enterprise Incorporated after the firm’s employees were caught red-handed in a raid by law enforcers last Monday.

“It saddens me to know that some unscrupulous people are taking advantage of others especially in this time of a pandemic,” Eisma said.

She said that the consent to sublease given to Phil-Em Enterprise for the use of a warehouse at the Global Industrial Park here may also be withdrawn if warranted.

“We will not tolerate any activity that violates the law and besmirches the solid reputation of the Subic Bay Freeport as the leading economic center in the part of the country,” Eisma added.

According to a report from the SBMA Intelligence and Investigation Office (SBMA-IIO), elements of the National Bureau of Investigation and the SBMA-IIO raided the Phil-Em warehouse early Monday on the strength of a search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City.

During the operation, law enforcement agents caught Phil-Em employees in the act of erasing the expiry dates on packs of Clover Chips and replacing the same with new dates using printing machines, said SBMA-IIO officer in charge Rodel del Rosario.

Subsequently, the operatives confiscated four Citronex printers with conveyors, 150 reams of label stickers, 50 reams of various printed label stickers, and two cans of eraser fluid.

The agents also seized several boxes of food items like Clover Chips, Ligo sardines, Nissin Cup Noodles, Century Tuna, Milo energy Drink, Sky Flakes crackers, Star margarine, Magnolia cheese, Royal and Fiesta pasta, Lily’s peanut butter, and food seasoning.

Phil-Em owner Philip Velasco was arrested along with employees during the raid, Del Rosario also reported. They were brought to the NBI office in Olongapo for further investigation.

Velasco’s business partner Amanda Pathak, who was also named in the search warrant, will also be charged by the NBI, said Del Rosario.

The suspects will be charged with violation of RA 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines, RA 9711 of the Food and Drugs Administration Act of 2009, and RA 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA frontliners negative in rapid antibody tests

Close to a thousand frontline workers of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) tested negative in a rapid antibody test undertaken here on Saturday under a mass testing project sponsored by a business locator here in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the result of the medical examination using rapid test kits (RTKs) for Covid-19 “was a huge relief to the SBMA workers who have been risking their health in keeping the Subic Bay Freeport safe and secure since the start of the quarantine.”

“All the 910 SBMA workers, mostly frontliners, who subjected themselves to the rapid test came out okay, and this is a huge relief to everybody in the agency as well as the Subic Freeport community,” Eisma said.

“They have been working with all these health hazards for almost three months now and still face a few more weeks of risks, so we are glad that they can continue their work with confidence that they have remained clean,” she added.

Those who were tested were comprised mostly of health workers, police and security personnel, firemen and sanitation technicians, maintenance workers, as well as some employees doing administrative work during the quarantine period.

SBMA employees with health risks and comorbidities also received priority in testing, Eisma also said.

“We are glad that there is this opportunity to test our frontliners now because our polymerase chain reaction (PCR) mass testing project with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is not yet operational,” Eisma explained.

She said all the machines and equipment at the PRC molecular laboratory in Subic’s naval magazine area, as well as the swabbing centers the SBMA has put up near the Main Gate, are ready.

However, there is still the need for the medical technicians who will man the facilities to be trained under the supervision of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

According to Ronnie Yambao, SBMA deputy administrator for health and safety, the SBMA launched the antibody testing activity in cooperation with Premium Technical Training and Facilities Inc. (PTTFI), a Freeport locator, at the badminton court of the Subic Bay Sports Complex.

“It’s actually a CSR (corporate social responsibility) project of Premium Technical that they sponsored the rapid tests for SBMA frontliners in exchange for their free use of the badminton court as venue for testing of their own employees,” Yambao said.

Rapid testing can cost as high as P1,650, but still inexpensive compared to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that cost from P3,500 to as much as P9,000 when administered in private hospitals.

Yambao said that according to the Department of Health’s algorithm, “if the result was IgM reactive but IgG non-reactive, we isolate for 14 days then repeat the test. If within the 14 days the person tested develops symptoms, then we will go for admission.”

“According to our health authorities here, test validation is essential. That is why if any SBMA employee gets a positive result from the rapid test, we would automatically go for a PCR test,” he added.

Yambao also said the SBMA has adopted the DOH T3 strategy, which is to test, trace and treat persons suspected of having been infected with Covid-19. (MPD-SBMA)   

PHOTOS: 

[1] An SBMA frontline worker undergoes rapid antibody testing on Saturday at the Subic Bay Sports Complex under the agency’s program to test, trace and treat high-risk workers. 

[2] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma checks on the implementation of a rapid testing program for SBMA frontline workers on Saturday at the Subic Bay Sports Complex.

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PN’s first missile-capable warship arrives in Subic

The Philippine Navy greatly boosted its current fleet with the low-key arrival of its first missile capable frigate, to be named BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), in Subic, Zambales, on Saturday.

From a five-day maiden voyage in Ulsan, South Korea, the frigate was accorded the traditional passing honors with BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS17) and three multipurpose assault craft (MPACs).

The event was documented during a fly-by of two anti-submarine helicopters, the Agusta Westland (AW) 159, and AW109. Prior to this, a meeting procedure was held between the frigate and BRP Andres Bonifacio with AW109 in the vicinity of Sta. Cruz, Zambales, before it was finally escorted to its designated anchorage area.

While at anchor, the sailing crew will undergo two-week quarantine in adherence to strict health protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID19). The Technical Inspection and Acceptance of the frigate will commence after the quarantine period.

Breakthrough in Navy’s transformation 

The arrival of the country’s first missile-capable frigate is a “testament” to the government’s resolve to modernize the military as well as a “breakthrough” in the Philippine Navy’s transformation journey, Malacañang said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque affirmed that the government remains committed in building a strong and credible maritime force to protect the country’s seas from threats.

The 2,600-ton ship, named after the country’s national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, is the latest addition in the Philippine Navy’s fleet that can fire guided missiles and torpedoes.

“We are pleased to announce the historic arrival to the Philippines of BRP Jose Rizal, our country’s first ever guided-missile frigate. The arrival of the country’s most advanced warship, delivered during this administration, is a testament to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s commitment to modernize our armed forces,” Roque said.

“This forms part of the national leadership’s initiative to enhance the country’s defense capabilities to secure our seas against current threats,” he added.

Roque said they consider the arival of the new ship “a breakthrough in the Philippine Navy’s transformation journey in our goal of building a strong and credible maritime force.”

BRP Jose Rizal 

The frigate will tentatively be commissioned into service on June 19, Rizal’s birthday. The 351 by 46-feet warship weighs 2,600 tons.

It is capable of “fighting the four dimensions of warfare” namely anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations, and is equipped with surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, torpedoes, and launchers.

It will also be equipped with a Hanwha Systems’ Naval Shield combat management system (CMS), regarded as the “brain” of military warship, which integrates all shipboard sensors and weapons.

This means that the ships will be able to detect and track air, surface and sub-surface targets. The same type of CMS was used by the Korean, Malaysian and Indonesian navies.

The frigate is the lead ship of its class and was built together with its sister ship, BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), which is set to be delivered in September this year The two missile frigates are part of an ₱18-billion contract between the Philippines and South Korea through shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in October 2016.

Each frigate costs ₱8 billion, with some ₱2 billion allotted for their systems and munition. (Martin Sadongdong and Genalyn Kabiling, Manila Bulletin)  

READ MORE --> https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/24/pns-first-missile-capable-warship-arrives-at-subic/

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SBMA shifts to modified ECQ status

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be allowing more business operations in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) but will retain border controls and restrictions on non-essential activities as it joins neighboring communities in implementing modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of this month.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency will abide by the May 15, 2020 resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) which placed transitioning high-risk areas under MECQ from May 16 to May 31.

 “This shift to MECQ will definitely not involve any major relaxation of our existing quarantine rules. We still have to wear mask, do disinfection, practice social distancing and observe curfew hours,” Eisma stressed. “The only significant difference is that we’d be allowing more business operations so that the local economy may start its rebound,” she added.

According to the IATF’s Resolution No. 37, the MECQ areas included the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija, as well as Angeles City. These places were previously classified as moderate-risk areas and qualified for general community quarantine (GCQ).

However, Bataan, Zambales and Bulacan had filed for extension of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), while Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Angeles City filed for modified ECQ.

Eisma said the SBMA had similarly appealed to the IATF-EID as early as April 28 to extend ECQ status over the Subic Bay Freeport due to the lack of adequate health facilities needed to contain a possible surge in Covid-19 cases in the greater Subic Bay area.

“Despite having a daytime population of around 155,000 people, the SBFZ has only one functioning hospital with only 8 ICU beds and 13 hospital rooms,” Eisma pointed out.

She also stressed that while the SBMA has put up Community Isolation Units composed of 32 beds and 45 rooms, the same are not yet fully operational. Moreover, only a small portion of the local population has been tested for Covid-19 infection, Eisma added.

The SBMA chief said that pending a separate quarantine classification by the IATF for the Subic Bay Freeport, the SBMA will adopt the MECQ status placed over Bataan and Zambales, since 65.25% of the total land area of the Freeport is located in Bataan and 24.48% is located in Zambales.

“As of now, the SBMA has started issuing guidelines and protocols to various Freeport stakeholders so that we can effectively transition from ECQ to MECQ,” Eisma added. 

The Subic Bay Freeport Zone had so far remained free of Covid-19 infection, but the SBMA has prepared care and isolation facilities open to residents of nearby communities in case of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Eisma has also urged neighboring local government units to join a mass testing program to be implemented jointly by the Philippine Red Cross and the SBMA to detect Covid-19 infections in the locality.

The adjoining province of Bataan and Zambales have so far reported a total of 22 and 119 confirmed Covid-19 cases, respectively, while nearby Olongapo City, which has opted to remain under GCQ, has tallied 12 positive cases as of May 15.

Both Zambales and Bataan had earlier opted for an extension of ECQ, citing the continuing local transmission and the possibility of a second wave of Covid-19 infection in their areas. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, shown here inspecting a swabbing center, has opted to retain quarantine controls and health measures in the Subic Bay Freeport, which is a major economic center in Central Luzon

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LGUs urged to join SBMA-Red Cross mass testing program

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has urged local government units (LGUs) adjacent to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) to join its mass testing program to detect new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections in the locality.

In a letter sent to LGU executives on Tuesday, April 28, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to provide Covid-19 mass testing services at minimal cost to residents and stakeholders of SBFZ and its surrounding communities.

The letter was sent to the eight LGUs contiguous to the SBFZ: Olongapo City; Subic, Castillejos, San Marcelino and San Antonio in Zambales; and Morong, Hermosa and Dinalupihan in Bataan.

Eisma said the SBMA-PRC mass testing program will be open to the public, although priority will be given to suspected and probable Covid-19 cases, as well as frontliners in the SBFZ, SBMA employees, and SBFZ residents.

“In this regard, SBMA is offering to partner with (LGUs) for the Covid-19 mass testing of (their) constituents at a cost of P3,500 per test, inclusive of test kits,” Eisma said. Similar polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests cost from P8,000 to P9,000 when administered at private hospitals in Manila, it was learned.

Eisma said that for this project, the SBMA has retrofitted two buildings at the Subic Bay Freeport main gate to house at least six telephone booth-type swabbing centers where trained health workers will take swab samples from patients. The collected samples will then be validated and taken to the PRC Molecular Laboratory at Subic’s Naval Magazine Area for testing.

The Red Cross testing facility in the Freeport will be equipped with an automated RNA extraction machine that can run 90 samples per hour, and two PCR machines that can each process 1,000 samples a day for a daily turnout of 2,000 tests.

The mass testing project here is the brainchild of Senator Richard Gordon, who is chairman of Philippine Red Cross. Gordon had designated Subic and the nearby Clark Freeport as PRC Covid-19 testing centers for the Central Luzon region.

Gordon had earlier stressed the exclusive use of the PCR testing method because it is more reliable and accurate than the rapid testing method, which still requires a confirmatory test.

In her letter to LGUs, Eisma said that while the PRC will require an advance of P5 million that would cover an initial 1,420 tests, the LGUs can recoup their expenses, as the same will be covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. in line with Philhealth Circular No. 2020-10.

She added that the SBMA is willing to explore a scheme whereby LGUs could advance the cost required by PRC from the 2% LGU shares to be collected by the SBMA from taxes paid by Subic Freeport locators. The SBMA has been releasing LGU shares twice a year since 2011, with an average release of P116.68 million each semester for the eight communities adjacent to the Subic Bay Freeport.

Eisma said the SBMA won’t impose any fee on top of the P3,500 cost that the Red Cross will charge to defray the costs of equipment, manpower and supplies needed for the mass testing program.

She added that at the moment, applications for Covid-19 mass testing will be screened through the Red Cross hotline 1158, although the SBMA may put up a similar hotline to help hasten processing.

Under Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, which declared a state of national emergency in face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippine Red Cross was identified as the primary humanitarian agency that is auxiliary to the government in the fight against the virus outbreak.

Eisma said the SBMA-PRC Covid-19 mass testing program will help authorities in the Greater Subic Bay-Bataan-Olongapo-Zambales area “get accurate data on the exact prevalence of Covid-19, and identify with specificity the individuals that we must treat and isolate, and the areas we have to more intensely quarantine.”

“In the same manner, this accurate and exact data will help us decide on whether we can safely ease up restrictions and implement the ‘new normal’ guidelines and protocols in order to get our local economy running again,” Eisma added. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

Workers prepare the SBMA swabbing centers at the Subic Bay Freeport main gate for the Covid-19 mass testing program in the greater Subic Bay area

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Worker found dead in barracks

A man who worked as maintenance staff at the Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal here was found dead beside his bed at the company barracks on Friday.

Jimmy Gonzaga Ocaña Jr., 40 years old, was found lifeless by his co-workers around 5:45 a.m. on May 1, according to initial reports by the Intelligence and Investigation Office (IIO) of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The victim was a resident of Marikina City, who worked for the company operating a grain terminal at the Cubi Point here.

Ocaña was staying in the barracks, as he was caught in the lockdown under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and could not go back to his hometown, it was learned.

The SBMA has required companies authorized to operate under the ECQ to provide accommodations inside the Freeport for their workers.

The SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), meanwhile, ruled out that it was Covid-19 related since he did not show any symptom like fever or cough, and had no history of travel or exposure.

Ocaña had reportedly consulted a doctor about some pain in his leg, and was prescribed some pain killer before being sent home.

Co-workers said he again complained about leg pain while having dinner Thursday night and later asked for help in going up the short flight of stairs to their barracks.

They added that when they woke up the next day, they saw Ocaña lying face down beside his bed. When they tried to wake him up, the victim was no longer responding.

His co-workers then called the attention of company officials who called the SBMA Law Enforcement Department for help.

Personnel from the SBMA PHSD also arrived and checked on the victim, but the attending physician declared that Ocaña was already dead.

The Philippine National Police in Morong, Bataan has said there was no apparent foul play in the death of the victim. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

The workers’ barracks is cordoned off during an investigation into Ocaña’s death

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