SBMA welcomes probe on Grande Island development deal

Directly addressing the reported call by an advocacy group for the Senate to investigate the alleged sell-out to Chinese investors of the Grande and Chiquita Islands here in Subic Bay, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it looks forward to such an official inquiry to resolve the long-drawn issue over the two tourism islands here.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said that the Subic agency would welcome any investigation over the falsely reported “sale” of the islands, which were leased in 2019 to a joint venture between GFTG Property Holdings Corp. and Sanya CEDF Sino-Philippine Tourism Investment Corp., as Chinese company.

“First of all, I would like to point out that Grande and Chiquita have not been sold—they are still the property of the Philippine government,” Eisma said. “But there is an investor-company renting the islands, and which has committed P180 million to build a five-star hotel, restaurant and recreational facilities on these properties.”

“If someone would want an investigation of the Grande Island investment project, then I say, by all means get on with it!” Eisma reacted on Thursday.  “In fact, we are highly encouraging this group calling for an official investigation so that this matter can be resolved once and for all,” Eisma added.

The SBMA chief noted that while the proposed project by the Chinese investor-company has been “in deep-freeze” after the SBMA objected to some of the development plans two years ago, “some people are maliciously using it as an example of ‘creeping Chinese invasion’ in the country.”

“As much as that group, the Pinoy Action for Governance and the Environment (PAGE), says it has had enough of intrusions into our country’s exclusive economic zone, I would say that the SBMA, too, has had enough of speculation over the nature of this tourism project here,” Eisma said.

From the viewpoint of the SBMA, which is one of the country’s top investment promotion agencies, the Grande Island development project is a legitimate investment proposal in a Philippine special economic zone where 100% foreign ownership of business enterprises is allowed.

The SBMA Business and Investment Group said the Grande Island development project started in July 2000 with Silver Dragon Cruises Inc. (SDCI) entering into a lease agreement with the SBMA to rehabilitate Pier 684 on Grande Island and operate a ferry service within Subic Bay.

In June 2002, SDCI entered into a Lease and Development Agreement (LDA) with the SBMA to develop Grande and Chiquita Islands, but soon assigned its leasehold rights to GFTG Holdings Corporation in September 2002.

The SBMA said that over the years, it has approved various amendments to the agreement with GFTG, including escalation of revenue shares, extended leasehold period, special provision for developing and marketing housing units, and changes in ownership of what has become GFTG Property Holdings Corp.

Eisma said the biggest change in GFTG occurred in January 2019 when it brought in Sanya CEDF as its biggest shareholder, with 79.99% ownership of the firm. However, in May 2019, the SBMA Board of Directors withdrew its consent to the change in the control and ownership of GFTG, noting that the changes were made without its approval, thus violating the LDA between SBMA and GFTG.

At that time, the SBMA also noted that the Sanya-controlled GFTG had proposed to build 80 ultra-high end housing units over the water along the coastline of Grande and Chiquita islands. This, Eisma pointed out, was not allowed due to Constitutional limits giving the use and enjoyment of archipelagic waters exclusively to Filipino citizens.

Eisma said that ever since 2019, the Grande project has been in a limbo—for the SBMA, as well as for the investor. “The company continues paying rent for the property, but no new development has taken place—which is sad because Grande is Subic’s tourism jewel and it’s just going to waste,” she stressed.

Eisma added that if there may be some security concern over Grande Island because of its strategic location, then this is the best time to bring out and resolve the issue. “We welcome the call for a Senate investigation, but let me add that let’s take it very seriously. I hope the call was made not only for the purpose of grandstanding,” she added. (MPD-SBMA)

 PHOTOS:

The Grande and Chiquita Islands on Subic Bay; part of the existing resort project 

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Nidec reduces workers to sustain Subic operations

Japanese manufacturing firm Nidec Subic Philippines Corporation has retrenched more than 70 percent of its workers here to maintain the viability of company operations, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said on Wednesday.

The firm, which manufactures precision electronic equipment, direct-drive spindle motors, and specialized digital core parts for multimedia, announced the separation of 784 of its workers on Tuesday and released their separation pay as well.

“It’s sad news for us, but we hope that this will be just a temporary setback that would allow the company to weather the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy,” said SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

“The company will not close down altogether,” Eisma added, pointing out that Nidec has retained 300 workers to maintain the company facilities at the Subic Techno Park here.

As of December 2020, the firm had listed 1,197 direct hires on its rolls, aside from 211 workers sourced out from a manpower provider and 36 from a security firm.

But as early as August last year, Nidec vice president for administration Tetsuya Nakao had announced business difficulties that impacted company operations at the Subic production facility.

In a letter asking the Department of Labor and Employment for exemption to the new minimum wage order, Nakao revealed that “the impact of Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected our operating expense and doubled our company expenditures on shuttle services.”

Last December, Nidec deputy general manager for administration Daisy Mae Jaucian informed SBMA Labor Department manager Melvin Varias that the firm will cut down on its employees, citing the closure of their base production of spindle motors effective February 5, 2021.

“We find that we must reduce our workforce to ensure the financial stability of the company,” Jaucian said. “We have always valued and continue to value the contributions of all our employees and deeply regret the need for this action.”

Varias said that Nidec had asked assistance from the SBMA for the profiling of the displaced workers for any job opening in the Subic Bay Freeport.

In response, Varias said the SBMA has identified a total of 254 job vacancies among 15 companies in the Freeport as of January 6 for which the retrenched workers may apply.

The available positions included, among others,  150 production operators and 15 quality control personnel in a shoe factory; 21 engineer, operator and inspector positions in a computer manufacturing firm; and production planners in another Japanese firm. (MPD/SBMA)

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Opening of new SFEX lanes to ease traffic in Subic

The temporary opening of the new lanes at the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) will greatly ease heavier-than-normal movement of people and goods at the Subic Bay Freeport before and after the New Year festivities.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency is expecting more people to visit or pass through Subic for the holidays, at the same time that business locators transport more products in and out of the Freeport.

“The opening of the new lanes, albeit temporarily, is very timely,” Eisma said on Monday after Public Works Secretary Mark Villar led the ceremonial opening of the new SFEX lanes.

“It will ease the movement of people and goods in the Subic Bay Freeport and further develop Subic’s business and tourism prospects,” she added.

Eisma also said the SBMA had opened the Subic Freeport to tourists during the holidays subject to strict health safety protocols, and that tourist volume had increased dramatically to almost the current 50 percent full capacity.

She added that the Subic agency had allowed children to come into the Freeport as long as they stay in open areas or alfresco restaurants and not in malls and other closed spaces.

“There are lots of people coming in and Subic is very much excited, in a way,” Eisma said.

Villar, along with Eisma and NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista, graced the ceremonial drive-through at the new 8.2-kilometer expressway lanes to mark the temporary opening on Monday. The new lanes will be open temporarily until January 15, after which more construction activities will resume.

During the expressway drive-through, Villar expressed satisfaction at the expansion project and said the new Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) is already 92 percent complete, with the remaining portion being the construction of the Jadjad Bridge.

Villar said the P1.6-billion SFEX Capacity Expansion Project is expected to be fully completed in the first quarter of next year.

It entails the conversion of the Subic Freeport Expressway into a 2x2 divided expressway, with additional two lanes, two new bridges and a tunnel, as well as the installation of expressway-standard LED lights, raising the elevation of Maritan Highway-Rizal Highway-Tipo Road junction, and the enhancement of drainage systems for better flood management in the area.

Villar also noted that the project will enhance accessibility and promote travel efficiency along this key road that connects Bataan and Zambales, as well as boost Subic’s competitiveness as an ideal shipping gateway for Central and North Luzon.

The SFEX, which is operated by NLEX Corp., a toll road subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), connects the Subic Bay Freeport to the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, which further links with the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway. (MPD/SBMA)

TOP PHOTO:

Public Works Sec. Mark Villar, flanked by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista, walks along the new lanes of the Subic Freeport Expressway past the new tunnel during the soft opening of the expanded expressway on Monday.

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SBMA sets more measures to curb BPO Covid-19 surge

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has required a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm here to implement additional safety measures like staggered shutdowns and work-from-home arrangements to prevent further transmission of Covid-19 at its offices here.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the measures were deemed necessary after it was learned that 26 employees of Buwelo BPO Solutions, which operates a call center here, had tested positive for Covid-19 infection.

Contact tracing had earlier identified 65 employees of the company who were suspected to have been exposed to positive Covid-19 cases. Their RT-PCR tests had so far turned out 37 negative results and 26 positives as of Dec. 4. Two test results are yet to be released by the Philippine Red Cross.

“We are now working with the Buwelo BPO management to avert further virus transmission and to enhance health safety in the workplace. We asked them to implement partial shutdowns and alternative work schedules and it’s good that the company management was receptive,” Eisma said.

“At our end, we shall be monitoring the implementation of the agreed-upon health protocols and we shall be firm that these measures be carried out because workers’ welfare is paramount,” she added.

Eisma said that during discussions last Thursday, company officials agreed to implement staggered shutdowns at the company facilities, at one floor at a time starting Dec. 4, in the three-story building the firm occupies at the Subic Gateway Park here.

The company also agreed to allow 180 employees to work from home to allow better physical distancing at the offices. The firm employs a total of 729 who work in three shifts.

Eisma added that the company has previously requested for an expansion area and that the SBMA might allow the use of an adjacent building for this purpose.

Aside from these commitments, Eisma said the Buwelo management will immediately proceed with more disinfection at the company premises using ozone generators.

With this development, Eisma also warned workers and other stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport to report suspected cases of Covid-19, as required by the inter-Agency Task Force on Eme4rging Contagious Diseases (IATF).

The SBMA health officials said earlier that contact tracing showed the workers who tested positive either attended parties held outside of the Freeport, or were exposed to co-workers who went to the said social gatherings.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Health and Safety Department, also noted that the surge of Covid-19 cases at Buwelo BPO was the result of “unsafe behavior” by some employees who did not honestly declare their health condition.

Jacalne said that some employees still reported for work when they were already exhibiting mild Covid-19 symptoms.  He also noted that contact tracers only learned of the beach and pool parties, which were suspected to have been the source transmission for the original positive clusters, after 16 of the employees have already tested positive.

Eisma had earlier urged companies in the Subic Freeport to forego the traditional company Christmas party this year to avoid the risk of virus transmission.  She pointed out that even the SBMA has cancelled its traditional Christmas party for this reason.  (MPD/SBMA)

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Covid-19 surge in Subic firm traced to parties

While social interaction remains important even during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s still no time to party especially when minimum health requirements like wearing face mask and keeping physical distancing cannot be observed.

This was the lesson some employees of a business process outsourcing (BPO) company here recently learned the hard way after attending parties that might have served as super-spreading events, said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

“As of latest count, 25 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 infection out of 65 workers who had to be placed on quarantine,” Eisma announced on Wednesday.

“Our health experts here have determined that were it not for parties that workers attended, all these hassles of quarantine and work stoppage would not have happened,” she added.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, who heads the SBMA Public Health & Safety Department, said the surge in Covid-19 cases at the company was traced to two parties that employees attended last Nov. 14, a Saturday. The first was a beach party at Baloy, a popular beach area in Olongapo City, and the second was a pool party held in San Marcelino, Zambales.

Jacalne said contact tracing indicated that the employees who tested positive of Covid-19 either attended the parties or were exposed to co-workers who went to the said social gatherings.

But the doctor added that it was the unsafe behavior of employees that allowed further spread of the virus. “Some were not honest with their health declaration,” he noted. “They didn’t say they were sick and they reported for work just the same because of the company’s no-work-no-pay policy.”

Jacalne said the first case was recorded on Nov. 6, but the patient’s two identified close contacts had tested negative.  The next two positive cases were known on Nov. 17—a couple who declared as close contacts only those with whom they shared the shuttle bus.

“Then there came to be a sudden spike in the following days, from Nov. 19 to 25. And this was the only time when the employees admitted about the beach and pool parties—when there were already 16 positive cases,” Jacalne said.

After the parties were revealed, further investigation by tracers widened the circle of close contacts to a total of 65—all employees of the BPO firm. Out of these, 25 so far have tested positive of the virus.

Jacalne added that no other positive case was recorded at the firm in the last seven days and that all the suspect cases are now under quarantine in their respective areas in Zambales, Olongapo City and Bataan and awaiting schedule for RT-PCR test.

Following this development, Chairman Eisma ordered further investigation to determine additional safety measures to be imposed at the workplace.

Company officials said they have already installed barriers between work stations as early as August and have now positioned their call agents one workstation apart.

It was also learned that with 500 call center agents in its employ, the company intends to expand into a bigger area to comply with Joint Memorandum Circular No. 20-04-A, which provided for supplemental guidelines from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on workplace prevention and control of Covid-19.

Eisma said the SBMA will look into the possibility of leasing out a portion of a nearby building for the expansion area needed by the firm.

Eisma also urged companies in the Subic Freeport to forego the traditional company Christmas party this year to avoid the risk of virus transmission. "Let us stay safe. We can make Christmas more meaningful, more special and more rewarding by celebrating it with our family and household members this year," Eisma added. (MPD/SBMA)

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More job opportunities out as Subic rebounds from pandemic

As businesses in the Subic Bay Freeport bounce back from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, more companies here are offering job opportunities to unemployed workers and residents sidelined by community quarantine lockdowns and business slowdown.

Last Tuesday, Nov. 24, a total of 185 work positions were offered by various companies in the second SBMA virtual job fair conducted as part of the 28^th founding anniversary of the Subic agency, said SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

“Subic is definitely back on track—although not on full speed as yet, but we are getting there, as you could see from the new job openings being offered,” Eisma pointed out.

She noted that a total of 2,139 job-seekers applied for the 185 positions offered. “This is proof that a lot of our kababayans needed jobs desperately under the circumstances, and I’d like to say that both the SBMA and the business locators here are stepping up to meet this rising demand,” Eisma said.

“This is pretty much a public-private effort. SBMA and the companies here are putting out new projects to create new jobs and to take in more workers as much as possible,” she added.

In the Nov. 24 job fair organized by the SBMA Labor Department, 11 Subic-registered companies offered a total of 54 job positions.

These included Sanyo Denki Philippines, Inc. and Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal Services, Inc., which both listed 10 job openings;  Uptimised Corporation, with 8; DBA Global Shared Services, Inc. and Subic Bay International Terminal Corp., with 5 openings each; Sams Group of Companies, Toyota Subic Inc., and United Auctioneers Inc., with 4 new positions each; Advanced Composite Systems Inc., with 2; and Subic Consolidated Projects, Inc. and S-Corp Phils., with 1 opening each.

On the other hand, 21 other companies elsewhere filed for request for recruitment assistance (RRA) with the SBMA with a total of 131 job offerings, said SBMA labor manager Melvin Varias.

Varias also noted that of the 2,139 applicants for various positions, 56.2% were from Olongapo City; 28% from Zambales; and 13.9% were from Bataan. The rest were applicants from Pampanga and the National Capital Region.

SBMA records also showed that 52.2% of the total applicants were male and 47.8% were female.

The companies that generated the most applicants were Sanyo Denki, with 180 applicants for the 10 job openings offered; United Auctioneers, with 154 applications for its four job openings; and Uptimised Corporation, which received 82 applications for its eight openings.

Meanwhile, Chairman Eisma also thanked participants in the blood donation drive organized by the SBMA and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) during the Nov. 24 anniversary event.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao said the project collected 51 bags of blood for PRC Olongapo Chapter, with donors coming from Subic locators, residents, SBMA employees, the local police, and community volunteers.

Yambao said the SBMA is also coordinating with PRC Olongapo for the donation of any available plasma for Covid-19 patients under the convalescent plasma program. The plasma will be processed at the PRC’s national headquarters. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA Labor Department personnel monitor the filing of applications during the second SBMA virtual job fair on Nov. 24.

[2] Volunteers donate blood during the blood-letting project organized by the SBMA as part of the agency’s 28^th founding anniversary on Nov. 24.

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SBMA cites service, excellence in 28th anniversary rites; Subic volunteers honored for ‘showing the way forward’

Service and excellence on the job took center stage here as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) honored volunteers, employees and stakeholders during the agency’s simple 28^th founding anniversary ceremony last Tuesday.

In his speech at the Volunteers Park here during the Nov. 24 anniversary celebration, SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Marcelino Sanqui paid tribute to the more than 8,000 workers who served without pay in the early days of Subic and also recognized those who worked in the Freeport thereafter.

Sanqui spoke on behalf of SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, who was not at the event but had issued her “anniversary salute” earlier. Eisma thanked volunteers “for showing the way forward”, SBMA employees “for service beyond self”, and Subic stakeholders “for keeping faith even in these trying times.”

Sanqui, who was among the pioneer SBMA volunteers like Eisma, said the being a volunteer “entailed sacrifices, but also provided unexpected heart-warming rewards—the feeling of pride and fulfilment.”

“We are here today to honor the volunteers and all the people, who in one way or another contributed in bringing this institution to where it is right now,” Sanqui said. “These include our frontliners, health workers, and fire fighters who until this moment are helping to rescue those affected by the recent typhoon, and all of you who provide continued public services during this time of pandemic,” he added.

In the same occasion, SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services Ramon Agregado turned over a copy of the Workplace Handbook on Covid-19 Management and Prevention to business locators in the Freeport.

Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corporation (PCSPC) president and CEO David Attewill received the handbook, and expressed pride “that our people in Subic put safety first.”

At the same time, the SBMA recognized 15 employees who were cited by their respective strategic business unit (SBU) as employees of the year for 2019, honor titles that were not awarded early in February because of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The SBU winners in Category 1 (contractual service) were: Nenita R. Sarmiento of Business and Investment Group; Ronald C. Fonseca, Chairperson and Administrator’s Group; Jose O. Madayag, Jr., Operations Group; Jonathan N. Labrador, Public Services Group; Jocelyn L. Gustilo, Regulatory Group; Mark Genesis G. Medina, Support Services Group; Jacklord Joseph J. Oceña, Support Services Group; and Louie P. Sarno of Public Services Group, who also bagged the overall title for this category. 

Meawhile, the awardees in Category 2 (permanent position) were: Amabelle Lynn F. Saclao of Business and Investment Group; Dante M. Salvaña, Chairperson and Administrator’s Group; Engr. Gerald P. Mendoza, Public Services Group; Ellenor O. Bautista, Regulatory Group; Joy Q. Manalang, Support Services Group; and Rolando L. Cepeda of Operations Group and Lina P. Sarmiento of Support Services Group, who tied for first place in this category.

The outstanding employees were cited for their excellent performance beyond the call of duty and for various innovations in the workplace.

The SBMA Labor Department also conducted an online job fair while the Public Health and Safety Group organized a bloodletting drive on November 24 as part of the agency’s 28^th anniversary celebration. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA law enforcement officers place a wreath at the Volunteers Park to honor the 8,000 volunteers during the 28th SBMA anniversary celebration at the Subic Volunteers Park on Tuesday.

[2] SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator Ramon O. Agregado (left) gives a copy of the Covid-19 Workplace Handbook to PCSPC CEO David Attewill during the 28th SBMA anniversary celebration on Tuesday.

[3] SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Marcelino Sanqui recalls his volunteer days with the Subic agency during the 28th SBMA anniversary celebration at the Subic Volunteers Park on Tuesday.

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Subic services 37 ships under crew-change program

Two months after joining the government’s crew-change program, the Port of Subic has serviced a total of 37 ships and enabled more than 500 mostly Filipino seafarers to either take badly-needed rest or renew work aboard commercial vessels.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the crew-change program is a direct response to President Duterte's call that no one should be left behind in government efforts to ensure the safety of all Filipinos and provide assistance to vulnerable groups in face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We understand that crew change is necessary for the health and safety of seafarers,” Eisma said. “And considering that around 80,000 Filipino seafarers with lapsed contracts are stranded aboard their ships, there is a lot to be done to ensure movement among seafarers, especially Filipinos, during this humanitarian and economic crisis.”

Subic started operations as a crew-change hub on September 10 with the arrival here of five Filipino seafarers who were stranded for about three months aboard MV Dapeng Star, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker based in Hong Kong.

Since then, One Stop Shop (OSS) Subic, the inter-agency task force which manages the Subic crew-change operations, has recorded a total of 260 “off-signers”, or inbound ship crew, and 255 “on-signers”, or outbound seafarers, as of Monday, November 9.

Of the total 515 seafarers who either arrived or departed in Subic under the program, only 24—or 12 on-signers and 12 off-signers—were foreigners.

Ships of all shapes and sizes have arrived here for crew-change. These included MV RTM Cook, a bulk carrier based in Singapore, with seven Filipino on-signers and 11 off-signers; LNG Dapeng Moon, a tanker based in Hong Kong, with five Filipino on-signers; MV Mindoro, a Panama-flagged vehicles carrier with three on-signers and two off-signers, all Filipino; MT Jason, a chemical tanker from Marshall Islands with 12 Filipino on-signers, and one Croatian and 13 Filipino off-signers; MT Euro Integrity, a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker with 15 on-signers and 16 off-signers, all Filipino; and MV Nine Eagle, a Panama-flagged livestock carrier with five on-signers and five off-signers, all Filipino.

SBMA Seaport Department manager Jerome Martinez, meanwhile, stressed that OSS Subic has laid out strict health and safety protocols for the program, with all outbound and inbound seafarers undergoing RTC-PCR testing prior to departure from Subic or upon arrival at the Subic Bay International Airport.

“In case an on-signer tests positive, he is brought back point-to-point to Manila where he was swab-tested. Meanwhile, upon disembarking, off-signers are brought directly to the Subic-OSS for swab testing, after which they are transported to an isolation facility in Manila,” Martinez explained.

He added that in the two months period that crew-change has been undertaken in Subic, only one positive case among seafarers has been recorded.

Seafarers have been designated “key workers” by many countries, including the Philippines, which belong to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to enable them to travel to and from ships and ensure the operation of commercial vessels.

The IMO said that commercial ships now transport more than 80% of global trade by volume, including vital food and medicine, energy and raw materials, as well as manufactured goods. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Inbound seafarers from MV Devon Bay, all clad in personal protective equipment, await transportation upon arrival at the Subic Bay Freeport on November 6.

[2] A sanitation worker disinfects baggage, as inbound seafarers from MV Devon Bay await transportation upon arrival at the Subic Bay Freeport on November 6.

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SBMA temporarily opens Subic hotels to returning OFWs

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has opened several hotels here for the temporary accommodation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were brought home under the government’s emergency repatriation program.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said close to 400 OFWs were given temporary lodgings in quarantine hotels here since Sunday when Typhoon Rolly threatened Metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon with violent winds and heavy rain.

“We took them in for humanitarian reasons—and subject to strict health protocols— because there was a storm coming and our kababayans would be trapped at the Clark airport otherwise,” Eisma explained.

She said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), which is bringing about half a million OFWs back to the country, made a frantic call for help as hotels in Clark Freeport and Pampanga that were accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for such purpose were already full.

Eisma added that she requested clearance from local government units (LGUs) near Subic and they had agreed to take the OFWs in. The returning OFWs were swabbed at Clark airport before being brought to Subic quarantine hotels, she said.

According to the SBMA Tourism Department, a total of 104 OFWs arrived here on Nov. 1 and were billeted at various hotels accredited by the SBMA and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to take in OFWs and returning seafarers under the government’s crew-change program.

Of these OFWs in the first batch, 20 are already scheduled for transport to their respective homes after their RT-PCR tests had turned out negative, said SBMA tourism manager Jem Camba.

Another batch of OFWs consisting of 273 workers arrived here the following day, Nov. 2, after a similar request from the OWWA Region 3 office.

Camba said the repatriated OFWs were brought to accredited accommodation establishments like the Bayfront Hotel, Best Western Hotel Subic, Camayan Beach Resort, Horizon Hotel, Le Charme Suites, Mansion Garden Hotel, Segara Residencias, Subic International Hotel, Subic Bay Venezia Hotel, Terrace Hotel, Travelers Hotel, and Vista Marina.

The 13 hotels have a total of 528 rooms available for OFWs on quarantine.

Following the arrival here of repatriated OFWs during Typhoon Rolly, Eisma said the SBMA will consult with neighboring LGUs if they would agree to continue with the program.

“I’d be inviting representatives from the LGUs, OWWA, the Task Group on the Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos, and owners of Subic hotels and other stakeholders to a meeting so that we can finally decide the matter,” she added.

Eisma said that in a previous meeting, the SBMA had agreed to a request from LGUs to provide them with a list of workers from their communities who will work in quarantine hotels, so that proper Covid-19 precautions could be taken.

The SBMA further ordered participating hotels to house on-duty staff and to quarantine them after each two-week work schedule, she added.

“We will be taking all necessary health safety measures just like we did for the repatriation of Filipino seafarers under the crew-change program,” Eisma said, referring to the government initiative that was implemented here starting Sept. 10 after the LGUs gave their consent to the project. (MPD-SBMA)

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For transparency: SBMA to conduct projects bidding online

As the Internet, and even social media, take on greater role in the delivery of government services during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced that it will henceforth conduct public bidding for big-ticket projects online.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said on Friday that the agency’s various Bids and Awards Committees (BAC’s) had decided that all future bidding processes will be conducted via online platforms and will be broadcast live through social media.

“Going online ensures transparency, efficiency, and safety,” Eisma stressed.

“The bidding process becomes faster, more transparent and credible, and at the same time it keeps participants secure from the Covid-19 virus,” she added.

For this purpose, the SBMA had recently created the Facebook page “SBMA Procurement Service”, which will be managed by the various BAC’s, Eisma said.

According to Atty. Michael Quintos, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Legal Affairs, the move to conduct bidding online is in accordance with Administrative Order 34, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte just last week, on  October 23.

While the AO requires all government offices to conduct online bidding of big infrastructure projects, the SBMA went one step further and decided to use social media platforms to go live during biddings for public viewing, Quintos said.

He also pointed out that in pre-pandemic times, and for projects worth P50 million and above, the SBMA Bids and Awards Committee already opened bids in the presence of observers from the Commission on Audit and disinterested non-government organizations to ensure transparency.

Eisma also noted that even before AO 34, the SBMA was already posting pre-bid announcements on the SBMA website and other online platforms on top of the required publication in newspapers of the invitation to bid.

“But putting the actual proceedings available for public viewing via social media would be one huge stride in SBMA’s efforts toward greater transparency. This will further strengthen the system,” Eisma added.

The SBMA chief also said that as the Covid-19 pandemic pushed practically the whole world to utilize Internet applications for business, the SBMA has been stepping up its adoption of new systems that would address new requirements and changing protocols.

She also noted that the agency has already established an online system of processing transactions with locators, suppliers, and other business entities a couple of years ago.

Among the online transactions that the SBMA has established are services provided for port users, electronic billing and payment, filing for regulatory requirements, and lately online job application and medical consultations. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Facebook page of SBMA Procurement Service

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Taiwanese firm to manufacture face mask, PPEs in Subic

A newly-formed Taiwanese company in the Subic Bay Freeport will be manufacturing face masks and other personal protection equipment (PPEs) to help address a continuing demand for health safety gears, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA management has recently green-lighted the operation of Mask Secure King Inc. (MSK) to help increase the country’s production capacity for PPEs and other medical consumables.

Mask Secure King Inc., which is under the umbrella of Taiwanese construction and engineering giant MSK Group Work Inc., will set up a manufacturing facility here at the Subic Bay Gateway Park II where it has leased a 1,860-square meter building space from the Taiwanese real estate developer Xantheng Subic International Corp.

Eisma said the MSK has committed US$500,000 for the manufacturing project and will employ 35 workers during its first year of operation.

The firm will do business under the trade name “Secure Masks and Protective Gears.”

According to the SBMA Business and Investment Department for Manufacturing and Maritime (BID-MM), the Subic agency approved MSK’s proposal early this month after it filed for a Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption (CRTE).

The firm’s registered business activity focused on the manufacture of medical devices, medical tools and equipment, medical consumable products, and personal protective gears and equipment.

Among the PPEs MSK will produce are medical disposable masks, gloves, foot and eye protection devices, protective hearing devices like earplugs and muffs, hard hats, respirators, and full body suits.

BID-MM manager Karen Magno said the SBMA has already endorsed to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the purchase by MSK of mask machines from Taiwan, as well as the importation of non-woven mask materials for its Subic manufacturing operations.

MSK will be the first Subic-registered company to engage in the manufacture of health and safety products and personal protective gears, Magno said.

Another firm, which had since relocated to Bataan, previously produced in Subic only hospital textiles and garments.

Eisma said the operation of MSK will boost local production of N95 medical masks, PPE coveralls, as well as ventilators which had no known local producer prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, she said it will bolster the growing confidence of Taiwanese manufacturers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and further enlarge MSK’s development footprint here. 

The SBMA chief noted that the MSK Group had begun a P2-billion luxury residential project here in 2017 while Xantheng followed it up with a P15-billion green industrial park development project last year.

“Taiwanese investors, particularly the MSK Group, have been thriving here and continuously supporting and contributing to the development of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. This manufacturing project by MSK will be another welcome addition to our list of timely business projects here in Subic,” Eisma added. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Mask Secure King Inc., which will manufacture face masks and PPEs will be located at Phase 2 of the Subic Bay Gateway Park

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SBMA: ‘Let’s make fight vs Covid-19 personal’

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has called on workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to take a personal stand against Covid-19 in order to develop a culture of safety and thus enable the revival of the local economy.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma issued this appeal on Wednesday, as the Subic agency promoted the “Subic Bay Freeport Health and Safety Pledge and Promise to Humanity”, which seeks to inspire personal commitment among workers to imbibe and practice health and safety protocols both at home and in the workplace.

“So much is at stake in this fight against Covid-19—our personal safety, our livelihood, our family’s welfare, and the growth of the economy. So, we really need to take this fight to a personal level,” Eisma pointed out.

“We need healthy people to build a healthy economy, and it takes a personal commitment to safety in order to remain healthy in these very challenging times,” she added.

The safety pledge has been approved last month by the SBMA Board of Directors for implementation on a voluntary basis among SBMA employees and other Subic stakeholders.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao said that more than instilling awareness of individual and collective roles in the fight against Covid-19, the pledge recognizes the severity of the health crisis and the need for individual commitments to slow down the spread of the virus around the world.

The pledge extracts a commitment to follow all health and safety protocols and maintain safety in workplaces at all times; to encourage other people to follow safety measures in order to save lives; and to be a good role model for co-workers, friends, and family on and off the job. 

Yambao added that the pledge “makes following protocols meaningful, rather than mechanical.”

He said the SBMA had since circulated the pledge among SBMA employees, asked celebrities to endorse and popularize the project, and encouraged business locators and their employees to do the same.

Eisma said that to further strengthen workplace response to Covid-19, the SBMA recently rolled out a series of web seminars to guide Subic Freeport companies in re-tooling and boosting their capacity to respond to challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In one instance, the SBMA Business Group gathered more than 250 company officials and employees for a discussion on the “Operational Framework of COVID-19 Response in Workplace,” which originated from the Department of Health (DOH).

During the webinar, which ran for a little over an hour, SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno also oriented the participants on techniques in workplace and public transport cleaning and disinfection.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Renato Lee said this particular orientation was important, as business locators here sought best practices to adopt in order to keep the Covid-19 virus at bay.

More firms had requested for similar capacity-building seminars to help them become self-reliant in their Covid-19 response, Lee added.

“Subic stakeholders should realize what’s at stake,” Eisma noted. “The fact is that under the new normal, everything should be safe in order to be sustainable. This applies to corporate and even personal businesses.” (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Celebrity endorsers of the Safety Pledge and Promise to Humanity include movie stars Tonton Gutierrez, Cherry Pie Picache, and Ronnie Lazaro, and Subic Customs Collector Marites Martin

[2] Safety Culture: Employees of Subic business locators undergo temperature scanning and listing before boarding a bus that would take them to work

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SBMA launches online clinic for employees

In an effort to continue delivering medical and dental care to its employees during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) came up with another innovation— “Click-nika”, its own online health clinic.

Like the previous process at the SBMA Dispensary where employees consult with doctors who prescribe medications and provide advice on health care, SBMA’s “Click-nika” also dispenses patient care but through videoconferencing.

“This is clinic at one click—a marriage of modern technology and classic doctor’s advice,” said SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma, who witnessed the launch of the telemedicine project by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Group on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

“This is really important because most of those in the health industry are now focused on the fight against Covid-19, and most people are apprehensive about visiting hospitals and clinics because of the risks of virus transmission,” Eisma said.

“Still, there is a need to take care of the health of our employees, and much more so amidst this pandemic. The SBMA Click-nika project not only provides essential health care, but also allows for peace of mind among patients and even medical staff,” she added.

The online clinic is already operational since its launch, said Ronnie Yambao, who is SBMA deputy administrator for health and safety and proponent of the project.

Yambao said the concept has been hatched months ago in the middle of the community quarantine imposed all over the country.

He said the program runs on a simple system, as employees only have to make an appointment through email to sbmaclicknika@gmail.com, and state the preferred date of consultation and indicate their Facebook account name.

PHSD personnel will then respond to the email within 24 hours, sending a consent form to be filled out by the patient and sent back through email.

Thereafter, consultation will be done through video call, Yambao explained.

In some demonstration during the project launch, a patient was seen taking his own vital signs and reporting the data to the consulting doctor. Another patient, meanwhile, showed photos of his teeth that need the services of a dentist.

Eisma said that the SBMA Click-nika would especially be useful to employees who have had to work from home either because they are among the elderly age or because they have comorbidities. “These ones are those who require regular check-ups,” she pointed out.

Yambao also said that with this project, the SBMA may yet be the first government agency in Central Luzon to have adopted telemedicine for its employees.

He added that the project may yet expand to encompass other stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport once additional manpower and other resources have been set up. (30)

PHOTO:

SBMA deputy administrator for health Ronnie Yambao, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, and Dr. Joane Sorvik discuss telemedicine procedures as a patient seeks medical advice online during the launch of the SBMA “Click-nika” online clinic last Wednesday

 

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SBMA statement on imported wastes discovered at Subic Bay Freeport

Last Saturday, October 17, 2020, the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Subic raised an alert over two shipments consisting of 30 container vans declared to be containing old corrugated cartons for re-pulping. The shipments were transported from the United States via the container ship Ever Lyric and consigned to Bataan 2020, Inc., a paper manufacturer with a mill in Samal, Bataan.

The alert was based on information from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that said shipments are suspected to be in violation of R.A. 10863, or An Act Modernizing the Customs and Tariff Administration, in relation to DERNR Administrative Order 2013-22 (Revised Procedures and Standards for the Management of Hazardous Wastes).

After initial examination of five container vans, BOC-Subic declared that “the shipment revealed prohibited waste materials which were illegally imported.” BOC-Subic said it will undertake further inventory “to ascertain the volume and actual contents of the shipment.”

As manager of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) vehemently denounces this apparent attempt to smuggle waste materials into the country and likewise deplores the use of the Subic Bay Freeport as a transit point for this illegal trade.  

It was just last year — on May 31, 2019 — that we successfully banished from our shores 69 garbage-laden containers from Canada, of which 67 had stayed here in Subic in their putrid condition for several years. We don’t want that sordid chapter in our history to happen again.

We join all concerned government agencies in vigilance against illegal importations and urge that those found involved in this unlawful activity be properly prosecuted.

We cannot, and should not, condone the dumping of wastes from any country into our shores.

WILMA T. EISMA

SBMA Chairman and Administrator

October 22, 2020

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