SBMA seeks to unlock Hanjin Subic’s corporate layers

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now seeking to untangle the interlocking layers of subsidiaries and subcontractors operating at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) in Subic as part of a plan to address occupational health and safety concerns.

A total of 19 fatal accidents have been recorded at the Hanjin shipyard since February 2007, leading the SBMA to issue several cease and desist orders (CDOs) and notices of violations (NOVs) against HHIC-Phil and some subcontractors.

However, Hanjin’s multi-layered corporate setup had so far frustrated Subic authorities in pinning down parties liable for injuries and deaths arising from the accidents, said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

“In most cases, investigations have pinned the blame on subcontractors who have committed safety lapses. But although we revoked the permits of those who were found liable for violations, safety lapses have become a recurring problem,” he lamented.

“We’re now trying to unlock this tangle of corporations within corporations at the Hanjin shipyard so we’d know exactly who to go after,” Arreza said.

Aside from this, he said the SBMA will implement a stricter registration process for new subsidiaries or subcontractors of HHIC, and follow on previous recommendations and requirements for compliance by HHIC, as well as its subsidiaries and subcontractors.

The SBMA also intends to file legal action against HHIC-Phil and its subsidiaries or subcontractors whose health and safety deficiencies had resulted in the injury or death of workers, Arreza said.

As of now, the SBMA is preparing a database showing an interlocking web of directors and shareholders of several HHIC subsidiaries and subcontractors, said lawyer Ramon Agregado, who is SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services.

According to Agregado, HHIC’s business model is premised on the division of its construction and manufacturing processes into distinct businesses, with the operations of each division undertaken by an HHIC subsidiary. Each HHIC subsidiary, in turn, engages several subcontractors and sub-subcontractors to perform the work.

Agregado said the layering of corporations results “in the insulation of the mother company, HHIC-Phil Inc., from liability arising from employee injury or death, or from collection cases by unpaid suppliers.”

“This structure also circumvents the security of tenure of employees, as employees could be transferred from one subcontractor to another before reaching regular status,” he added.

Agregado also said they have evidence suggesting that these subcontractors and sub-subcontractors, most of whom provide services solely to HHIC-Phil, “are also owned indirectly by either HHIC or by HHIC officials.”

“This type of business model has proven to be disadvantageous to workers and makes it more expedient for HHIC to evade regulatory controls,” he concluded.

Last week, SBMA officials vowed to pursue the prosecution of all parties found liable in the death of another worker Filipino worker on January 23, two days before a Korean foreman became the latest — and the 19th — fatality at the Hanjin facility.

Arreza said he has ordered the suspension of the Korean subcontractor whose operations led to the January 23 accident, but added that the SBMA is also looking into the contingent liability of Hanjin, because it is the general contractor of the shipyard.

SBMA records indicated that aside from the CDOs and NOVs issued to at least 14 erring subcontractors since February 2007, it has issued a seven-day cease and desist order on all Hanjin construction activities in June 2008, after a 52-year old worker was pinned to death by a wall kicker formwork.

The following month, the SBMA formed an 11-man monitoring team that included a safety officer accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The team conducted weekly monitoring activities at both the Hanjin shipyard and construction site.

In August last year, the SBMA also set up a satellite office at the Hanjin shipyard gate. This is staffed with personnel from the SBMA law enforcement department, labor center, and pass and ID department, who provided on-site labor assistance to workers, received worker complaints, and also prevented unauthorized access by employees of non-accredited subcontractors.

On December 16 last year, the SBMA also required Hanjin to establish an on-site Trauma Clinic to be staffed by medical and nursing personnel, and other technicians trained in emergency medicine, pre-hospital care, and basic and advanced cardiac life support. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Hanjin bus crashes barrier, 21 hurt

At least 21 workers at the Hanjin shipyard in Subic were hurt after their shuttle bus crashed a road barrier in Cawag, Subic, Zambales and fell down an embankment in the early morning rush to the worksite on Tuesday.

Miraculously, no one was killed in the accident — the first involving a shuttle bus ferrying workers to and from the shipyard, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said.

Police said the injured workers were brought to the San Marcelino District Hospital in Zambales.

However, four workers who were seriously hurt were subsequently transferred to St. Jude Hospital in Olongapo City for surgery, police added.

They were identified as Darwin Samabella, Joan Jade Guinto, Wilmer Fontillas, and Jaime Legaspina, employed at the Hanjin shipbuilding facility.

All the 21 injured came from Subic town, where they were picked up by the WPH shuttle bus.

WPH, which was contracted by Hanjin to ferry workers to and from the shipyard, operates a fleet of shuttle buses that picked up workers from various locations. The buses take the Cawag road that connects to the Zambales highway at Castillejos town.

Members of the SBMA fire and rescue team who were sent to the accident site said the bus fell down a relatively gentle slope and toppled sideways at the bottom of the embankment. However, no one was pinned by the vehicle, they added.

Initial investigation showed that the mishap occurred at about 6:50 a.m., when the WPH bus lost control while traversing a zigzag road in the Cawag area.

Police said the bus, which was carrying about 55 passengers, was racing with two other buses when the accident happened.

The bus driver, identified as Jerico Liego, survived the accident but reportedly fled the site before rescuers arrived.

Police said they are now coordinating with operators of the bus company to trace Liego and bring him in for investigation.

He will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting to multiple physical injuries, police added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: The wayward WPH shuttle bus after it was brought out of the crash site.

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SBMA Seaport posts 26.6% growth in 2008

Limping from the ban on the importation of used cars and the slowing global economy last year, the Subic seaport nevertheless finished 2008 with stellar performance as it surpassed target revenue collections by 21 percent and posted a 26.6 percent revenue growth over its 2007 record.

Retired Captain Perfecto Pascual, who heads the Seaport department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said actual collections by the Subic seaport amounted to P276.24 million versus the P228.21 target for 2008.

This was a record increase of 26.6 percent in seaport revenue compared to actual collections of P218.2 million in 2007, added Pascual.

Pascual said that 2008 could have been a disastrous year for the SBMA seaport, had not officials initiated fiscal reforms to override the effects of Executive Order (EO) No. 256 that banned the importation of used cars.

The Seaport department, he added, got off with a slow start, posting a 20 percent drop in revenues for the first quarter of 2008 compared to 2007.

"Historically, (the importations) brought in a significant income for Subic, but the ban consequently brought down ship calls and cargo. Then the global financial crisis hit us in the second half of the year, and this did not spare the shipping industry," Pascual related.

What saved the day for Subic, Pascual said, was the decision of the SBMA to modify its policy on vessel and cargo charges, including those levied on the Philippine Coastal Corp., whose exemption from paying said fees was cancelled by the SBMA in the fourth quarter of 2007.

This resulted in P3-million worth of additional revenue each month, he said..

Pascual added that the 2008 revenue upsurge was driven mainly by the updating of shipping fees being collected in the Port of Subic, and the April 2008 startup operation of the 300,000- TEU New Container Terminal (NCT-1), which rakes in some P4.3 million into the SBMA Seaport's coffers monthly.

He said the SBMA board also approved in April last year an increase in SBMA's share and cargo-handling fees, from 10 percent of the cargo handlers' gross income, to 15 percent.

This rate is still comparatively lower than those charged by other Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)-administered ports, Pascual said, pointing out that the Port of Manila collects 20 percent, while the Port of Cebu collects 15 percent and 22 percent for local and foreign cargoes, respectively.

However, Pascual said the economic slowdown that began last year left a 20 percent shortage on bulk/break-bulk cargoes as against 2007 records. Still, Hanjin Heavy Industries Inc.-Phil's continuous shipbuilding operations raised revenues for the importation of heavy equipment and steel products by 172 percent, he added.

According to the SBMA Seaport yearend report, total export and import transactions in Subic fell by 19.4 percent last year to a total of 29,730 from 36,451 in 2007.

Ship calls posted a modest 6.3 percent growth — 1,893 compared to 1,781 in 2007. Projection for 2009 is placed at 2,052, with total tonnage of 15 million.

Pascual said that because of the economic slowdown, Subic forecasts a smaller volume of containerized cargo this year, from a total of 29,370 TEUs last year to 28,551 TEUs.

In terms of non-containerized cargo, this year's forecast is 2.19 million metric tons, compared to the 2008 record of 1.87 million metric tons.

Despite the global economic downturn, the SBMA Seaport expects revenue of P316.3 million this year, compared to actual revenue collections of P276.24 million in 2008.

"We could turn this crisis into an opportunity for the Port of Subic," said Pascual, who noted that collections this January already amounted to P30 million, which is bigger than the record P29 million monthly collections made in July and August last year.

"The slowdown in the shipping industry, ironically, turns out good for the Port of Subic since shipping lines began to use Subic Bay as a place to lay by their vessels," Pascual explained.

As of last count, 22 vessels are laid up in Subic Bay to wait out the recession. The SBMA Seaport earns about P6 million monthly from these idle ships, he said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: A cargo vessel unloads containers at Subic's New Container Terminal-1

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Move to convert Subic as ‘mother port’ lauded

The move to convert Subic Bay as the country’s transshipment hub gained further momentum after businessmen and economic experts proposed that it be developed into a “mother port” to make the Philippines more competitive in the Asia-Pacific region.

Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), meanwhile, lauded the proposals, saying it reinforces the agency’s commitments to modernize the Subic sea port, which has posted a remarkable 26.6 percent growth last year despite the onset of recession.

“The picture of a modern, globally competitive and commercially viable Subic seaport gets clearer,” SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said in reaction to the proposals.

“More and more people realize Subic’s potential in catalyzing further growth in the country’s maritime logistics industry, and that’s great news for the SBMA,” he said.

Arreza added that the SBMA has earmarked $215 million to modernize its port and gear up for a greater role as a logistics and marine services hub. The program included the construction of two container terminal with a total capacity of 600,000 TEUs, and the rehabilitation of several U.S. Navy-built piers that are being turned into specialized ports for passenger and cruise ships, as well as for loading and unloading grains, fertilizers, oil and petroleum products, and other bulk cargoes.

“This clamor to make Subic a mother port, hopefully, should hasten the government plans for Subic,” Arreza said.

Both the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s biggest business group, have called for the development of Subic as a transshipment and logistics hub.

According to Meneleo Carlos, NCC Infrastructure Working Group champion, the NCC is now looking at the possibility of moving more cargo through Subic with the use of 50 to 80 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) barges that will carry cargo from Batangas, Cavite, Manila, and Bataan.

He said the use of the Subic Bay Freeport as mother port will result in faster shipment, lower cost, and more profits and jobs.

Carlos added that Subic is closer to most major sea lanes, so it would be easy for mother ships used in transshipment to pass by Subic and pick up cargoes for direct delivery to destinations like Europe.

“Shipment will be faster,” he said, pointing out that cargoes from the country won’t have to be transshipped anymore through Hong Kong or Singapore.

Meanwhile, moving goods between manufacturing centers in the country through water transport could prove to be more economical, provided that adequate systems for handling roll-on, roll-off (RORO) vessels are provided, Carlos added.

The announcement by NCC dovetailed with a call by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) to develop a transshipment and logistics hub spanning the ports of Batangas and Subic, which is connected to the air transportation complex at the Clark Freeport by the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx).

The PCCI said the proposed logistics center is needed to decongest cargo traffic in Manila ports, reduce the cost of doing business, and improve the competitiveness of the Philippines as a business destination.

At the same time, PCCI officials urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to expand roll-on, roll-off facilities in the country to reduce wharfage fees to trim transshipment costs for domestic and foreign-bound cargoes.

Similar cost-cutting measures have been endorsed by the NCC, which said that reduced port and shipping charges would make the Philippines more competitive globally. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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SBMA police bones up on shooting skills

Practice makes perfect. And it deters criminals, too.

Security personnel in this free port now look forward to better shooting skills, thanks to a championship-level marksmanship competition launched recently by the Law Enforcement Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA-LED).

The shooting contest, dubbed as the SBMA-LED General’s Cup, was launched on January 24 by retired Gen. Orlando Maddela, who now heads the security force in Subic. It will be held on a quarterly basis from now on, Maddela said.

A total of 108 officers from the different branches of the SBMA-LED joined the launch of the General’s Cup at the Zambales-Olongapo Pistol and Rifle Association (ZOFRA) shooting stable in Castillejos, Zambales.

For starters, the participants competed under the beginner’s category. Winners were determined based on “accuracy over time” point system.

Edu Grueso from the LED’s disaster management unit was declared champion after garnering 83.47 points. Second place went to Jeffrey Domingo of the LED’s administration section, who got 69.63 points; and the third was Ricardo Eligido, also from administration, with 66.83 points.

Completing the Top 10 shooters list were: Romeo Tolentino, port sentinel branch, with 53.79 points; Bong Grueso, special weapons and tactics, 47.71; Roderic Grueso, disaster management, 46.85; Jose Alquizar, patrol division, 45.83; Nomer Benitez, traffic, 45.08; Lourdesito Cabalo, special reaction, 44.46; and Jomar Ebardo, law enforcement academy, with 42.52 points.

The competition, Maddela said, follows rules of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), and aims to develop the individual character of each SBMA-LED personnel.

Maddela has urged all SBMA-LED officers to continually practice and participate in this exercise to hone their skills in reacting to every possible armed threat.

“When the officer has an intimate knowledge of his gun and knows his capability of using it — you have an effective police officer in the streets,” Maddela said.

He added that police visibility in Subic, which will now be complemented by dead-strike shooting accuracy, will further disappoint unlawful elements from pulling their tricks here.

“Security is one of the SBMA’s greatest assets — it draws in investors,” stressed Maddela, who became an avid shooter since he joined the Philippine Practical Shooting Association in 1981.

Maddela, who founded the Aurora Practical Shooting Association (APSA) during his term as police commander in the Aurora province, said he saw that shooting competitions develop self-confidence, boosts camaraderie, and relaxes stressed law enforcers.

“This is hitting many birds with one stone, so wherever I was assigned, I set up gun clubs,” he said.

“Know your men, know your enemy, and you will not fear a hundred battles,” he said, quoting a line from Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO CAPTION:
A member of the SBMA police hones his shooting skills.

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Subic locators struggle to stay afloat, join job-shedding club

BUSINESS locators at the Subic free port, particularly those in the manufacturing sector, are now digging in—cutting down on manpower costs, retooling operations to boost productivity and undertaking management reviews—all to fend off effects of the global recession.

Their cost-cutting measures, however, have already resulted in significant job losses, with 530 workers already retrenched and 4,365 placed on forced leave as of January 25, according to reports from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The SBMA update was the latest in a now-daily tally of shutdowns, retrenchments and other cost-cutting measures, often painful to workers, as Philippine businesses start feeling the impact of a global slowdown. Particularly hit were two key planks of the economy: the exports sector, specifically electronics, and the millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), whose remittances have shored up the country for decades.

The latest bad news in the last week came from Apex Mining in Mindanao, where 150 workers were retrenched; Panasonic, which is cutting 60 jobs in the Philippines as part of a job-slash program for Asia; Intel, which is closing down its Philippine plant in Cavite, laying off 1,800 people; and Texas Instruments, where nearly 400 workers lost their jobs.

On Wednesday, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque told dwIZ’s Karambola hosts that 18,000 workers had so far been laid off since December and nearly twice that number were affected by various forms of cost-cutting moves: reduced work week, reduced work hours and reduced operations.

At the Subic Free Port, industry sources said the continuing job displacement could affect almost half of the 14,500 workers now employed in the manufacturing sector, who make up close to 17 percent of Subic’s 87,500-strong workforce.

Nidec hard-hit

The most number of job casualties were from Nidec Subic Philippines, one of Subic’s consistent top 10 exporters in the last few years, which already laid off some 600 workers as early as November last year.

The firm, which supplies hard-disk drives and motors to clients like Toshiba, Fujitsu, Samsung and Hitachi, used to employ a total of 3,140 workers in three shifts, said company president Toshihiko Miyabe.

However, Nidec’s cumulative worldwide operations output—the firm also operates in an industrial park in Laguna—has declined from 18 million units in 2007 to about 16 or 17 million last year as demand fell, Miyabe said.

Like Nidec, other electronics firms are poised to let go of more workers in the next few months due to an expected 2.2-percent cutback in world electronic equipment production this year, said Ronnie Yambao, head of the SBMA Investment Processing Department.

Forced leave

Sanyo Denki Philippines Inc., which manufactures cooling fans for computers, ATM machines and power supply packs, previously hired 2,284 personnel who worked in three shifts at Subic.

Now 1,200 of its workers have been put on forced leave this month, after production fell from 1.8 million units in 2007 to about 1.2 million in 2008.

The firm’s president and CEO Toshio Shinohara also told the SBMA in December that layoffs are “imminent” for this company, which counts on customers like Intel, Dell and IBM.

Other electronics firms hurting

Another firm affected by recession is Philippine Inter Electronics Corp., which sells diode components to Sony, Toshiba, Nintendo and Panasonic. Yambao said that due to a 30-percent decline in customer demand, the Japanese manufacturer “will resort to reducing manpower by 10 percent.”

Even Wistron Infocomm, the giant Taiwanese computer maker which has consistently topped Subic’s exporters list, is set to retrench 420 workers in February.

In face of massive job cuts in the free port, the SBMA announced a rescue plan, where displaced workers would be “reintegrated” into the economy through alternative livelihood programs.

This will provide workers with safety nets that would include a networking scheme and access to training, livelihood programs and related assistance.

Seipi not shocked

AS reports of closures and layoffs in electronics and semiconductors companies are filed daily, the head of the industry group remained unfazed, saying the job losses are “normal and should be expected” because of the global downturn.

“If it is happening in the United States, Japan, Europe and China, then you should not be surprised if it also happens here. What is happening in the country is not any worse than anywhere else,” said Arthur Tan, director of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Inc.

An official of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines said the mining firms that have so far informed them of downsizing in operation and manpower are Atlas, Oceana and Platinum Group Metals Corp.

The official was surprised that Apex Mining was also affected because gold, the company’s output, is still commanding high prices in the world market at this time.

The BusinessMirror tried to get information from Panasonic Philippines but the company’s Filipino officials said they are “not in a position to say anything.”

Bloomberg, on the other hand, reported that Panasonic Philippine dry-cell batteries factory will lay off 60 workers. Tokyo-based spokesman Akira Kadota said the plant will be shut in March.

Layoff at Apex

Some 150 rank-and-file employees and managers were displaced by the manpower reduction program implemented by listed Apex Mining Co. Inc. at its Maco Mining Project in Compostela Valley, Mindanao.

In a statement to the stock exchange, Apex said the program was needed to “right-size its current personnel to sustain the economic viability of the mine project prelude to a full-swing productive operations.”

Majority of the expatriates have also been released, with only two remaining at the operation to finish their specialized technical work until they are replaced by their Filipino understudies.

OWWA aiding retrenched OFWs

Carmelita Dimzon, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head, reported that as of January 18, the recorded number of retrenched OFWs back in the country by the OWWA was 4,042; and Dimzon projects this will run to 5,000 by the end of January.

OWWA, she said, will be profiling and mapping the skills of the retrenched workers, in preparation for a microbusiness training and loan package to ease the unemployment status for the thousands losing their overseas jobs.

The agency has signed the memorandum of agreement on the Filipino Expatriate livelihood fund, whereby P100 million from the P11-billion OWWA fund will be committed for the purpose. Loans of as much as P50,000 are payable in 24 months at 5-percent interest.

The OWWA regional units have been given marching orders and will be ready to implement or disburse funds soon, Dimzon said.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) is also offering training in preparation for opportunities in critical emerging industries, according to Marilyn Necessito of Tesda-Cordillera. There is a focus on training for call centers, which according to Dimzon is still a viable work opportunity.

Dimzon also said the Department of Trade and Industry has a program for those retrenched workers who want to go into business. ( Henry Empeño w/ M. de Leon, H. Reyes, M. Guieb, Business Mirror)

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SBMA readies workers' rescue plan to mitigate recession effects

While the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) considers long-term strategies to mitigate the effects of the economic slowdown that primarily hit the manufacturing sector here, the agency is now preparing a re-integration program to provide safety nets to workers who might be displaced as a result of the global recession.

SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga said the Subic authority aims to provide laid-off workers with "lifesaver opportunities" that would include a network and access to training, livelihood programs and related assistance.

Among the training areas eyed for laid-off workers are agro-industry, small-scale enterprise, hospitality service, and short technical courses.

"We're doing this to make sure that the free port's human resources are not frozen while waiting for markets to bounce back," Salonga said.

"Filipinos are born survivors, but they still need assistance. And the SBMA will not hesitate to provide opportunities for our people, who have helped make Subic what it is today," Salonga added.

Salonga said the SBMA has begun a skills-set inventory of affected workers as early as last year when the effects of the credit crunch in the United States began to be felt globally.

Initial data from the study indicated that that most of the bigger electronics manufacturing firms here that supply electronic components to major brands like Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, IBM, Dell, Intel and Samsung, now expect significant cuts in market demand.

In turn, these companies could be expected to cut costs and reduce manpower, Salonga said.

Salonga added the Subic workers inventory will serve as basis for the development of training programs that the SBMA will implement in partnership with Technology Research Center (TRC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), and the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), which has successfully trained entrepreneurs under its "Go Negosyo" program.

He also said the SBMA is now raising a P1-million seed fund to jumpstart the re-integration program, including the setting up of an oversight committee, and the establishment of a "one-stop action center" at the Subic Bay Arts Center (SuBAC).

In particular, Salonga places much hope in the agro-industry and tourism sectors to be able to absorb most of the affected workers.

"We will be focusing on existing job markets, but we will also try to create new markets after studies show that they are feasible," said Salonga.

The new markets with potential in Subic include food processing, handicraft and novelty items, as well as spa services, he added.

Salonga also expressed hope that the Subic economy will survive the economic downturn.

"This recession is a cyclic phenomenon," he said. "Eventually, the global market will go up so the SBMA remains aggressive in keeping and boosting the competitive advantage of doing business in the Subic Bay Freeport." (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Subic exports hit $977.84-M in 2008

Despite the onset of global recession, manufacturing companies in this free port unexpectedly turned out exports worth $977.84 million last year, the biggest export total for Subic in the last six years.

Subic’s 2008 export volume represented a .63 percent increase over the $971.73 million export value recorded in 2007.

The slim gain in export production was attributed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to the free port’s electronics and maritime industries, which had held on to previous orders to deliver positive export figures last year.

“Our 10 biggest manufacturers provided the bulk of Subic’s exports in 2008 — a total of $849 million, which is roughly 87 percent,” said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

“I believe this is an achievement in itself,” Arreza added. “The fact that we did not turn out a negative figure last year despite the recession speaks so much of the resiliency of our business locators here.”

Arreza said two Subic exporters, the Taiwanese computer giant Wistron Infocom (Phils) Corp. and Hong Kong’s import-export firm Lets Do Mobile Philippines, contributed more than half of Subic’s $977.84 export total last year, with export production of $274.88 million and $234.5 million, respectively.

Two Japanese manufacturers, meanwhile, occupied the third and fourth slots among Subic’s top exporters: electrical machinery and appliance maker Sanyo Denki with $78.08 million, and ATM and cash register manufacturer Hitachi Terminals Mechatronics Phils. with $76.37million.

Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil), meanwhile, posted $61.74 million worth of exports to make it as Subic’s fifth biggest exporter last year.

The rest in the top 10 exporters list are: Japanese wood products manufacturer Juken Sangyo (Phils.) Corp., with $44.17 million worth of exports; Taiwanese lock maker Tong Lung Metal Industry, with $27.94 million; Taiwanese aircon manufacturer Hitachi, with $20.31 million; Japanese precision electronics motors producer Nidec Subic Phils. Corp., with $17.78 million; and Japanese electronics sensor maker Nicera Phils. Inc., with $13.26 million.

Last year’s export production was the biggest so far in the last six years, following a continuous slide since 2003 that culminated in a $691.14 million export value in 2006.

Subic exports began picking up in 2007 with a total of $971.73 million, followed by $977.84 million last year.

Importations by Subic Freeport companies, meanwhile, reached a total of $2.27 billion in 2008, with the bulk consigned also to some of the biggest exporters in Subic.

However, SBMA records as of October 2008 indicated that the biggest importer last year was PTT Philippines, which traded in petroleum products, with a total freight on board value of $465.25 million.

Next were HHIC-Phil, with $389.32 million; Lets Do Mobile, with $214.89 million; Wistron Infocom, with $187.84 million; and Korean firm Hanil Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd., with $174.32 million.

Another oil and petroleum products trader, Tri-Solid Movers Services, Inc., was the sixth biggest importer last year, with $65.08 million worth of imports.

This was followed by Sanyo Denki, with $38.42 million; Juken Sangyo, with $29.97 million; Hitachi Terminals, with $28.26 million; and Nidec Subic, with $26.86 million. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Senate probes Hanjin Subic deaths on Feb.4

The Senate committee on labor, employment and human resource development will begin on Feb. 4 the public hearings on the string of deaths of Filipino workers at a Korean-owned shipyard in Subic, Zambales, since 2006.

A memorandum by Labor Assistant Secretary Reydeluz Conferido said three officials of the Department of Labor and Employment are attending the first hearing called through Senate Resolution No. 807 authored by Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Dulce Estrella Gust, executive director of the Occupational Safety and Health Center; Ma. Brenda Villafuerte, director of the Bureau of Working Conditions; and Nathaniel Lacambra, DOLE director in Central Luzon, have been asked to shed light on work safety issues at the shipyard of the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc., Conferido’s memo showed.

The public hearing indicated that Cayetano had convinced the other senators to proceed with it despite a request by the Korean Ambassador to the Philippines not to hold one due to its “negative repercussions” on Korean investments.

There have been at least 19 work- or accident-related deaths on the site. Except for one, all the victims were Filipinos.The latest fatality, Korean foreman Choi Dong Baek, 51, was run over by a forklift operated by a Filipino worker identified as
Menti Dacanay.

Lacambra said he was ready to attend the hearing.But Hanjin, he said, had not allowed access to DOLE inspectors in the early stage of the project. (Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon Desk)

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SBMA cites 152,700 trees planted under Subic refo program

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials revealed that a continuing reforestation program by the agency has resulted in the massive replanting of trees in about 140 hectares of grasslands and barren slopes in this free port.

Calling the reforestation program "environmentalism in action, not in words", SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga said that concerted efforts by various stakeholders Subic has yielded a total of 152,713 new trees in forested areas here under the SBMA reforestation program.

"Laid out in a single row and 10 meters apart, these new trees would cover more than 1,500 kilometers, or about 16 times the whole length of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the longest tollway in the country," he said.

"This is one concrete proof of our environmental commitment here in Subic," he added.

Salonga said that the SBMA reforestation program has been a continuing activity since 1996, under the first SBMA chairman, now Sen. Richard Gordon.

"This has become a legacy project since then, with the SBMA, Subic business locators and civic groups from nearby communities doing their share in replanting grasslands and barren slopes in Subic," Salonga said.

The various groups had actually planted a total of 261,985 trees under the reforestation program. However, some trees died just before they reach three years — the minimum period before seedlings could survive without periodic care, Salonga said.

But even with a survival rate of just more than 58 percent, the 152,713 total number of surviving trees meant that close to 17,000 new trees become part of Subic's new growth forests each year, Salonga added.

The tree count under the reforestation program did not include trees planted by SBMA employees, students and business locators under the agency's annual tree-planting projects that are undertaken along major roads in Subic.

These would account for "another couple of thousands that had survived," Salonga said.

According to figures from the SBMA Ecology Center's Environmental Protection and Community Development Division (EPCDD), an average of more than 29,000 trees have been planted in Subic in the past nine years that reforestation projects were undertaken

The species planted included hardwood like narra and mahogany, as well as fruit trees like mango, cashew, avocado and jackfruit, and ornamentals like agoho and fire tree.

Most of these, Salonga said, have been planted by the Pastolan Forest Conservation Group (PFCG), which is composed of Aeta tribesmen from Subic's upland community of Pastolan.

"This group has become our spearhead in the reforestation effort in the Freeport zone," Salonga said. "After orienting them about the need to conserve forests, both to protect the environment and to create livelihood opportunities, our Aeta brothers have become indispensable as forest protectors."

EPCDD data showed that the Pastolan group had so far planted 102,100 seedlings since its creation in 2005. Of these, a total of 96,152 survived, giving the group's efforts a high survival rate of 94 percent.

Meanwhile, business locators or contractors with the most number of trees planted here included the First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corp., with a total of 15,998 surviving trees it had planted, or an 80 percent survival rate; Toyo Corp., with 13,332, also 80 percent survival; Shell Philippines, with 8,888; and construction firm A.M. Oreta, with a total of 6,888 surviving trees.

SBMA's reforestation efforts also received a big boost with the successful implementation of the "Adopt-a-Forest" program, which had so far yielded a total of 4,345 trees since it was initiated by the Ecology Center in 2005.

This program, which boasts a 100 percent survival rate, tapped Subic companies and various community groups to plant trees and maintain them for three years before turning them over to the SBMA.

Last December, Japanese computer parts maker Nidec Subic Phils., turned over its "adopted" mini forest to the SBMA, the first among the program participants to do so. Twelve other groups are scheduled to transfer their reforestation areas to the SBMA this year.

Salonga, who received Nidec's reforestation project on behalf of the SBMA, said the SBMA invites more business locators and civic groups to join the program.

"This is our brand of environmentalism here in Subic — action, not just words. I hope that more would join us in out effort to leave a green legacy in Subic," he added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO CAPTION: New-growth forests now thrive in most of the low-lying slopes of Mt. Sta. Rita in the Subic Bay Freeport under an SBMA reforestation program that has already covered 140 hectares. Photo shows a mini-forest of narra and some fruit trees jointly planted by the SBMA Public Relations Office and the Subic Bay Press Corps.

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Korean national dies in Hanjin shipyard accident

A Korean national was killed in an accident at the shipbuilding facility of Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) early on Sunday, after he was hit by a forklift while playing with a basketball during the midnight break time.

Initial information from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) identified the fatality as Choi Dong Baek, 51, who worked as a foreman for Greenbeach Power Corp., a subcontractor of HHIC-Phil.

According to SBMA investigators, Choi was run over by a forklift operated by a Filipino employee, who was identified as Menti Dacanay, a rigger working for Freeport I-Tech Corp., also a subcontracting firm.

The incident happened at about 12:50 a.m. at the facility's Assembly Shop C in an open area being used as a basketball court by workers during break time.

The victim was brought to a hospital in San Marcelino, Zambales, but he expired at about 1:30 a.m.

Investigators said Choi was playing with the ball, kicking it about like a soccer ball, when it rolled onto the path of the moving forklift.

The victim was trying to retrieve the ball, when he was hit, dragged and run-over by the forklift, SBMA investigators said.

Dacanay, who used the forklift to move away the basketball stand, was not licensed to drive the equipment, it was noted.

Pyeong Jong Yu, deputy managing director of HHIC-Phil, said Dacanay drove the equipment "without getting any instruction from either Korean or Filipino foremen."

"We are still trying to verify how he got the key of the unit, since the key should have been kept in the toolbox container," Yu added.

Choi's death was the 19th fatal accident so far to occur at the Hanjin shipbuilding facility in Subic's Redondo Peninsula, which had claimed its 18th Filipino victim only two days earlier.

Most of the accidents, or a total of 15, were construction-related, said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

Arreza immediately ordered a suspension of work at Assembly Shop C and told SBMA investigators to look at the circumstances surrounding the mishap, including the lighting conditions at the site.

Last Friday, Arreza also ordered the suspension of a Hanjin subcontractor, the Great Steel Construction, whose operations led to the fatal accident involving Raldon del Rosario, a 19-year old worker from Kalinga Apayao.

Arreza said earlier that the Subic authority will pursue the prosecution of all parties found liable in last Friday's accident, when an 800-kilogram curtain door assembly toppled during testing.

Del Rosario's co-worker, identified as Camalao Bochei, 24, and also from Kalinga Apayao, suffered leg injury in the same accident.

SBMA investigators said Del Rosario and Bochei were just passing by the assembly shop where Great Steel workers were installing and testing a rain curtain, when the chain holding the assembly reportedly broke, causing the metal base support to be detached.

"We're definitely taking action on this, and heads will roll," SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said on Friday as he announced the suspension of Great Steel Construction during a press conference held just a few hours after the accident.

"We will be firm, but fair," he vowed.

Arreza added that the SBMA is "also looking into the contingent liability of Hanjin, because it is the general contractor of the shipyard."

While emphasizing that Del Rosario's death had nothing to do with shipbuilding activity, Arreza said that this does not necessarily clear Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil), which operates the $1.7-billion shipyard here.

"We will push through with prosecuting all those who will be found liable," Arreza said.

He also said that the SBMA has recently issued two notices of violation to Hanjin after the SBMA noted in a safety inspection on January 6 that some workers in the shipyard did not have personal protective equipment (PPE), and that some work areas were dimly-lit and not well-ventilated.

HHIC's Yu, meanwhile, said that Great Steel Construction was to blame for the accident on Friday.

"As it is very clear that the incident was caused by either improper installation of chain block, or mechanical failure of some of its components, and no signage was installed by them thereon to prevent incidental use of it before completion of its installation, we will hold them (Great Steel Construction) responsible for the accident," Yu said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Senator urges probe into Hanjin accidents in Subic Bay Freeport

Sen. Pilar Juliana Cayetano on Friday urged the Senate to immediately look into the series of accidents at the construction sites of South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. at the Subic Bay Freeport.

Cayetano made the request after getting hold of a letter of Korean Ambassador Choi Joong Kyung to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile trying to dissuade the Senate from investigating the fatal accidents involving Hanjin.

Cayetano said the ambassador’s letter, dated Dec. 23, 2008, highlighted the virtues of Korean investments in the country despite the global economic slowdown.

But in another part of the letter, the ambassador mentioned that the possible Senate inquiry on the accidents at the Hanjin shipyard could have a negative effect not only on the company but on the Philippines as well.

"The policy implication of all its present actions have deep and far reaching effects within and beyond the boundaries of the Philippines, " read the letter, copies of which were distributed to reporters.

Latest victim

A total of 18 deaths at sprawling Hanjin shipbuilding facility have been reported, the latest of which happened on Friday at 8:30 a.m.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) identified the latest fatality as Raldon del Rosario, 19, from Kalinga province, an employee of Redondo I-Tech Corp. He died of massive head injuries. Another worker, Camalao Bochie, 24, also from Kalinga, suffered leg injuries. Both victims were taken to St. Jude Hospital in Olongapo City, where Del Rosario was declared dead on arrival.

Initial reports released by the SBMA said the victims were pinned down by the metal base of a newly installed manual canvass door that fell at one of the assembly facilities of Hanjin.

Workers of Great Steel Con, a subcontractor of Hanjin, were testing the manual canvass door at around 8:30 a.m. when the accident happened, the SBMA said.

Last year, government regulators ordered Hanjin to stop its operations in its one of its assembly shops after an 8-ton girder assembly being lifted by a crane fatally struck a worker at the back of his head.

Work, however, resumed as the company assured that all safety measures were being undertaken.

Repercussions

In his letter, the Korean ambassador warned that Hanjin may find it difficult to secure overseas financing in case there would be any shadow cast on its credibility as a result of the investigation.

He said overseas competitors of Hanjin might also feel relieved not to follow Hanjin's pioneering into the Philippines.

Competitors might also find an opportunity in the company's misfortune and seize the chance to eliminate it.

Cayetano asked why the Korean ambassador would stop the investigation when "there is nothing to hide."

"The normal reaction would be telling the investigating body to go ahead with the probe and use the forum to air its side," Cayetano told reporters.

Regrettable, misplaced

She said she finds the ambassador's letter as both regrettable and misplaced. "Are we now to be told by a representative of a foreign country what we should and should not inquire into as a national lawmaking body, and even be threatened by 'deep and far reaching effects within and beyond the boundaries of the Philippines'?" Cayetano said.

"Is it not our duty, as lawmakers of the land, to look into violations and put in place measures to exact compliance?" She said she was not against the foreign investment or anything against the investments of Korean companies, adding that she was personally supportive of foreign investments that give the economy the necessary stimulus.

"Indeed, the government should create an atmosphere that encourages business and investments. But at the same time, laws aimed at protecting our people and our natural resources must be strictly complied with by all, whether Filipino or foreign investors," Cayetano said.

She further said the Senate should immediately investigate the construction activities at the project site before another Hanjin accident takes place.

"Let us not be dictated upon by the amount of investments by foreigners in the exercise of our official functions. We must stand up for our people and for our own laws. Let us remain true to our mandate as the Legislature, " Cayetano said. (Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV)

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SBMA on another fatal accident at Hanjin: ‘Heads will roll’

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it will pursue the prosecution of all parties found liable in the death of another worker at the Hanjin shipyard here on Friday, even as it suspended a subcontractor whose operations led to the fatal accident.

“We’re definitely taking action on this, and heads will roll,” SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said, as he announced the suspension of Great Steel Construction during a press conference held just a few hours after the accident.

“We will be firm, but fair,” he vowed.

Arreza ordered the suspension of Great Steel after an 11x5-meter curtain door that the firm was installing in one assembly shop fell on two shipyard workers.

Initial reports from SBMA investigators identified the fatality as Raldon del Rosario, 19 years old, and a resident of Kalinga Apayao, who suffered “massive head injury” as a result of the accident.

Another worker, identified as Camalao Bochei, 24, also from Kalinga Apayao, suffered leg injury and was brought to the St. Jude Hospital in Olongapo City for treatment.

Both Del Rosario and Bochei were hired only in November last year by Redondo I-Tech Corp., another Hanjin subcontractor.

SBMA investigators said the two victims were just passing by the assembly shop where Great Steel workers were installing a rain curtain when the accident happened at about 8:15 a.m.

At that time, Great Steel workers were reportedly testing the rain curtain – a huge manual canvass door with a metal base - by pulling the canvass up and down with a rigged chain and pulley.

However, the chain holding the door reportedly broke, causing the door’s metal base support to be detached.

The canvass door and its metal frame, which weighed a total of 800 kilograms, thereafter fell on the two victims.

Del Rosario is said to be the 18th fatality at the Hanjin shipyard since it began operations in 2006. Most of the fatal accidents, or a total of 15, occurred at construction sites worked at by various subcontractors.

But while emphasizing that the recent death “had nothing to do with shipbuilding activity”, Arreza added that this does not necessarily clear Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil), which operates the $1.7-billion shipyard here.

“The SBMA is also looking into the contingent liability of Hanjin, because it is the general contractor of the shipyard,” he said.

Arreza said he has also instructed the SBMA Legal Department to assist the families of the victims, even as the agency is investigating the incident fully.

“We will push through with prosecuting all those who will be found liable,” Arreza said.

He also said that SBMA safety personnel are now checking on all canvass doors installed by Great Steel Construction in the Hanjin facility to find out if the subcontractor had been using substandard materials in its projects.

Noting that there were no barriers nor warning signs that would have prevented the two victims from passing by the Great Steel worksite, Arreza said that as the general contractor, Hanjin should have enforced safety regulations in the area.

He also said that the SBMA has recently issued two notices of violation to Hanjin after the SBMA noted in a safety inspection on January 6 that some workers in the shipyard did not have personal protective equipment (PPE), and that some work areas were dimly-lit and not well-ventilated.

In a letter to the SBMA, meanwhile, HHIC-Phil deputy managing director Pyeong Jong Yu said the Hanjin subcontractor was to blame for the accident.

“As it is very clear that the incident was caused by either improper installation of chain block, or mechanical failure of some of its components, and no signage was installed by them thereon to prevent incidental use of it before completion of its installation, we will hold them (Great Steel Construction) responsible for the accident,” Yu said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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SBMA signs in 185 new investments, creates 13,321 more jobs in 2008

Investment and employment figures in this free port continued to soar in 2008 despite a slowing global economy, as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) approved a total of 185 new investment projects last year and increased the Subic workforce by 13,321 more workers.

Yearend reports from the SBMA Business Group indicated that investment projects grew by six percent last year, or from a total of 175 in 2007 to 185 in 2008. This brought a total of 1,147 approved projects in Subic as of the yearend with cumulative committed investments worth $5.75 billion.

The new projects, worth $249 million in committed investments, were mostly in the tourism, manufacturing and services sectors, which "historically employed the most number of workers in Subic," said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

He said the fresh investments are projected to add 6,260 more jobs to Subic's active workforce that, as of December 2008, already stood at a total of 87,502.

Arreza added that while last year's total value of investments significantly dropped from Subic's all-time records of $1.71 billion in 2007 and $1.44 billion in 2006, "Subic continued to attract some big-ticket projects, while remaining one of the biggest employers in the whole Central Luzon region."

Citing data from the SBMA Business Group, Arreza said the top 10 investments in 2008 was headlined by Subic Neocove Corp., a Korean-led consortium that pledged $175 million to build a high-end leisure facility at Subic's Cawag area, a short distance from the Hanjin shipyard.

Following Neocove is Hanil E & C Subic, Inc., with commitments of $11 million for medium to high-rise commercial residential buildings; Sultan Ahmed Lootah Enterprises Corp., with $6.72 million to manufacture corrugated cartons, sheets, rolls, paper cores, corner pads, trays and duplex boards; George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center, Inc., $6.58 million to operate a hospital, medical and nursing school, wellness center, and research center; and Hanafil Golf & tour, Inc., with $3 million as initial investments to operate golf, tour & other related recreational facilities.

The rest in the top 10 list are: boats and marine-related products manufacturer Australasia Marine Alliance Corp., with $2.32 million; Pacific Pearl Airways Aviation School, with $2.3 million for an aviation technical/ vocational school; Taiwan Cogeneration Corp.'s Subic Bay branch office, with $2 million to design and engineer power plant, transmission and substation projects; Palmgold Int'l Ltd., with $1.94 million for the importation of gaming equipment and operation of slot machine arcade; and Grand Pillar International Development, Inc., with $1.9 million for a real estate venture.

Arreza said the top 10 biggest projects alone made up 85.43 percent of the total committed investments approved by the SBMA Board last year. Foreign direct investments (FDIs), meanwhile, composed 90.74 percent of the $249-million total.

Most of the FDIs were pledged by Korean firms, with a total of 61 projects worth $201.8 million. Filipino firms, however, still placed second to Koreans in terms of total investments in 2008, followed by companies from the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Malaysia, Norway, United States of America, Pakistan, and Japan.

Meanwhile, Subic's active workforce, which increased by 18 percent from the 2007 record of 74,181 to 87,502 in 2008, was still dominated by those in the services sector, with a total of 36,203 workers as of the yearend.

Workers in the shipbuilding and marine-related services, however, were catching up in numbers over the last two years, and totaled 30,728 or 35 percent in 2008. A total of 14,545 or 17 percent were recorded in the manufacturing sector; 5,480 or six percent in the construction sector; while 546 or less than one percent were employed as domestic helpers or caretakers.

In terms of manpower distribution, Olongapo City still occupied the number one slot, with 32,620 or 37 percent of Subic's workforce in 2008; Bataan with 11,412 or 13 percent; Zambales with 19,578 or 22 percent; Pampanga, 2,942 or 3 percent; the National Capital Region, 4,289 or five percent; and Tarlac, with 2,220 or three percent.

Arreza also said that Subic's employment generation efforts, a well as its joint program with various agencies to reduce job-skills mismatch, have successfully provided more livelihood opportunities for residents of communities near the free port.

Data from the Department of Labor and Employment's Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (DOLE-BLES) showed that the total labor force in the entire Central Luzon region increased by 2.4 percent last year, from 3.4 million in 2007 to 3.5 million as of October 2008.

During the same period, unemployment rate in Central Luzon declined from 8.6 percent in 2007 to 8.1 percent last October.

Labor statistics also indicated that out of the 3.5 million workers in the region in October, only 226,135 or 6.5 percent are underemployed. Underemployment rate in the region decreased by one percent from 254,700 or 7.5 percent in 2007, giving Central Luzon the least underemployment rate among the 17 regions in the country. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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SBMA, Coast Guard firm up deal on maritime safety

Anticipating greater growth of the maritime industry within the Subic Bay Freeport, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has entered into an agreement with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to bolster maritime safety and safeguard the marine environment here.

In a simple ceremony recently, SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga and PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) sealing both parties’ commitments for maritime cooperation.

“It is very timely that this kind of cooperation between government agencies like the SBMA and the Coast Guard is made, as this will keep (Subic Bay) safe and encourage more investors to come to here,” Salonga said.

“As you can see, more and more shipping and transshipment activities are coming to Subic Bay and companies are bringing in their ships to Subic rather than to any other port in the country for repair and other maritime services,” he said.

Salonga said that with the assistance from the Philippine Coast Guard, the SBMA could strengthen its capability in maintaining a competitive shipping industry in the region.

“As you can see, more and more shipping and transshipment activities are seen in Subic Bay and companies are bringing in their ships to Subic than in any other ports in the country for repair and other maritime services,” he said.

Under the agreement, the Philippine Coast Guard will assist the SBMA and its Seaport, Law Enforcement, Ecology, and Maritime Affairs departments in enforcing maritime regulations in this free port.

These include conducting safety and maritime security inspections of all vessels plying the free port waters, safeguarding the marine environment and making periodic water testing, maintaining and developing navigational aid systems, and conducting search and rescue, harbor patrol, and oil spill response operations.

The SBMA-PCG agreement also provided for joint operations against all illegal activities at-sea within the Freeport zone.

For his part, Tamayo said that Coast Guard Station Subic, which is under Lt. Elizier Dalnay, will directly coordinate with the SBMA to ensure that all these undertakings are met.

“We will deploy some of our vessels in Subic Bay to assist the SBMA in implementing maritime safety and humanitarian operations within and in contiguous areas of Subic Freeport,” Tamayo also pledged after signing the agreement.

Tamayo and Dalnay also lauded the SBMA for “adopting” the PCG station in Subic and allowing the free use of a building near SBMA’s Boton Wharf as PCG detachment and quarters.

Salonga said that aside from these provisions, the SBMA will allot some space for the PCG to establish a training school, as well as a site for the planned PCG Academy.

The SBMA official also said the cooperation agreement with PCG is necessary because of the presence of big-ticket maritime investments in the Subic Bay area. These include shipyard operations by Korean shipbuilder Hanjin, ship repair facilities of Subic Dock inside the Freeport, and the Philippine Shipping and Engineering Company (Philseco), which is undergoing expansion in the nearby town of Subic, Zambales. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO CAPTION:
SBMA-Coast Guard Agreement: SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga (right) seals a cooperation agreement with PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo. The accord aims to boost maritime safety in the Subic Bay area and promote further growth of the maritime industry.

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Aboitiz suspends construction of 300MW coal

The intended construction of the 300-megawatt coal plant in Subic Bay, Zambales has been suspended by the Aboitiz Group and its partners.

Erramon Aboitiz, president and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Power Corp., said the decision on whether to push through or not with the development of the coal plant will be based on the review they will conduct.

"We have pushed back our notice to proceed further. We’ve decided to hold off and review it for the second quarter. We were hoping to start construction in the first quarter of the year," he said.

Aboitiz Power Corp. and Taiwan Cogen International Corp., a subsidiary of Taiwan Cogen Corp., jointly own Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc., operator of the proposed 300-MW coal plant that will utilize clean coal technology.

The planned 300-MW facility will be built on a leased Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority property near the Hanjin shipbuilding facility. The plant can utilize local and imported coal.

Mr. Aboitiz said the coal plant is estimated to cost up to US$500 million. "We will look at costing again because costs have come down. We will also review the demand in the Luzon grid...because if the growth is negative, we would probably think of delaying the project further," he said. (LDV/MSN, PNA)

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SBMA sees ‘win-win’ solution to Subic tree controversy

Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) are now looking forward to a “win-win” solution in the issue of the Ocean 9 hotel-casino project in this free port after Environment Secretary Lito Atienza on Wednesday debunked claims that trees have already been cut at the project site.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said the allegation that trees have been sacrificed to make way for the hotel-casino project “has sidelined most of us from more important work.”

“Now we should be able to come up with a solution that would be acceptable to all parties concerned,” Arreza said.

Arreza said the “win-win” solution would adhere to requirements and conditions to be imposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), while still giving the project proponent Grand Utopia, Inc. “enough reason to continue with its $120-million development project.”

Atienza, who met with SBMA officials and Grand Utopia representatives during an inspection of the project site on Wednesday, described the proposed hotel-casino as “a very good project” and noted that it would create more than 5,000 jobs when operational.

“Let’s work together for a win-win solution,” Atienza asked Ocean 9 executive managing director Louis Joong-Moon Choi during the inspection.

He suggested that the project should be redesigned to incorporate “mature trees” in the area, while saplings could be transferred to forest areas in the Freeport zone.

The retention of mature trees in the site “could even add ambiance to your project,” Atienza told Choi, adding that millions of dollars are being spent just to put trees in world-class tourism projects elsewhere.

Arreza said the SBMA agrees that the trees at the project site should be spared.

“This has been our position all along,” he stressed.

“The situation only took a turn for the worst when some critics began raising issues like century-old trees and tree massacre, which are all unfounded,” he added.

In his visit to the site, Atienza confirmed that there are no signs of tree-cutting and that only “mature”, not century-old, trees exist.

The same findings were made during a site visit last Saturday by a group of environmentalists and members of civic and religious groups led by the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP).

Sharing the same observations, Atienza said that reports about tree-cutting have been “exaggerated”. He also cautioned critics of the project “to stick with the truth”.

Fr. June Vic Diolata, ARSP executive vice secretary, meanwhile said that allegations on the Ocean 9 project by architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. “would have to be re-assessed” in the light of these findings.

Arreza said the SBMA considers the Ocean 9 project “a critical infrastructure” to complement the agency’s tourism development program, particularly in attracting foreign tourists and cruise ships to the area, especially under present global economic conditions.

“This is envisioned to transform the Subic waterfront and make it a world-class tourism destination,” Arreza said. “A lot is riding on this project – investments, jobs, and revenue, so the SBMA would like to ensure its viability as well as its acceptability,” he added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO CAPTION

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza (middle) confers with Grand Utopia executive managing director Louis Choong-Moon Choi (left) and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza during Atienza’s visit to the Ocean 9 hotel-casino project site. The environment czar proposed a “win-win” solution to resolve the environmental issue surrounding the site of the $120-million tourism project in the Subic Bay Freeport.

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Subic tree row: Atienza urges critics to stick to the truth

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza confirmed that no trees have been cut here to make way for the proposed Ocean 9 hotel-casino and urged critics of the project to stick to the truth.

Atienza inspected on Wednesday the controversial two-hectare site of the project, a week after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) took over the issuance of environmental permits in this free port from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

“They said that trees have been cut here, so where are those cut trees?” Atienza wondered aloud during his inspection.

“At this point, personally, I can see that no trees were cut and that is important,” the DENR chief said.

“It is very important that the whole country know that no trees were cut in SBMA up to now,” he added.

Atienza was accompanied in his inspection of the project site by SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, as well as some representatives of the project proponent Grand Utopia, Inc.

Atienza revoked last week a DENR agreement with the SBMA that allowed the latter to issue environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) for projects within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In revoking the agreement, Atienza noted that the SBMA has been taking criticisms lately because of allegations, notably by architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr., that some 300 trees would be destroyed to make way for the hotel-casino project.

But in his visit of the project site, Atienza noted that the trees remain intact, and that reports that century-old trees have been cut were exaggerated.

“If there were century-old trees here, we should be seeing them now; but there’s none,” Atienza said.

"This is a reclaimed area during the US Navy days and it’s impossible for century-old trees to be here," he added.

Atienza said that activism for the environment is good. “But, of course, we have to stick to reality and the truth,” he said.

Noting Palafox’s avowed passion for the environment, Atienza also said that he and Palafox “could work together.”

At the same time, Atienza directed DENR field officers to conduct tests at the project site to determine whether some trees have really been poisoned, as insinuated by Palafox and other critics of the project.

He said that results of the soil tests may be available after a week.

Atienza’s inspection came three days after some 200 environmentalists and members of religious and civic groups visited the project site to press the SBMA to save the trees.

But during the said visit, Fr. Jun Vic Diolata, executive vice-secretary of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), also confirmed that not one tree at the project site have been cut.

Diolata said after seeing the situation in the area that “all the allegations of Palafox will have to be assessed.”

During Atienza’s inspection, SBMA’s Salonga informed the DENR official that the SBMA has a continuing reforestation program to further enhance the environment in this free port.

“We have already planted about 170,000 seedlings since we assumed our positions here in the SBMA, and yet they are still accusing us of not loving trees,” Salonga said.

Atienza also expressed his appreciation with the SBMA after Salonga told him that since December 2 last year, the agency has frozen any work at the Ocean 9 construction site pending the issuance of ECC from the DENR. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Carriers parking their vessels in Subic Bay

International shipping lines have started to reduce the frequencies of their vessels going to and from the Philippines, and are parking some of their vessels in the ports of the country.

Perfecto Pascual, seaport manager of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said at least 12 vessels have already been parked in the free port since November last year, most of which are from ship agents Ben Line and BOW Marine Services Inc.

“International carriers started to temporarily park their vessels in the third quarter of the year and continue up to this time,” Pascual
said.

SBMA is charging $0.0174 per GRT (gross registered ton) per day for every vessel anchored along the territories of the free port on top of the one-time harbor fee of $0.06 per GRT per day. The rate for domestic vessels, on the other hand, is half of that price.

Shipping lines prefer to just park their vessels to reduce the cost as cargo volumes are on a steep downtrend since the third quarter last year due to the global recession.

Such move, however, has become a boon to local port authorities as they can still get a significant amount of revenues, even if cargo volumes are decreasing.

“Several other [ship] agents have expressed possibility of parking their vessels to Subic Bay if the shipping business continues to remain slow in the next weeks,”
Pascual said.

At the Port of Manila, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is also allocating spaces for the international lines to lay up their vessels until such time that the economic crisis winds down. (VG Cabuag, Business Mirror)

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Ocean Adventure undertakes P283-M expansion

Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. (SBMEI), the operator of the popular Ocean Adventure Marine Park here, announced on Tuesday that it will undertake a P283-million expansion program this year to develop an integrated world-class eco-tourism complex.

“The SBMEI is now in the midst of a major capital expansion program that will enhance the capacity of both our Ocean Adventure Marine Theme Park and Camayan Beach Resort and Hotel,” said company president John Corcoran.
The planned eco-tourism complex will offer amenities “not found elsewhere,” he added.

Corcoran said the Ocean Adventure Marine Park will have an all-new Sea Lion Stadium, with a sea lion holding and exhibits area that will allow underwater viewing for visitors.

“Additionally, there will be a new indoor multi-purpose theater, a new aviary exhibit area, an Ecology Theater which will feature educational terrestrial animal shows, and an Adventure Beach events area,” he said.

The marine park complex will also be enhanced with the planned Shady Grove Grill Restaurant, recreation and entertainment facilities for corporate and school groups, as well as new showers and changing rooms, he added.

Meanwhile, the nearby Camayan Beach Resort that SBMEI also operates will have a new 42-room “Sunset” wing that will offer guests with “incredible views of Ilanin Cove in Subic Bay,” Corcoran said.

The resort, which is also dive center accredited by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), will also be connected to the beach by a new boardwalk under the SBMEI expansion program, he added.

“Continuing (SBMEI’s) commitment to the environment, a second sewage treatment plant will be part of the expansion program,” Corcoran said.

SBMEI’s expansion program is scheduled to be completed within two years and will generate 160 jobs during the construction phase.

Meanwhile, 85 new jobs will be created once the new facilities become operational, Corcoran said.

Ultimately, he added, the Ocean Adventure integrated complex will also feature a retirement village, resort/vacation villas, spa, boutique specialty shops, and more eco-adventure facilities and animal exhibits.

Corcoran added that the SBMEI expansion program was made possible by the increasing popularity of the marine park and demand for its products.

He added that the company’s projected revenue increases and resulting bottom-line “will be strong even given current economic conditions.”

The Ocean Adventure’s popularity as a tourism attraction in Subic is expected to be further bolstered by a recent court decision clearing the marine animal show in the said theme park.

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and some environmental groups alleged in 2001 that the SBMEI violated Republic Act 8485, or the animal welfare act, for using dolphins, sea lions and false killer whales in various animal shows here.

However, the Court of Appeals said recently that the petition against the SBMEI was “devoid of merit.” (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Aeta tribe gets computer, scholarship grants from SBMA, BOI media

For members of the remote Kanawan Aeta community in Morong, Bataan, 2009 finally introduced them to the wonders of technology and the promise of better education as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) presented them on Monday a computer set and scholarship grants, among other gifts to uplift their socio-cultural condition.

The post-Christmas presents were received by Kanawan tribal chieftain Josefina Alejo from SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga, Administrator Armand Arreza, and Director Maria Angela Garcia, who represents Morong in the SBMA board.
The items included a computer set, a brand-new tricycle, and a DVD player and amplifier worth a total of P125,000.

Aside from these, Alejo also received from the SBMA a check worth P120,000 to cover scholarship grants for students from the Kanawan community.

“The past year was a very good one for all of us in Subic, and we closed 2008 with more than 85,000 workers in the free port’s workforce,” Arreza said.

“But the SBMA is not only counting the jobs to measure what it has done to the community. We are also concerned about the larger impact that SBMA and its partners are creating for the community,” he added.

Arreza said that the equipment donations given to Kanawan were solicited by the Board of Investments media pool in Manila.

He said the same group has also conducted assistance projects and gave donations recently to needy residents at the Pastolan Aeta community in the Subic Freeport, as well as in Augusuhin, Subic, Zambales.

For her part, the leader of the Aeta community thanked the SBMA for its continuous assistance to Kanawan and lauded the agency’s community relations projects initiated by the SBMA Public Relations Office.

“We are very thankful to the officials of SBMA, because while our community is in a very remote area, SBMA personnel continue to make a sacrifice in visiting us and helping improve our way of living,” Alejo said in Tagalog.

Sitio Kanawan is located more than six kilometers into the hinterlands of barangay Binaritan in Morong, Bataan. It is home to 84 families, most of them upland farmers and forest gatherers.

“Sa lugar po namin ay walang masakyan ang mga tao. Wala pong computer kaya walang marunong mag-computer sa amin, at wala ding television,” Alejo said.

She added that the computer set given to the village will help teachers assigned to the area in providing better education to children, as well as introduce Kanawan youth to modern technology.

The tricycle, meanwhile, will be a big help in moving things about in the hilly terrain of Kanawan, and during emergencies could also serve as ambulance, she added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO CAPTION: SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (right), Chairman Feliciano Salonga, and Director Maria Angela Garcia present the computer set, tricycle and scholarship grants donated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and members of the Board of Investments media pool. Kanawan tribal chieftain Josefina Alejo (third from left) received the donation.

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NGOs, religious groups reconsider Palafox claims on Subic trees

It pays to hear both sides of the story.

A visit to the site of the controversial Ocean 9 hotel-casino project here this weekend has prompted environmentalists, religious groups, and non-government organizations to reconsider accusations by architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. against the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The groups also pressed for a dialogue between the opposing camps to ferret out the truth about Palafox's allegations that the project would destroy more than 300 trees — a claim that the SBMA has disputed.

The site visit was organized by the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) and was joined by some 100 representatives from the Haribon Foundation, Kapatiran, Zambales Earth Savers, and students from De La Salle University, Adamson University, Assumption Academy in Bulacan, and Columban College in Olongapo City.

Fr. June Vic Diolata, AMRSP executive vice-secretary, said the visit provided "helpful" information that countered "serious" accusations by Palafox.

"All the allegations of Palafox will have to be assessed," Diolata said. "We hope we could see a dialogue between the two (parties)," he added.

The groups visited the project site on Saturday after hearing Palafox speak in a forum at the Columban College in Olongapo.

However, Palafox did not join the on-site site visit, wherein the visiting groups were escorted by SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

Ocean 9's managing executive director Louis Jong-Moon Choi was also at hand to welcome the visitors and respond to their queries.

He pointed out that Ocean 9 has been complying with all relevant laws, rules and regulations of the Philippines as far as the project is concerned, and that Palafox has never visited the project site.
As Arreza answered inquiries about the project, he also assured the visitors that the SBMA is open to a dialogue with Palafox.


"That was what we have been asking Palafox ever since — instead of his propagating malicious ideas against SBMA, just like what he did this morning," said Arreza.

"I can face him right now if only he has had the courage to come here," he added.

During the assembly at Columban College, Palafox , a former consultant who turned critic of the $120-milion hotel-casino project, said that "161 trees are dying in the area," and further implied that the trees could have been poisoned.

"You can kill trees simply with rock salt, or bulldozers can be used to shake the trees overnight — which can cause their death," Palafox added.

Arreza, however, laughed off Palafox's claims, saying that the project consultant-turned-critic might be referring to some narra trees, which naturally shed leaves in this season, making them appear lifeless.

The SBMA official even welcomed a proposal to test the soil for poison, adding that the visiting groups can conduct the test if they wanted to.

"Anyone can come here anytime. Just inform us so we can secure arrangements with the project proponent," said Arreza, who also ordered the SBMA police to guide the group's convoy of vehicles to the project site.

"We have nothing to hide here," he added.

Palafox also told the Olongapo assembly that the SBMA took advantage of the holidays to sneak cranes inside the project site.

Presenting slides which showed markings on trees that were made during the tree inventory undertaken by the SBMA Ecology Center last year, Palafox said that the trees "were marked like convicts lined up for execution."

But Arreza explained that the markings were made during the tree inventory and "precisely to ensure that not one tree is touched until the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is done with processing the project's environmental compliance certificate (ECC)."


As for the presence of cranes, which Palafox claimed are poised "to massacre the trees", Arreza said those were for soil testing, a necessary procedure to determine the integrity of the site, which was reclaimed from swamplands from the late 50s to the early 60s.

Fr. Diolata said that the visit confirmed that "the cranes were being used for soil testing only" and that "all of the trees are intact."

He added that the site visit "would enable everyone who participated here to come up with an objective opinion."

Meanwhile, an ARMSP member who asked not to be named, made it clear that the visiting groups were "in no way supporters of Palafox."

"We came here for the trees, and to find out the truth," the source said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO CAPTION:

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (right) fields inquiries on the Ocean 9 hotel-casino project during a visit to the project site by environmentalists, religious groups and non-government organizations. Arreza pointed out that contrary to claims by critics, the more than 300 trees in the project site remain intact to this day.

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SBMA ADMINISTRATOR AND CEO ARMAND C. ARREZA'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON REVOCATION OF DENR-SBMA MOA

"We respect the DENR's decision to revoke our Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with them and will cooperate fully with the Department in ensuring environmental compliance within the Freeport. We also wish to reiterate that the SBMA remains committed to the protection of the environment and will seek the DENR's reconsideration.

As far as our alleged plan to cut down trees to make way for a hotel-casino project is concerned, we welcome the DENR's stepping into the picture, as this would help us in making sure that Subic's environment is preserved amidst all the development that is taking place in the Freeport. This will also be an opportunity for us to clear ourselves of the negative insinuations levied against us.

At the same time, we wish to assure the public that all 366 trees at the project site remain intact to this day." (End of Statement)

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Subic sees modest growth despite global recession

Despite forecasts of an even grimmer economic picture this year as a compounded result of the global financial crisis in 2007, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it is optimistic of continued growth in “anchor industries” to keep the Subic Bay Freeport afloat even in turbulent waters.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said that the agency expects modest growth in Subic’s tourism, manufacturing and maritime sectors as these “are likely to defy the global slowdown due to their firm foothold in the market.”

These sectors, he explained, turned out the bulk of the P4.21 billion total investments that the SBMA approved in December 2008 — fresh infusions that Subic managed to secure even after the impact of the global financial meltdown began to sink in.

The new investments, Arreza said, brought total committed investments in Subic to $5.75 billion as of end-2008, and are expected to add at least 1,000 new jobs to Subic’s active work force of about 85,000.

In the short term, Arreza said that growth may be generally flat in 2009, especially for certain companies in the manufacturing sector.

“But in the long haul, we expect the tide to turn and eventually lead to recovery,” Arreza said.
“There should even be opportunities in the lean months, as some firms would shift production to more cost-competitive locations like Subic,” he added.

In particular, Arreza said the tourism industry in Subic should prove to be resilient amid the expected slowdown because of its own local market niche.

In addition, he said that the SBMA and Subic business locators are now tapping the foreign market to bring in more tourism revenue.

An example of the more enterprising firms, Arreza said, is Subic golf course operator Hanafil, which was scheduled to bring in on Monday night the first planeload of golf players from South Korea under its “golf junket” program.

Arreza added that Subic is also eyeing the still emerging but potentially huge Chinese tourist market, which is expected to reach 100 million by 2015, by building more facilities and adding to Subic’s repertoire of nature theme parks and adventure sports attractions.

He said that Ocean Adventure, one of the popular tourist draws in Subic, is expanding this year and will build a hotel at the nearby Camayan beach resort that it also operates.

Anticipating bigger tourist turnouts in Subic this year, Puregold Duty Free also embarked recently on a $50-million expansion program for its duty-free retailing business here, Arreza added.

In the logistics sector, Philip Morris will be putting up in Subic this year a P1-billion warehouse to expand its tobacco leaf supply hub for Southeast Asia. This facility is expected to accommodate up to 24,500 metric tons of tobacco leaves.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector is also expected to provide its share in Subic’s continued growth, as indicated by expansion projects for factories and construction of new production facilities worth over $25 million.

Several manufacturing firms in Subic, including Japanese ATM manufacturer Hitachi Terminals, Taiwanese lock maker Tong Lung and abrasives producer Tailin, are slated to build or start operating bigger facilities this year.

On the other hand, the maritime industry, headlined by shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines, is expected to continue boosting Subic’s revenue and employment generation programs by turning out 15 new container vessels this year.

The company had so far launched four 4,300-TEU container ships that cost around $60 million each from its Subic shipyard, and expects a faster pace of production in 2009 as its more than 15,000 Filipino workers become more familiar with the shipbuilding process.

“By and large, Subic’s core industries will see it through this economic slowdown,” Arreza said.

“Overall prospects may be dampened by some effects of the global crunch, but we expect modest gains — then possibly, full recovery in two to three years, as the new investment projects we signed in last year begin to kick off,” he added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO CAPTION:

NEW SUBIC INVESTORS: SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga (6th from left) and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (4th from right) pose with new investors, who are among the 34 business locators that signed investment contracts worth P4.21 billion with the SBMA last December.

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Int’l airline flies in 1st batch of Korean golfers to Subic

South Korea’s Jeju Airlines made its first chartered flight from its base in Seoul to this free port Monday night, flying in 174 Korean nationals who are out for a three-day “golf holiday” here.

The Korean golfers comprise the first batch of about 3,000 tourists from Korea who shall visit the Subic Bay Freeport until March under a “golf junket” program arranged by Hanafil, a Filipino-Korean firm that now operates Subic’s 18-hole golf course.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza said that two junket flights, with about 180 persons per flight, have been scheduled each week to land at the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA).

Arreza and SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga personally welcomed the golfers at the SBIA.

Arreza said he was happy now that the SBIA has resumed commercial operations after a year and a half of dormancy when Mandarin Airlines stopped its regular flights here.

“This maiden flight (of Jeju Airlines) demonstrates how important SBIA is to the free port,” he said, adding that the more than 24 scheduled golf junket flights would contribute about US$48-50 million to Subic’s income.

The junket flights program, which is an initiative of HanaTour, Korea’s largest tourism firm and mother company of Hanafil, “would certainly boost Subic’s tourism industry,” Arreza also said, noting that tour packages arranged by the organizers will bring the Korean golfers to other tourism attractions in Subic like beaches, forests, theme parks, recreational facilities, and duty-free shops.

HanaGolf president and CEO Jae Yeoul Kim, whose firm marketed the golf junket flights, said that these junket flights were just the initial result of their promotion of Subic in Korea.

He added that starting March this year, he expects regular tourist flights between Subic and Seoul.

“Subic is such an attractive place, and the main factor that draws tourists here is its secure environment,” Kim said.

He pointed out that 60 percent of tourist travels in Korea is being handled by HanaTour, which he said has an international network and is listed in the Korean Stock Exchange.

He added that with HanaTour’s network, Subic could be further promoted internationally.

“It would not be long before Subic would be recognized as a prime tourist destination among Koreans,” Kim said. “We have the power to do that,” he added.

Kim said they have arranged three tour packages for the visiting golfers: the golf package, which is a three-day, 8-hole golfing spree every morning and a visit to Subic attractions every afternoon; a free-to-do package, which has no fixed schedule; and a holiday tour package, which will become available once HanaGolf finishes its villa and condominium units in Subic.

Hanafil CEO Benjamin Defensor said meanwhile that the golf junket program would also help promote the SBIA as an entry point for international golfers and tourists.

“With this, Subic Bay will be the next big thing in tourism, especially since it has all the necessary infrastructure to support tourism growth,” Defensor said. “That is why our company is committed to developing the area,” he added.

According to Defensor, Hanafil has already renovated some parts of Subic’s 18-hole golf course and is now gearing up to construct additional nine holes.

On top of this, the company is currently finalizing plans to build a five-star hotel and luxury villas near the golf course at Subic’s Binictican area. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO CAPTION:

Korean golfers arrive at the Subic Bay International Airport under a “golf junket” program arranged by Hanafil, operator of the 18-hole golf course in Subic.

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Tailin of Taiwan shrugs off crisis, eyes Subic expansion

Tailin Abrasives (Subic) Corp. of Taiwan is scouting for a new site in the Subic Bay Freeport for its expansion plans as it remains confident that demand for its products will not slow down despite the global recession.

Charles Wu, company chairman, told reporters in a visit to Tailin’s headquarters in Taipei last month that exports prospects remained bright despite the worst financial crisis in the United States, which accounts for 30 percent of its exports.

The group designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of resin-bonded abrasive
products, such as cut-off and grinding discs, coated abrasives, flap disc, mounted points and conventional grinding discs. It sells its products through industrial distributors, original equipment manufacturers and hardware private label programs.

“The recession will have little impact on our exports since we produce highly specialized industrial products. Our production for 2009 is already paid for. We are also looking at tapping other export markets to ease the impact of the slowdown in the US market,” said Wu.

The company also exports 30 percent of total production to Asia, 25 percent to Australia and 10 percent to the European Union. Taiwan accounts for 5 percent of the output. (Elaine Ramos Alanguilan, Manila Standard Today)

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Sights and Sounds of New Year Celebration 09 in Subic Bay (link)

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