Subic tourism week focuses on diversity

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) kicked off the celebration of Tourism Week here on Monday with a smorgasbord of events that focus on the highly-diversified natural attractions here, as well as the unique culture of local inhabitants.

The week-long tourism celebration also features events aimed at fostering camaraderie among various tourism stakeholders in this free port, and promoting livelihood opportunities among local residents.

For the official opening of the Tourism Week, SBMA employees and other stakeholders in the local tourism industry gathered in front of the SBMA administration building, where Subic Bay’s iconic double-decker tourist buses and other vehicles duly-festooned with balloons and buntings began a motorcade that made the rounds of the Subic Bay Freeport.

SBMA deputy administrator for tourism Raul Marcelo said the SBMA has also scheduled job fairs, seminars and skills-building programs for hoteliers and restaurant owners, beach cleanups, tree-planting activities, and team-building events throughout the week-long observance.

Special programs like the Subic Bay tourism sports festival, and the Subic Bay familiarization tour that will give visitors glimpses into the unique facets of this former US military base, will also be held, said Marcelo.

“We want to create an awareness that the success of tourism here depends on many factors — caring for the environment, equipping the workforce, forging cooperation between stakeholders, and knowing intimately what Subic Bay has to offer,” he also said.

To give due emphasis to these factors that made Subic a popular tourism attraction, Marcelo said the line-up of events for the Tourism Week has been planned under the theme “Tourism Celebrating Diversity.”

“We are balancing the forward thrust of tourism with environmental and cultural sustainability,” Marcelo said in a briefing here.

“We are saying that this could be attained by tapping the greatest capability of man — the ability to foster social responsibility and forge cooperation to achieve goals,” he added.

The SBMA tourism chief explained that this is the strategy employed by the SBMA that has made Subic Bay a popular destination.

“Tourists are actually people who want to escape from their monotonous surroundings. They go to places that offer something different. The tourism industry, therefore, banks on diversity,” Marcelo said.

“This is the unique facet of Subic Bay; it is a destination with many destinations,” he added, citing this free port’s clean beaches, virgin tropical rainforests, zoos, theme parks, and other man-made facilities catering to audiences of all ages and persuasions.

Marcelo, who joined SBMA and Clark Development Corporation (CDC) officials in promoting the Subic-Clark corridor in Hong Kong last week, said that the Subic Bay tourism week also serves actually as a means to prepare the local tourism establishments “for more opportunities coming their way.”

The Subic Bay Freeport has enjoyed immense popularity as a tourism site where visitors can enjoy the best of both worlds — the raw excitement of forest and marine attractions amid the comfort and luxury of modern hotels and entertainment facilities.

Subic’s accessibility by land, air and sea also makes it an ideal place for vacation, sports events, corporate meetings and conventions, as well as for simple weekend breaks for families. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: Employees of a locator engage in the familiarization tour which is part of the SBMA’s tourism celebration aimed at fostering camaraderie among various tourism stakeholders in this free port, and promoting livelihood opportunities among local residents.

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Subic’s Ocean Adventure park gets 4 new dolphins

The highly popular Ocean Adventure marine park has recently acquired four more dolphins to boost the growing cast of marine animals featured in its open-water viewing facilities here.

The new arrivals — three female and one male Bottlenose dolphins — are the “new additions to our already exciting lineup of entertainment and activities,” said John Corcoran, director of the Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. (SBMEI), the company that operates the marine park and its sister facility, the Camayan Beach Resort & Hotel.

Ocean Adventure, which is now expanding its marine park and resort business at Subic’s Camayan beach area, is now home to trained dolphins, false killer whales, and sea lions that perform in a huge open-water habitat.

Under a permit approved by the Department of Agriculture, the four dolphins will be part of a cetacean breeding program “so that a stable and sustainable population of Bottlenose dolphins at Ocean Adventure may be achieved,” the SBMEI said in a statement.

The SBMEI added that the firm “has been extremely successful with its sea lion reproductive management program, as evidenced by the birth of three healthy sea lion pups this year.” A total of seven pups have been born at the marine park since 2001, it was learned.

The SBMEI added that the new dolphin arrivals will undergo a routine 30-day quarantine and acclimatization period before they are introduced to the existing dolphin population at the park.

Prior to their transfer here, the four dolphins have been living in an open-water facility in Japan, where they underwent some preliminary conditioning and training for the past two years.

Now, Ocean Adventure’s expert animal care and training staff “will enhance the animals’ development through their internationally-recognized positive reinforcement training techniques,” the SBMEI said.

Aside from being used in the SBMEI’s cetacean breeding program, the four dolphins will also be involved in shows at the Ocean Adventure park, which opened two new shows this month: “Rap, Jump and Roll Show” and “Walk on the Wild Side.”

The first show, presented at a new seaside stadium, features international trampoline performers, along with the park’s famous mascots and dancers; the second, which is shown at the new Eco Theater, presents animals of the forest, along with Aeta tribesmen who demonstrate jungle survival skills.

Earlier, SBMEI chairman and CEO Timothy Desmond announced that the firm has recently opened “Adventure Beach”, which is a special events beach for group outings and team-building activities.

The development of the new seaside stadium, the Eco Theater, and the Adventure beach are part of the company’s 10-year master plan designed to beef up the park’s extensive product line-up.

Desmond said the firm’s expansion “is evidence of our ongoing commitment to provide our guests with the very best in family entertainment.”

Under the expansion program, Ocean Adventure’s large open-water lagoons “will be expanded even more to provide one of the largest (marine) habitats in the world,” the SBMEI statement said.

A portion of the lagoon “will be dedicated exclusively to the dolphin reproductive management program,” the company added.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority deputy administrator for tourism Raul Marcelo welcomed Ocean Adventure's efforts to enhance its attractions and facilities.

"This will not only attract more tourists to the only marine theme park here, but also strengthen further Subic's position as a unique and wholesome tourist destination," Marcelo said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: An animal trainer makes dolphins perform at the Ocean Adventure marine park in the Subic Bay Freeport.

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Subic investments remain flat

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it expects investment pledges in the Freeport this year would be flat on the back of the global economic slowdown.

Armand Arreza, SBMA administrator, told reporters that there have been several projects in the Subic Freeport zone that were delayed as a result of the global economic slowdown.

“Some projects have been postponed, but they were never cancelled,” he said.

But despite this, Arreza said SBMA will continue to market the freeport to interested investors.

“We will continue to build leads,” he said.

Last year, investment pledges with the SBMA reached $249 million, or roughly P12 billion. But it was way below the $1.71-billion worth of pledges the Freeport attracted in 2007.

SBMA has reported that investment commitments in the first quarter of this year reached about P1.5 billion, up by 13.6 percent year-on-year.

Arreza said he would lead a delegation to the cities of Shanghai and Suzhou in China next week to lure investors to Subic’s logistics, property development, and tourism sectors.

He also said the Freeport is ready to be a site for business process outsourcing (BPO) activities. Arreza said they have put in place the infrastructure, and a BPO facility will be ready by the end of this year.

Arreza said SBMA is currently in talks with two large call-center companies, and the agency is also looking at opportunities in the nonvoice segment.

At present, three BPO firms are located in Subic, he said. (Ben Arnold O. de Vera, Manila Times)

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EEI forms new unit

LISTED CONSTRUCTION firm EEI Corp. has set up a new unit to handle operations in Subic, documents submitted to regulators showed.

The new firm, named EEI Subic Corp. said it would engage in contracting and the specialty construction service business for property development and infrastructure firms.

The new firm has P100 million in authorized capital, P99.99 million of which were subscribed to by EEI. It paid for P89.99 million.

EEI Corp.’s profits from January to June rose by 15% to P291.62 million even as revenues were cut by more than a quarter to P3.31 billion amid a decline in local construction activity.

EEI had said it was cautiously confident of its near- to medium-term prospects despite the global economic slump.

The company had secured contracts and orders in Saudi Arabia. It also won several contracts in the first half, such as the 18-storey Acacia Grove condominium- hotel in Alabang, toll station work packages for the Public Works department, and an airport interchange. (BusinessWorld)

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SBMA approves US$57.74-M new investment projects

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently approved new investment projects worth a total of $57.74 million, as this free port continues to beat the odds of the global economic downturn and attract fresh capital infusion from both foreign and Filipino investors.

In ceremonies at the conference hall of the Subic Bay Development and Management Corp. on Wednesday, SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga and SBMA administrator Armand Arreza formally signed in 17 new projects in four different industry sectors here.

These included six new projects in leisure industry worth a total of $ 53.59 million, three in manufacturing and maritime with total investments of $1.3 million, three in general business at a total of $266,274, and five in logistics with a total of $2.57 million.

According to Arreza, the latest additions to Subic’s growing business community “only proves the resiliency of the Subic Bay Freeport in attracting new investors despite the global economic crisis.”

He added that as of August this year, 65 new accounts have been added by the agency to the list of investor firms here that totaled 948 at the end of 2008.

Arreza also said that most of the 17 new investment contracts were signed by new business locators, while a few were by existing Subic firms that opted to expand operations.

The biggest investment commitments in this latest batch of approved projects is the P2.5-billion (about $50 million) commitment by Ocean Nine Philkor, Inc., a South Korean firm involved in the development and operation of hotels, casinos and resorts.

The firm, under its short-term plan, will be renovating a hotel complex in Subic’s Cubi area to start its hotel and casino operation by January 2010, Ocean Nine manager Charles Kim said during the contract-signing ceremony.

The second biggest project in this batch is the P70-million construction of a four-story hotel and expansion of a dining facility by Innasia Corp., which operates Courtyard Inn in this free port. This is followed by the P50-million expansion of Puregold Duty Free (Subic) Corp., and the $1-million project of Lionair Subic Philippines, Inc. for the servicing and maintenance of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft here.

The new investors whose project proposals were approved by the SBMA under the leisure sector are: Aggressive North Developers, Inc., with P30 million for hotel and restaurant operation; Goltongne Subic, Corp., $368,333 for a restaurant and gift shop; Innasia, P70 million; LG Digital Plaza, Inc., P11.25 million for an authentic Ilonggo restaurant, wholesale and retail operations, and import/export services; Ocean Nine, P2.5 billion; and Puregold Duty Free, P50 million.

Under the manufacturing and maritime sector, the new projects are: Consummare, Inc., with $562,478 for the production of specialty wood products; Pacific Metal Works Corp., for steel fabrication; and Shang Min Construction Corp., $580,000 for trading of construction-related materials and equipment.

Under general business, the new locators are: Golden AI Trucking, with committed investments of $215,074; I Will Communicate, Inc., $30,000; and M&M Subic Bay Development Corp., $21,200.

Meanwhile, five new investments were approved under the logistics sector: Food Entrepreneur and Exporters of the Phil., with $470,000 for trading in grains and meat products; Lionair Subic, $1 million; Omni Aviation Corp., $700,000; Solutions Advancing Global Enterprise International Import-Export Corp., $300,000; and Subic Bay Merlion Trading, Inc., with P5 million for the transshipment of wines and liquors.

In the same occasion, SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga thanked the new business locators “for having confidence in the Subic Bay Freeport”, and vowed the agency’s full support and cooperation. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO:
SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga (3rd from right, second row) and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (7th from left, second row) join representatives of new investor-companies at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone after a mass contract-signing on Wednesday.

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Subic Freeport aims for new Chinese investments

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be promoting this free port as an investment site to companies based in China, as the agency intensifies its efforts to gain substantial investments despite the economic slowdown.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said Subic officials will be visiting the city of Suzhou in China next week in the hope of bagging more investments after fresh capital infusions from countries like South Korea and Taiwan seemed to be tapering off.

As of the latest SBMA record, investments by Chinese firms in the Subic Bay Freeport stood this year at only US$12.7 million, the sixth biggest in terms of nationality here.

Arreza said that while SBMA’s April 2009 tally showed that Korean firms still had the biggest investment commitments here at US$2.76 billion, Korea’s investment momentum in the manufacturing sector that was started by shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. in 2006 had significantly waned.

“So we’re looking for more diversified investments to cushion the effects of any economic downturn on the Freeport's revenue and employment generation efforts,” Arreza said.

He added that companies based in Suzhou, which is located just outside the financial capital of Shanghai, have recently diversified from industrial manufacturing to information technology and commercial development.

This makes Suzhou-based firms more attractive to the SBMA as the latter prepares the Subic Freeport for more investments in property development, tourism, logistics, and energy.

Arreza added that the SBMA is now adopting a “wait-and-see” attitude toward investments coming from Korea, Taiwan, and the Middle East, even as it seeks new markets like China.

Arreza also stressed that Subic’s financial performance this year had remained on the positive side, despite the delay in some scheduled investments here due to the global economic downturn.

“Investments would most likely be flat by the end of this year, but Subic’s revenue performance remains up,” Arreza said..

He attributed the continuing growth in revenue to investments approved by the SBMA from two years ago. “These are now being realized,” he added.

Likewise, Subic’s export production and job generation continued to gain, although only slightly, Arreza said, citing some Subic manufacturing firms that had actually expanded operations despite the recession.

In the first seven months of 2009, the SBMA also created about 2,000 new jobs, adding to the 86,000 total number of workers recorded at the end of 2008.

Arreza added that even at this slow rate, Subic would still have a total active workforce of about 90,000 by the end of 2009.

"By attracting new investments, especially in manufacturing, from Suzhou, we hope to generate even more new jobs here," he said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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SBMA chair urges Asian ports to explore new ways to gain growth

Citing the unprecedented growth in revenue at the Subic seaport despite the current economic slowdown, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Feliciano Salonga challenged Asian ports to find new opportunities amid the ongoing crisis.

Salonga, who opened the 11th general assembly of the International Network of Affiliated Ports (INAP) in Mokpo, South Korea as outgoing chairman, also underscored the importance of INAP’s strategic alliance, saying its policies and actions “impact on the entire maritime port industry of the Asia-Pacific region.”

“The (maritime) industry operates in a global environment and grows or shrinks proportionately with trade activities all over the world,” Salonga noted in his statement at the opening of the assembly.

“But the proverbial silver lining behind today’s economic slump is the fact that while every crisis is different, all crises have one thing in common – and that is, they all create opportunities, especially for those who can identify them and are ready to act,” he added.

Salonga said the Port of Subic, which had lately become a choice anchorage for international seagoing vessels waiting out the recession, provides a good example of how opportunities could be created out of “unfortunate events.”

He said collections from vessel lay-ups in Subic Bay, as well as wharfage fees on imported products brought Subic seaport’s revenue total in the first seven months this year to P319.73 million. This amount was P3.43 million more than the revenue target set by the SBMA for this year, and represented a 15.7 percent growth over the 2008 figures.

“Our port collection from these laid-up ships, along with other equally significant factors, has allowed our seaport operations to achieve its revenue targets for 2009, as early as July,” said Salonga.

“So, today’s economic crisis should not be any different – if we attack it with logical examination, passionate zeal and decisiveness,” he also told INAP members.

Salonga likewise exhorted members of the port network “to re-establish priorities by taking a fresh look at how to manage the fiscal and operational aspects of ports, where to find new revenue streams and, at the same time, control costs.”

At the same time, Salonga urged INAP members “to discuss how we can attract more ports to join INAP,” which, he said, had attracted only three new members in the last 11 years.

He said that by tackling these twin tasks, INAP could “manage to be heard and heeded as a formidable voice and authority in the industry”, especially since ports “remain critical to the financial health of most economies around the world.”

“We in INAP can definitely be part of the solution – if we do what we ought to do and do it well,” Salonga concluded...

This year’s INAP general assembly was hosted by the Mokpo Newport in South Korea. Last year, the INAP convention was held in this free port under the auspices of the SBMA.

Among the INAP officials who participated in this year’s assembly were: Choi Byeong-Soo - CEO of Mokpo Newport Co. Ltd., Angelo C. Verdan of the Cebu Port Authority, Priyath B. Wickrema of the Sri Lanka Port Authority, Masanao Ozaki of the Kochi Prefectural Government, Chang Dechuan of the Qingdao Port Authority, and Achmad Baroto of the Port of Tanjung Perak, Indonesia. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Low-cost airline to invest $US10-M for Subic operations

Pacific Pearl Airways (PPA), a private airline offering domestic and foreign chartered flights, has set up its home base at the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) here and said it plans to infuse US$10-million for its startup operations scheduled in December.

PPA president Kristoffer Jimenez said the airline will start with two advanced Boeing 737-200 jet planes capable of seating 114 passengers for international flights, and turboprop aircraft for initial domestic flights from here to Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, and Davao.

Local flight destinations will expand as PPA establishes its presence in the local airline industry, said Jimenez.

He added that PPA will be offering competitive rates without sacrificing quality service costs — an advantage that he said was made possible by tax incentives and other perks offered by this free port.

Jimenez also said that PPA will eliminate stop-over hassles with its direct flights, enabling passengers to gain more savings and more quality holidays as it significantly cuts travel lag time.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza, who signed the memorandum of agreement with Jimenez last week, considered this latest investment here as proof of Subic Bay’s economic resiliency.

“What we have witnessed now proves that there’s still life after FedEx,” said Arreza, referring to the US courier giant which used this free port as its Asia-Pacific hub. Last February, FedEx transferred to China, where domestic cargo volume alone exceeds that of Asia.

Arreza said that being an international airport, the SBIA can host just about any kind of air transport requirements, singling out Subic’s cargo-sorting capability as its edge over other airports in the country today.

“We urge cargo airliners to start making their inquiries here at the SBIA this early, and see for themselves its complete cargo-sorting facility, and the Freeport advantages that made FedEx’s operation here successful,” said Arreza.

Arreza also said he expects more flights to and from Subic in the near future, as the SBMA aggressively promotes business and tourism establishments here.

To this, PPA’s Jimenez concurred, saying that Subic has a “very strategic location.”

“A lot of tourists come here — foreigners and locals alike. It is also a booming place in terms of businesses,” said Jimenez, who also called on interested applicants for pilots, cabin crew, and maintenance personnel to inquire at PPA’s office at the SBIA here.

Pearl Pacific Airways was organized in September 2006 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with necessary permits from the Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Air Transportation Office (ATO). (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Subic Freeport to train Filipino workers for Guam military build-up

Guam senators who met with officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Friday said Subic Bay would make an ideal training center for the thousands of Filipino workers needed in Guam, where the United States’ “greatest military build-up since the end of World War II” will be made.

Senators Judith Guthertz and Rory Respicio, who led the Guam delegation here, inspected the various skills-training facilities in this free port and urged the SBMA to form a Philippine delegation to Guam to expedite the setting up of the Subic Bay training center.

SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga, who led the SBMA receiving party, readily pledged his support on behalf of the SBMA, saying that “a Philippine representation will ensure that Filipino workers will get a first shot at this massive employment opportunity.”

“This project costs US$15-billion, and 20,000 foreign workers are needed. We must not let this opportunity slip from our hands,” said Salonga, who is keen on fulfilling SBMA’s mandate to maximize employment in the region.

The SBMA official said that through the Philippine representation, technical and legal requirements for the training center and various labor concerns, including the mass deployment of Filipino workers, will be addressed.

He added that the Philippine panel will also help ensure that the training center will adhere to standards set for the Guam project.

Guthertz, who chairs the Guam Committee on US Military Buildup and cites her University of the Philippines (UP) education, urged the to-be-formed Philippine representation to work out training designs with Guam’s community college.

She also expressed much confidence in the skill of Filipino workers, “who built Guam after the brutal World War II.”

Guthertz added that the “sudden change” in Guam compelled them to look up the history of Subic Bay, which underwent similar transformation as it was a former US naval base.

Meanwhile, Respicio, who heads the Guam Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the Philippines “will likely be the source of labor for the Guam buildup,” and ruled out competition from Chinese labor.

“You have the facilities here; the Philippines is poised to grab this opportunity, so you have to be prepared,” said Respicio.

The Guam mission then signed a memorandum of understanding with Salonga and SBMA administrator Arreza as an “expression of the mutual goal of the Philippines and Guam.”

“As we sign this MOU, we’re holding true to our pledge that we have an obligation as senators from Guam to ensure that foreign workers that will go to Guam will not be exploited,” said Respicio.

The Guam mission also met with Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary Marianito Roque, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Jennifer Manalili, Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) head Carmelita Dimzon, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director-general Augusto Syjuco.

The visit, according to Guthertz, was meant “to establish understanding, and to learn more about the Philippine process,” so that final agreements could soon be made for the Guam build-up that would relocate US troops stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

Guthertz said that major construction works are scheduled from 2010 to 2014, while proposed troop movement of 14,200 military personnel and their 38,070 dependents starts on 2012 and is scheduled to be completed by 2016. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (left) and SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga (second from right) sign an agreement with Guam senators Judith Guthertz and Rory Respicio for the training of Filipino workers needed in the island’s massive military build-up.

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Hanjin donates P.5-M building supplies to Botolan

Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) donated half a million worth of building and construction materials to the municipality of Botolan, Zambales, which was hit by massive flooding during the recent typhoon.

The materials are expected to help flood victims rebuild their homes, said officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who facilitated the turnover of the donations from Hanjin to the Zambales provincial government at the provincial capitol here.

Governor Amor Deloso, who had earlier asked for assistance on behalf of more than 2,000 families left homeless by the floods, received the first truckload of materials delivered by Hanjin.

The materials will include about 1,100 bags of cement, 800 corrugated G.I. sheets, and 10,500 pieces of concrete hollow blocks, said Taek Kyun Yoo, HHIC-Phil’s general manager for external trade, who supervised the turnover.

Yoo said that in the last couple of weeks, his company has also donated canned goods and other relief items to typhoon victims in Botolan.

However, “we deem that the canned and dry goods we earlier sent to Botolan are not enough because we also see the urgent need for the repair of houses destroyed by the typhoon. So the company decided to donate these construction and building materials,” Yoo added.

HHIC-Phil, which operates the $1.6-billion shipbuilding facility at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, has been enjoying continued growth despite the global economic crisis, Yoo also said during his meeting with Deloso.

The firm, which now builds some of the biggest ships in the word today, currently employs more than 18,000 workers, most of whom are from Zambales and other nearby communities, added Yoo.

“We are hoping that less typhoons will visit in the coming months, so that there will be no more damages to lives and property here,” he also said.

Aside from Hanjin, another Korean firm based in the Subic Bay Freeport had extended assistance to Botolan flood victims.

Neorex Philkor, which is into development of resort and entertainment facilities in Subic Freeport, delivered 800 bags of relief goods worth P200,000.

Neorex president Henry Park personally led the distribution of relief goods to evacuees housed at the Porac Elemenrary School and Bucao Elementary School, which still serve as evacuation centers for some 200 families in Botolan.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, meanwhile, has commended both HHIC-Phil and Neorex Philkor “for taking the initiative of being a good neighbor to local communities, especially in times of need.”

“These are gestures that not only build goodwill between neighbors,” Arreza remarked. “These initiatives, in fact, help save lives and bring hope to people who find themselves in desperate situations.”

“We hope that more business locators in Subic would find the time and the wherewithal to extend their help,” Arreza added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: Governor Amor Deloso (second from right) receives the first truckload of construction materials donated by the Subic Bay Freeport-based shipbuilder Hanjin. The donation, which was turned over by HHIC-Phil external trade manager Taek Kyun Yoo (second from left), is expected to benefit some 2,000 families affected by floods spawned by typhoon Kiko last month.

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Subic Aetas add technical know-how to jungle survival skills

Their renowned jungle survival instincts made them masters of Subic Bay’s virgin forests. But realizing that the “outside” world is much bigger than their forest homes, Subic Bay’s indigenous people are now pursuing technical skills training to enable them to survive in the lowlands.

Supported by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and various organizations, the Subic natives are seeking opportunities for training and employment, intent as they are in establishing their presence in this bustling free port, said SBMA deputy administrator for corporate communications Knette Fernando.

Last Thursday, Fernando lauded the efforts of 36 Aeta students from the remote areas of Pastolan and Kanawan in Bataan, who finished a professional housekeeping course — the first batch to do so at the GP Corporate Personality Enhancement Center in this free port.

Aside from Fernando, those who cheered on the new graduates at the Subic Bay Arts Center commencement rites were Bataan representative Herminia Roman, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce president Danny Piano, SBMA PRO manager Armie Llamas, GP Center director Gina Prohorrov, and relatives of the graduates.

Prohorrov said the 36 hardworking graduates underwent weekend trainings for four months, covering the aspects of cleaning standards, computer operation, conversational English, work value and etiquette, and customer service.

Among the Aeta students in this batch, 14 took and passed the assessment test of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), earning for them the NC2 certification that qualifies them for employment overseas, Prohorrov added.

“That translates to a 100% passing rate. The rest of the 36 were equally capable but, unfortunately, were not able to make it during the application for the exam because of heavy rains that day,” said Prohorrov.

However, while waiting for the next examinations, the graduates can apply for local employment, she added.

Rep. Roman, meanwhile, thanked the SBMA and Prohorrov “for giving my constituents the opportunity to rise above their present conditions,” adding that she approved of this SBMA-GP project that emphasized self-reliance by way of the “teach-a-man-how-to-fish” approach.

Roman said that she was so moved by the graduates’ testimonials that she vowed to construct and repair roads and bridges in the Pastolan-Kanawan area to improve logistics, and boost economic activities in the remote villages.

She also thanked the “good heart” of Prohorrov, whose GP Center shouldered all the graduates’ expenses in uniform, teambuilding activities, and educational materials.

In the same event, SBMA’s Fernando urged other organizations based in the Subic free port to emulate the example of GP Center.

She added that the SBMA needs more partners for its livelihood and community development programs for indigenous people in the Subic Bay area. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: Aeta students from the Pastolan and Kanawan villages in Bataan proudly pose for their class photo during the graduation rites for a professional housekeeping course at the Subic Bay Arts Center.

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Ocean 9 donates relief goods to Botolan flood victims

Still far from laying the first foundation for its planned multi-million dollar hotel in Subic Freeport, Ocean 9 Casino and Hotel Resort reached out to donate relief goods to victims of flash floods in lahar-stricken barangays in this town.

Ocean 9 is a US$120- million project, owned by Neorex Philkor Inc. and Grand Utopia Inc., which includes a three-story casino building and a 15-story hotel building to be constructed in the Freeport’s central business district.

Ocean 9 president Henry Park personally led Ocean 9 workers in delivering 800 bags of relief goods worth P200,000 to Porac Elemenrary School and Bucao Elementary School, which serve as evacuation centers for some 200 families.

Botolan Mayor Roger Yap, in the presence of Porac barangay chairman Nelio Angeles, DSWD-R3 staffs Arleen Aquino and Vencie Vertulfo, accepted the goods from Park and Ocean 9 vice president Arsenio Villanueva.

“We want the Filipino people to know that our company is here and ready to help them in times of need, like when disaster strikes their place,” Park said.

He also noted that Ocean 9 is also sponsoring scholarship grants to 20 students of Gordon College in Olongapo City. The grant has a guaranteed fund of US$1,000 a month from the company.

Mayor Yap, meanwhile, said that there are at least 6,500 people from more than 2,000 families whose houses and livelihood were destroyed by the flash flood last August 6, and who are still staying in the two evacuation centers. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: Subic Freeport locator Ocean 9 president Henry Park (center) hand over to Botolan mayor Roger Yap part of the 800 bags of relief goods for the victims of the flash flood that hit the town in early August.

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SBMA to lease out terminal for 4 years

THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has decided to just lease its New Container Terminal 2 (NCT-2) rather than put it up for bidding and risk another failed bid as a result of the current economic slump experienced worldwide.

SBMA seaport department strategic planning head Lynette de la Cruz said they had decided to lease the property to manufacturing firm Bechtel Corp. for the next four years in order to have some cash flow and pay for the loan used to develop the terminal.

“Bechtel will use NCT-2 as its hub for four years. By that time, we expect that the current financial crisis will be over, and we could generate enough interest from the international market for our terminal,” de la Cruz said.

“After the lease contract, we will immediately resume with the privatization of the port. But as of now, we are more concerned in paying up our loan,” de la Cruz added.

She said the said company will use the port, which has a capacity to handle up to 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units as its hub for its aluminum and electrical modules. The company will be paying SBMA about $1.10 per square meter per day.

She did not state the entire contract cost.

According to the original schedule as agreed upon by SBMA and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the procurement of the operator for the NCT-2 should not be later than the second quarter in 2008.

SBMA tried to privatize NCT-2 in April, but forced to declare it a failed bid. All of the four qualified bidders, which included Manila-based port operators Asian Terminals Inc.  International Container Terminal Services Inc., and Harbour Centre Port Terminals Inc. did not submit their respective bids due to economic reasons.

When fully privatized, SBMA placed the potential annual revenues for the port at $6 million.

The annual lease for the port, which has a lifespan of 50 years, will be enough to shoulder the $60-million loan from JBIC used to partly fund the project, it earlier said.

The government wants international shipping lines as the major operator for NCT-2 to ensure a strong cargo volume. According to the bid invitation sent out earlier by SBMA’s bids and awards committee, the contract will be for the operation, management and maintenance of the NCT-2 as a transshipment hub.

The said port, located in Cubi Point in Subic, has a 14-hectare container yard, a 280-meter -long wharf, two units of 53-ton-capacity quay gantry cranes, as well as other buildings, equipment and utilities. It can accommodate big container ships, including Panamax vessels. (VC Cabuag, Business Mirror Online)

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One-stop health and wellness center is Subic Bay’s newest attraction

Efforts to make Subic Bay a household name in medical tourism received a big boost recently, with the inauguration here of the George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center (GDMWC) on August 14.

No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated the one-stop medical and wellness facility, which is touted to be the first of its kind in Asia.

The US$30-million center is located inside Villa Amorosa, a self-contained health resort for retirees, medical practitioners and medical students in this free port.

The center, which includes a 100-bed tertiary hospital, is named after Commodore George Dewey of the US Navy, who liberated Subic Bay from the Spanish armada in July 1898. The whole facility is owned and operated by the George Dewey Medical College, Inc..

“The Center is our response — the Philippine response — to the challenge posed by our neighbors like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia for leadership in medical tourism,” said Dr. Carmen Dinglasan, president of GDMWC.

She added that the center targets to serve patients from Northern and Central Luzon, who previously had to endure long travel hours to Metro Manila or abroad to seek professional medical and health services.

Among the services the new facility provides are: cardiac surgery, joint and hip replacement, reconstructive surgery, corneal transplant, refractive surgery and multi-focal intraocular lens implantation, stem cell rejuvenation, sleep disorder therapy, transplant surgery, laboratory analysis, pain management, fertility clinic, and dental implants.

In addition, the GDMWC is a health resort for retirees. It also caters to persons seeking medical treatment or check-up, or those who have concerns about their well-being.

Dinglasan said the cost of medical care like these are a lot cheaper in the Philippines than in the United States, for example.

“So when they’re in Subic, patients can also enjoy long sabbaticals as tourists with their families,” she said.

Noting that there are now more foreigners who have made Subic their second home after investing here in various businesses, Dinglasan added that the GDMWC also hopes to cater to the expatriate community.

The entire facility is located inside the forest at Subic’s Upper Cubi area — a location that is said to be perfect for rest, taking medication, and strengthening one’s mind and body.

“A healthy environment is one factor that helps improve health, and George Dewey has this advantage,” Dinglasan added.

Aside from the GDMWC, other facilities that are now open at Villa Amorosa are the George Dewey Medical College; a gymnasium, which has separate saunas for male and female; and a chapel.

However, in the next 45 days, the complex will also open to the public a 72-bed retirement facility; a clubhouse for conferences, club meetings and socials; a mini mart, restaurants, mini-sports complex, and a mini-theater that can accommodate 500 guests.

Next year, the construction of a 500-unit condominium for retirees will also start, GDMWC officials said.

When fully completed, the Center will have all the amenities one would expect in world-class destinations, including facilities for sports, shopping, entertainment, leisure and business.

Meanwhile, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said that the project is in support to President Arroyo’s program on the promotion of greater health consciousness among Filipinos.

Arreza was among the personalities who accompanied the President in gracing the inauguration of the GDMWC. Others included SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga, GDMWC chairperson Winnie Monsod, Representatives Mitos Magsaysay and Carissa Coscolluela, and Sec. Eduardo Pamintuan of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council.

Arreza said that the new medical facility will benefit both local residents and foreign nationals temporarily living in various economic zones in Central and Northern Luzon, who can now easily access Subic via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

The SBMA official also noted that foreigners appreciate the way Filipinos take care of their elders, which is rarely practiced in other developed countries like Japan, the United States and Europe.

Likewise, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone has an edge in medical tourism because of its clean environment and high level of security, Arreza added.

Among the people behind the GDMWC are: Dr. Fe Hildalgo, former education undersecretary and now president of the George Dewey Medical College (GDMC); Dr. Ruby Cereneo, former dean at the Lyceum of the Philippines, now GDMC vice president for academic affairs; Rony Diaz, former Manila Times publisher, and former labor undersecretary; Winnie Monsod, former NEDA chief, now GDMWC chairperson; Dr. Manuel Chua Chiaco, a well-known heart surgeon from the Philippine Heart Center, now GDMWC medical director; and Jose Araullo, former chairman of the law firm Araullo, Punongbayan and Associates.

The GDMWC now employs 200 medical staff and health-related workers. It would need another 300 for its shopping areas, sports complex, restaurants and condominiums when they open in 2010. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Solons note improvement in Hanjin safety, but want more

Members of the House Committee on Labor and Employment have expressed appreciation for the implementation of work safety measures inside the Korean shipyard in Subic, but said they wanted to see more improvement in labor safety inside the facility.

Headed by its chairman Rep. Magtanggol Guinigundo (2nd District of Bulacan), the committee made an ocular inspection of the shipbuilding facility owned and operated by the Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC) in Subic’s Redondo Peninsula last Wednesday.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials, who accompanied the House delegation, said the lawmakers wanted to see for themselves how workers fared at the Hanjin facility.

“The ocular visit is in connection with the on-going committee hearing to determine how safe the facility is, and to evaluate the working conditions of the workers in the Hanjin shipyard,” Guinigundo said during the inspection.

Other committee members who joined the Hanjin inspection were: Representatives Carlos Padilla (Nueva Vizcaya), Joel Maglunsod (Anak Pawis party list), Mitos Magsaysay (Zambales 1st District), Rafael Mariano (Anak Pawis), Walden Bello (Akbayan party list), Edno Joson (Balane-Kampi), Rufus
Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro 2nd District), and Monico Puentavella (Bacolod).

The lawmakers were accompanied by Director Nathaniel Lacambra of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in Region III, Director Brenda Villafuerte of the DoLE’s Bureau of Working Conditions, and SBMA officials headed by senior deputy administrator Ramon Agregado.

The delegation was welcomed by HHIC general manager Taek Kyun Yoo, who briefed the visitors on Hanjin operations prior to the inspection tour.

According to SBMA records, a total of 19 fatal accidents have occurred in the shipyard since it started operations in 2006. The incidents had led SBMA and other government agencies to suspend Hanjin operations, as well as to blacklist some subcontractors, pending a review of safety measures at the shipyard.

During the briefing, Yoo told the congressmen that HHIC has been implementing health and safety measures that the House committee has recommended during previous hearings.

“We are happy to report to you that Hanjin Philippines is now 99.9% compliant in securing accreditation for all its health and safety personnel, and works towards the improvement of the working conditions of our workers,” he said.

Yoo also reported that the emergency clinic in the shipyard complex has been expanded to accommodate 20 beds and modern equipment, and now has four medical doctors.

The clinic is supported by an ambulance and three units of fast sea ambulances, he added.

Yoo likewise reported that the HHIC Board has approved an annual budget of P311,356,292 for the improvement of work conditions in the facility. This will also cover the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) such
gloves, shoes, over-all work suits, goggles, and helmets which are given free to workers, he added.

Rep. Bello noted, however, that despite the improvements in Hanjin’s labor safety, the implementation is still in the early stages.

“We are happy to hear and see the big improvement in the implementation of safety measures, but because they have just started doing this, there are lots more to do,” Bello added.

Rep. Magsaysay insisted, meanwhile, that despite the additional medical equipment and personnel, Hanjin should build its own hospital in the area so that full medical services would be available to the workers.

She added that doctors and nurses should be on duty at the facility on a 24-hour basis. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: Members of the House Committee on Labor and Employment (from left) Representatives Magtanggol Guinigundo, Mitos Magsaysay, and Rafael Mariano arrive at the Hanjin shipyard in the Subic Bay Freeport to inspect the firm’s compliance with labor safety standards.

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Gordon bill to expand Subic, Clark ecozones gains support

A proposal by Senator Richard Gordon to allow the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) to develop more economic zones in neighboring areas gained more adherents during committee deliberations on Wednesday.

Gordon, who heads the Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises, received assurances from concerned national government agencies, government corporations and local government units (LGUs) that they would support development thrusts in the Subic-Clark growth corridor as envisioned in Gordon’s bill.

The agencies included SBMA and CDC, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Department of Finance (DoF), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

Representatives from the provincial governments of Zambales and Bataan likewise attended the hearing and expressed support to the proposal.

According to Gordon, Senate Bill No. 143 seeks to maximize the vision of the Subic-Clark growth corridor to decongest Manila and open up more livelihood opportunities in areas between the Subic, Clark and Manila, as well as along the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx).

Gordon also said that by creating more special economic zones near the two free ports, the government could optimize the use of the three airports in Subic, Clark and Manila, the two seaports in Subic and Manila, and the connecting highway and railway in Luzon.

Agreeing to Gordon’s proposal, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza suggested that funds for the acquisition of lands for conversion into economic zones be sourced out from the 5 percent gross revenue tax collected by SBMA and CDC from their business locators.

“The challenge would be in the consolidation of the adjoining lands, and to spur the development of the prospective ecozones we shall need adequate funding,” Arreza said, pointing out that most of the lands along the SCTEX are already titled, based on a recent survey conducted by the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC).

Meanwhile, PNR chairman Mike Defensor commended Gordon for coming up with a proposal to hasten the development of the Subic-Clark growth corridor.

Defensor revealed that his agency will be starting the Northrail project next month to enhance the benefits of the SCTEx and encourage more trade and livelihood opportunities in the Central and Northern Luzon regions.

“We will support the development of more economic zones,” Defensor pledged.

He added that, in particular, the Northrail project will further boost existing means to transport commuters and products in the area.

In the same hearing, Gordon also brushed off concerns by representatives of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) that Gordon’s proposal would duplicate the PEZA law by creating another agency to oversee economic zones.

“This is not a territorial tug of war. What I want to see out of this bill is just development,” Gordon added.

Aside from getting their support, Gordon also asked the concerned agencies and LGUs represented in the hearing to form a technical working group to collate suggested measures for incorporation in the bill.

“We’ll put the bill on the floor in two weeks,” Gordon said.

Two other measures seeking to amend Republic Act No. 7227, otherwise known as the Bases Conversion and Development Authority Act of 1991, are under deliberation by Senate committees.

The bills, which both seek to expand revenue allocations from the sale, lease, joint ventures and other transactions involving military bases and reservations in the country, are authored respectively by senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodolfo Biazon. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Philip Morris starts phase 2 of P1-B Subic warehouse project

Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) has signed a 50-year lease agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), increasing the company’s investment here and paving the way for the construction of a P1-billion tobacco leaf regional warehouse.

In the lease agreement signed by SBMA administrator Armand Arreza and PMPMI managing director Christopher Nelson on Tuesday (Aug 18), PMMPI increased the total land area of its project here to 49,279 square meters, from the current 9,600-square meter warehouse it has refurbished when it started its Subic operation in 2007.

Once completed, the state-of-the-art warehouse will have a capacity to hold some 24,000 metric tons of tobacco. At present, the P30-million peso refurbished warehouse can only accommodate 6,100 metric tons.

Nelson said the new warehouse will boast of features like humidity control, fire suppression equipment, and air conditioning to handle the imported tobacco leaves from foreign suppliers, which will then be shipped and processed in cigarette manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

According to Arreza, the agreement, which extended PMPMI’s lease agreement to 50 years, "strengthens Subic Bay Freeport’s competitive posture as South East Asia’s logistics hub, as envisioned by President Arroyo."

He added that this free port’s multi-modal transport (air-land-sea) capabilities, world-class infrastructures, modern road networks, and tax incentives might have prompted PMPMI to sign an agreement that spans half a century.

"A global brand such as Phillip Morris would not make hasty decisions, which means the firm has really found Subic an enviable logistics hub," said Arreza.

Just recently, Subic scored another milestone in its thrust to become a leading logistics hub when a major cargo forwarder based in the United States established its North Luzon hub in this free port, Arreza added.

Nelson, for his part, said that PMPMI continued to expand since their establishment here in 2007 at the Subic Technopark, and even posted growth during the global economic slowdown which hit the country in the last quarter of 2008.

Nelson added that the warehouse expansion is "a reflection of our faith in the Philippine government, particularly the SBMA."

The PMPMI managing director also expressed confidence that the company will sustain profitability and competence against its competitors, despite the increasing competition in the tobacco industry.

"If you plan well ahead, and stay committed, this country will reward you in many ways," Nelson said.

He added that the 50-year lease extension is another expression of PMPMI’s gratefulness to the Filipino people.

"It may be difficult to get us, but once you have us, it would be difficult for us to leave you," said Nelson.

Also on Tuesday, Nelson and other PMPMI executives visited the Nellie E. Brown Elementary School in Olongapo City to turn over the PMPMI-sponsored "Proficient Measures for Quality Education" project, which would benefit five local public elementary schools.

This project, which PMPMI said will be replicated in other areas such as Bataan, provides access to curriculum-based TV programs through the Knowledge Channel, in partnership with the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: SBMA administrator Armand Arreza and PMPMI managing director Christopher Nelson sign an agreement expanding and extending the firm’s regional leaf tobacco warehouse project in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

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Historic past combines with modern present in Subic Bay festival

While a Hollywood-inspired parade spiced up this year’s “Karakol” festival in this free port, the original religious message of thanking Subic’s patron saint San Roque remains the core of the festivity.

In the street dancing activity that kicked off the Karakol celebration recently, characters from hit movies like “Grease,” “Sister Act,” “The Matrix” and “Moulin Rouge,” as well as Miss Universe “contestants” assembled at the San Roque chapel here, their attractive costumes lending color and fun to the otherwise sedate occasion.

The cast of Hollywood characters were actually employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and students of schools here, who donned well-prepared costumes and heavy make-up in an effort to please the crowd of tourists that looked forward to the annual Karakol festival.

However, the festivity has not abandoned its original religious purpose despite the modern elements, said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

Arreza said the modern celebration only reflects the Subic lifestyle, which he described as a merger of the past and the present.

“You can call this a strategy to catch the younger generation’s attention, so that they are introduced to their historical roots,” Arreza said.

“But that is just like icing on a cake. The celebration’s core message— the spiritual significance— remains unaltered,” he added.

Arreza noted that this “past-present strategy” is applied by the SBMA even in the physical development of the Subic Freeport, wherein modern facilities are being constructed to blend with historical landmarks that date back to Spanish and American periods.

Raul Marcelo, SBMA deputy administrator for tourism, said the Karakol festival is one of the most awaited events held annually at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

He said SBMA departments and business locators here took turns sponsoring the week-long mass offerings at the San Roque chapel, which was built for Spanish sailors and Filipino converts to Christianity during the 1800’s.

Enshrined in the chapel is an image of San Roque from Segovia, Spain, which was given as a gift to the people of Olongapo by a prominent resident of Cavite in 1905.

Marcelo added that while modern facilities mushroomed here in the past two decades, historical landmarks such as the San Roque chapel were preserved, thereby providing a venue for residents and visitors alike to trace the cultural roots of the Subic Bay area.

Aside from the San Roque chapel, other top historical attractions here are Tappan Park, the oldest park in the Subic Freeport-Olongapo area; the Spanish Gate, the main gate to the Naval Station built here by Spaniards; and the Admiral’s Guest House, which was built during the early American period.

These structures are all within the central business district of the Subic Bay Freeport and are now easily accessible to tourists.

Outside of the business district, historical attractions include the World War II-era battery installations at the Grande Island, as well as several shipwrecks at the bottom of the Subic Bay. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: Modern festivities blend with religious tradition in the Karakol Festival, which honors Subic Bay’s patron saint San Roque.

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SCADC consults building, zonal officers on SCTEX billboards

A business with no sign is a sign of no business.

For the development stakeholders of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), there is no better sign that they mean serious business than the panoramic view of the mountains, rivers and the countryside that they are seeking to preserve.

In keeping with its mandate to oversee and direct policy development, the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC) met with building and zoning officials of all the local government units along the expressway corridor for a consultation on the drafting of Additional Rules and Regulations (ARR) on Signs and Signboard Structures.

As presented by Director Teresito Tiotuyco of the SCADC Directorate for Utilities and Infrastructure, the proposed additional rules and regulations are further amplifications of Rule XX of Presidential Decree 1096, also known as the National Building Code of the Philippines, and Section 5 of Administrative Order No. 160. Specific provisions have been inserted to address the particular need to preserve the SCTEX panorama along the “view corridor,” that Clark-to-Subic segment that has been identified as most scenic by stakeholders.

The objective of the addenda is to keep the most scenic views of the expressway free from any advertising structure or signage, such as those currently found along the major highways of the country, more notably, EDSA. This would afford people the opportunity to behold nature’s beauty and rustic landscapes while travelling in comfort and safety. At the same time, it will be synchronized with the long term goal of transforming the corridor into a mega logistics hub that is competitively at par with the best in the Asia Pacific region.

However, locations will be identified where service providers can put up signs and structures according to specifications detailed in the ARR. Engr. Tiotuyco observed that in certain places, billboards may even help add to landscape aesthetics, and provide illumination as well for night drivers.

Aesthetics is not the only subject considered in the ARR. Mr. Audey Orleans of the Ads Standards Council gave an overview of their vetting process in approving advertising content. He said that community standards, discretion, truthfulness of claims and even size are taken into account for every advertisement submitted to them. He noted that giant billboards are of particular concern, because their size tends to amplify dimensions of images.

Commenting on the proposed additions, Director Emmanuel Cuntapay of the National Building Code Development Office stated that the SCADC initiative has moved the Department of Public Works and Highways to fast-track its move to formulate its Implementing Rules and Regulations covering billboards and signs along expressways and other similar thoroughfares. He also enjoined the officials to be always on the watch for violations of existing laws and regulations.

For its pro-active resolution totally prohibiting any construction or posting of advertising structure, the Sangguniang Bayan of Floridablanca was praised by resource speakers and attendees. Floridablanca lies within the “view corridor,” and boasts of the picturesque Palacol River.

SCADC is planning more future consultations as more issues are raised and consensus is built. According to Arch. Armando Alli, land utilization consultant, “this is an opportunity to plan the future with foresight. Having learned from our own sad experiences, and from the benchmarks set by other countries, we hope that the SCAD Corridor shall become a showcase of the Filipino’s capability to be the best.” (SCADC)

Photo Caption : Director Emmanuel Cuntapay of the National Building Code Development Office stresses a point during the SCADC Consultation Meeting on Signs and Signboard Structures held at the Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga last August 12, 2009.

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SBMA rescue team bags ‘Kalasag’ award

Preparedness and the willingness to respond to emergency calls at all times proved its worth for the rescue team of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), as it was conferred a special citation presented by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on August 12.

The SBMA Fire and Rescue Team received special recognition for being the “Best Support Organization/Institution” in the national level during the 2009 Gawad Kalasag awarding ceremony at the Malacañang Palace on Wednesday.

The awards, which are given out by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), recognize individuals, groups or institutions that have shown extraordinary courage, heroism, self-sacrifice, and bravery against all odds in times of emergencies and disasters.

Aside from the SBMA team, 57 other entities received the award from President Arroyo and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

NDCC executive officer Glenn Rabonza said that the special citation for SBMA recognized the Subic rescue team’s “invaluable services, competence and commitment in preparing for and responding to emergencies within and outside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.”

SBMA Fire Chief Ranny Magno, who received the Kalasag award with his team members, meanwhile shared the citation with the rest of the SBMA employees.

“This is not something that only the SBMA fire and rescue team should be proud of,” Magno said. “We earned this national award because of the support of everyone in the SBMA.”

Magno said his team has also received several commendations for various emergency responses and rescue missions made over the years.

On July 28, the Cordillera Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (CRDCC) recognized the SBMA team for its support in recovering and retrieving trapped miners at Itogon, Benguet, in September 2008. The award was presented by CRDCC regional director Olive Luces in Baguio City.

The SBMA team also received a certificate of appreciation from Director Neri Amparo of RDCC-3 for the same heroic acts in Benguet.

Magno recalled that after getting the emergency call from Baguio City in the afternoon of that fateful day in September, the SBMA rescue team was immediately organized that by midnight all were already heading for Baguio.

A few minutes after the team's arrival at the collapsed mine shaft, the operation to retrieve the trapped miners started. Before noon the following day, the team had retrieved the first miner, Magno said.

Meanwhile, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza gave the assurance that the SBMA will always be ready to send its fire and rescue teams anytime, anywhere to provide assistance and to save lives and properties.

“The SBMA also has a mandate to contribute to the development of neighboring communities, and that includes making sure that these communities are a safe place to live in,” Arreza said.

He said the latest emergency that the SBMA team responded to was in Botolan, Zambales, where floodwaters trapped hundreds of residents in 10 barangays after a lahar dike collapsed due to heavy rains from typhoon “Kiko.” (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno (left) presents an award received by the SBMA Fire and Rescue Team to SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

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Longboard lures visitors to Subic even during rainy season

The rainy season here actually draws more tourists, and the recent arrival of longboarding is expected to boost the number of visitors even more.

A variant of skateboarding also known as “sidewalk surfing,” longboarding is the latest addition to the extreme adventure sports being held in the free port.

“This is the latest adventure craze here in Subic during the rainy season,” said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) deputy administrator for tourism Raul Marcelo.

“In fact, some longboarders even love it more when faced with extreme weather conditions,” Marcelo added.

Longboarding, developed by skateboarders in the US who wanted to recreate the feeling of surfing and snowboarding on the street, was introduced here early this month at the former naval magazine area.

Longer boards with bigger wheels are supposed to be used for this sport, but participants in a recent event here simply used modified skateboards for better maneuverability on the makeshift short course that was lined with protective air bags and cushions.

It now joins the list of other sports that lure tourists, including rappelling, wall and rock-climbing, windsurfing, sailing, jet skiing, biking, diving, parasailing and auto racing.

“We have the forests, the bay and man-made structures that provide a myriad of challenges for those who hunger for the extreme experience,” Marcelo said.

“The great thing about adventure tourism is that even the rains cannot stop it. In fact, the inclement weather adds another dimension to the challenge,” he said.

“Because of this, you can spot thrill-seekers going to Subic on weekends even when there’s a typhoon,” Marcelo said. “That’s because they can still have fun here with their jet skis, surfboards, mountain bikes, skateboards and other sports gears.” (Henry Empeño, Business Mirror Correspondent)

IN PHOTO -- A Longboarding enthusiast test the turns and downhill stretches of the course at the former naval magazine area.

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SBMA grants P4 million to Subic fisher folks

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has extended P4 million in assistance to a fisher folk group here to jumpstart their livelihood and marine resources conservation programs in accordance with the sustainable development of the bay of Subic.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said the fund, which was created as a condition under the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued for the Subic Bay Port Development Project and the Hanjin shipbuilding venture here, will be spent on social and environmental activities that will balance the industrial thrust of this maritime port.

The Subic Bay Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council (SB-IFARMC), a non-government organization representing fishing associations and communities that rely mainly on Subic Bay’s marine resources, will receive the P4-million environmental guarantee fund.

“The fisher folks, who have been dependent on Subic Bay’s bounty even before the creation of the Subic Bay Freeport, will be the beneficiaries of this grant,” Arreza said.

“They may have been affected by restrictions imposed in Subic as the maritime sector boomed, but this grant proves that the SBMA also champions the interest of the fishing sector,” he added.

On Tuesday, Arreza and SB-IFARMC chairman Laureano Artagame signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) governing the terms and conditions of the P4-milion grant.

Artagame, who profusely thanked the SBMA for providing the assistance, said the fund will be spent mostly on building artificial reefs, as well as scholarship and livelihood programs for fisher folks.

Under the SB-IFARMC program, the SBMA will assist the group in the implementation of its projects, along with other government agencies like the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Arreza, meanwhile, assured the fishers group that while the Subic port modernization program and the Hanjin shipyard project are contributing much to the government’s revenue collection in Subic, the SBMA has not overlooked the importance of the fishing industry.

“That is why the SB-IFARMC was formed in 2002, as a result of the SBMA Ecology Center’s initiative to empower the fishing sector, as mandated under Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fishing Code of 1998,” Arreza said.

The SBMA chief explained that the formation of the SB-IFARMC was also aimed at coordinating the enforcement of fishery laws, and boosting the integrated and sustainable management of Subic Bay’s ecological values and marine resources.

“Organizing is the first step in social empowerment, and that is the first thing the SBMA did for the fisher folks here,” Arreza said. “And what better way to manage Subic’s marine ecosystem than to involve those who consider the sea as their lifeblood?”

In response, Artagame gave the assurance that the SB-IFAMC will immediately implement proposals from fishing communities, which have lain dormant for the most part due to lack of funding.

He added that the membership of SB-IFARMC has grown over the years to more than 3,000 fisher folks from the coastal communities of Zambales, Bataan and Olongapo City. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (left) signs an agreement with SB-IFARMC chairman Laureano Artagame for the release of a P4-million environmental guarantee fund to benefit fisher folks in the Subic Bay area.

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GMA inaugurates one-stop wellness center in Subic Bay

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inaugurate on Aug. 14 the George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center - the only one of its kind in the Philippines- located at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center is a 100-bed tertiary hospital owned and operated by the George Dewey Medical College, Inc., a 5-year old nursing college. It sits on a 12-hectare facility, perched on top of a hill surrounded by a lush forest.

"The Center is our response - the Philippine response-to the Challenge posed by our neighbors like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia for leadership in Medical tourism," Dr. Carmen Dinglasan, the George Dewey president said.

President Arroyo will lead a group of leaders from Olongapo City, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Guam and the medical community in the opening of the one-stop medical and wellness center.

Located at Villa Amorosa, Upper Cubi, inside the Freeport, the center has the potential to become a leader in medical tourism. Many of its medical staff were trained in the United States and Europe and are some of the best in their fields of specialization in the country. Many of the doctors are speakers in International conventions.

Because of its proximity to Central and Northern Luzon, the George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center can serve the medical and health needs of the residents from Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, parts of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, CagayanValley, Isabela, La Union, the Ilocos provinces and the Clark Economic Zone.

Some of is services include cardiac surgery; joint and hip replacement; reconstructive surgery; corneal transplant; refractive surgery and multi-focal intraocular lens implantation; stem cell rejuvenation; sleep disorder therapy; transplant surgery; laboratory analysis; pain management; fertility clinic and dental implants.

In addition, the Center is a health resort for retirees. It caters to persons seeking medical treatment, checkup or have concerns about their well-being. When fully developed, it will have boutique stores, mini-groceries, a sports complex, a 500-unit condominium, a business center, fine restaurants, coffee shops, a conference center and places of worship for people of all beliefs.

Some of the people behind George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center are Dr. Fe Hidalgo (President George Dewey Medical College, former Undersecretary, Dept. of Education); Dr. Ruby Cereneo (VP for Academic affairs, George Dewey Medical College; former Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Lyceum of the Philippines; Rony Diaz (former publisher, The Manila Times, former Labor undersecretary and former chief of a regional program of the International Labor Organization based in Islamabad); Dr. Carmen N. Dinglasan (President, George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center and one of the two owners of Makati Eye Laser Center at the Fort); Ms. Winnie C. Monsod (former head of NEDA and the UP School of Economics. She is the George Dewey Medical and Welless Center chairperson) ; Dr. Manuel Chua Chiaco (Medical Director, George
Dewey Medical and Wellness Center, a well-known, highly respected heart surgeon from the Philippine Heart Center); and Jose Araullo (former chairman of the Araullo, Punongbayan and Associates).

George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center is part of Villa Amorosa, a self-contained health resort for retirees, medical practitioners and medical students. A $30 million medical- tourism project, it employs 200 medical staff and health-related workers and would need another 300 for its shopping areas, sports complex, restaurants and condominiums when they open in 2010. It is the first of its kind in the Philippines. (PIA)

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SBMA rescuers continue assisting Botolan evacuees

BOTOLAN, Zambales — The emergency response team of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), along with some medical staff, will remain in this town to assist evacuees whose numbers continue to rise days after floodwaters inundated 10 barangays here.

At the instruction of SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, who conferred with Botolan Mayor Rogelio Yap on Friday, the SBMA Rescue Team has set up its evacuation command post at the Porac Elementary School here.

Two doctors and some nurses were also stationed by the SBMA on 12-hour shifts at the said command post to augment two other doctors and some nurses sent there by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The SBMA medical team is backed up by an ambulance.

Arreza said the combined rescue and medical staff will stay in the area “for as long as the area is under a state of emergency,” referring to the declaration by Zambales Governor Amor Deloso on Friday..

The emergency unit has instructions to prioritize giving medical attention to women and children, as well as to provide noodles and bottled water to flood victims, Arreza added.

The SBMA’s emergency response team is composed of 14 rescue operators from the SBMA Fire Department, who were among the first to respond to calls for help from Botolan officials on Thursday, when a lahar dike protecting the municipality broke during heavy rains brought about by typhoon “Kiko.”

The team was later augmented by 25 rescue operators from the SBMA Law Enforcement Department, who brought in five rubber boats to evacuate residents from flooded areas.

Other rescuers who assisted in the evacuation were from the Philippine National Red Cross, Olongapo City Rescue Team, Philippine National Police, the Naval Education Training Command of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Army, and the Philippine Coast Guard-Subic Station.

According to Mayor Yap, the flooding was caused by the overflow of the Baquilan and Balin-Baquero rivers that both drain from the Mt. Pinatubo area.

The overflow destroyed a five-kilometer length of the San Juan lahar dike, thus sending floodwaters to 10 barangays in the municipality, he added.

The flood affected about 1,000 families who began evacuating to temporary shelters at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, Yap said.

Most of the flood victims were brought to evacuation centers at the Porac Elementary School and Bucao Elementary School, both in this town.

Arreza also said that lahar deposits from Mt. Pinatubo had collapsed the approach of the Bucao bridge, cutting off access from south Zambales to the Botolan town proper and five other municipalities in the north, including the capital town of Iba.

Gov. Deloso had reportedly ordered the construction of a temporary steel bridge to fill the gap. In the meantime, those who would like to go to northern parts of Zambales would have to take a roundabout route passing through Pangasinan, Arreza said.

In the meantime, Arreza said that the SBMA and the PNRC have set up a joint desk at the lobby of Bldg. 229, the main SBMA office in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Arreza said the agencies are soliciting donations in cash or kind to be delivered to Botolan flood victims. Prospective donors may arrange details with the SBMA at telephone numbers (047) 252-SBMA, added Arreza. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (right) confers with Botolan Mayor Rogelio Yap at the height of rescue operations on Friday.

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Subic seaport hits 2009 revenue target in 7 months

Revenue collections by the seaport department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in the first seven months have already exceeded the agency’s target for the entire 2009.

SBMA deputy administrator for operations Ferdinand Hernandez said collections from vessel lay-ups in Subic Bay, as well as wharfage fees on imported products boosted
seaport revenue to a total of P319.73 million, or P3.43 million more than the revenue target for this year.

The amount also represented a 15.7 percent growth over 2008 figures, Hernandez pointed out.

Comparative figures from the SBMA Seaport Department showed that from January to July, the SBMA collected P131.23 million in vessel charges, P91.67 million in cargo charges, P21.56 million in processing fees, P34.62 million in SBMA shares for port-related services, P35.6 million in leases and rentals, and P5 million in other charges.

These figures included a total of P68.3 million from fees paid by laid-up vessels, P39.8 million in wharfage fees on grains, wheat, fertilizer and rice, and P21.5 million in wharfage fees on imported petroleum products.

The P319.73-million collection from January to July 2009 was 169.7 percent more than the target for the same seven-month period, SBMA figures showed.

Because of the record collections, the SBMA Seaport Department has upgraded its 2009 target collection to P440.84 million, Hernandez said.

Hernandez said that despite the global economic slowdown, the SBMA Seaport Department “has consistently recorded banner revenues.”

“June 2009, which brought in P60.69 million is worth highlighting because it is the seaport’s highest monthly record thus far — ever since the SBMA was created in 1992,” he said.

“For the remaining quarters of 2009, it is a foregone conclusion that the targets will be surpassed,” Hernandez added.

Earlier, Subic seaport officials reported that the SBMA generated revenue worth P276.49 million from seaport operations in January to June 2009. This total also slightly surpassed the revenue posted during the 12-month period of 2008.

“This only goes to show that the SBMA is on the right track in its effort to market the Port of Subic to more shippers, importers, brokers and cargo forwarders,” said
Hernandez.

SBMA officials also attributed the record-breaking seaport figures to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s vision for Subic and the huge investments in infrastructure like the
Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), and the Subic Port Development.

“These have made the SBMA’s marketing strategies for the port very effective, thus enabling us to greatly enhance Subic’s performance as a logistics hub,” Hernandez also explained.

Meanwhile, SBMA seaport manager Perfecto Pascual disclosed that the SBMA’s goal-setting program has so far worked wonders for seaport operations.

Pascual said his department first made revenue forecasts in 2006, the same year when seaport income rose significantly, allowing the department to achieve 94.75 percent of its P201.46-million forecast. This was followed by a 93.54-percent completion of the P233.21-million forecast in 2007, and the chart-busting record of 121.05-percent in 2008 when Subic posted actual revenue of P276.24-million against a forecast of P228.2 million.

Pascual added that the monthly collections this year have surpassed all previous records since 1993 as the SBMA Seaport Department posted P37.62 million in January, P41.57 million in February, P51.01 million in March, P44.49 million in April, P41.07 million in May, P60.69 million in June, and P43.24 million in July. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Subic, Clark to harmonize business permit systems

The neighboring free ports of Subic and Clark will soon be utilizing a unified business permit system designed to further harmonize their business operations and facilitate the entry of more investments in the two economic zones.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza said the two free ports will start implementing the Subic-Clark Business Permit System in September this year.

The implementation of the harmonized system, Arreza said, was contained in a memorandum of agreement signed on July 22 by the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC), Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC), and the SBMA.

The agreement also called for, among others, a unified system for the issuance of Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption (CRTE), Permit to Operate (PTO), and other business permits, in compliance with RA 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.

Arreza said the harmonized Subic-Clark business system is part of a strategic program to propel the Philippine economy toward heightened global participation.

“It’s the most logical recourse — to complement each other and play on each other’s strengths, rather than remain as islands of autonomy and inefficiency,” he said.

“By complementing each other, Subic and Clark will have the best chances of ever becoming the two most progressive investment sites in the Philippines, as well as globally-competitive logistics and service hubs that President Arroyo has envisioned,” Arreza added.

Harmonized business operations would also enable Subic and Clark to capitalize on both their US military-built ports and newly-constructed facilities to bolster their bid for economic significance in the Asia-Pacific region, the SBMA official said.

Efforts to turn Subic and Clark into interdependent nodes of development in Central Luzon have been the focus of the SCADC, which is headed by Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan.

In August last year, the SCADC brokered the signing of an agreement and joint memorandum order between the SBMA, CDC, and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) for the harmonization of immigration, customs and quarantine (ICQ) procedures in Subic and Clark.

These documents institutionalized the National Single Windows program in the two free ports, and facilitated the implementation of Electronic Transit Admission Permit System (e-TAPS), an automated cargo clearance and releasing facility.

Last month, the SCADC also embarked on a 15-day economic mission to the United States to promote Subic and Clark as twin logistics hubs.

Arreza said the mission resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the SCADC, SBMA, CIAC, and the Southern California Logistics Airport Authority (SCLAA), and the move by US-based door-to-door cargo forwarder Atlas Shippers International to make Subic its hub for North Luzon operations.

The SCADC also conducted a forum on the Subic-Clark International Logistics Hub during the U.S. mission to drumbeat developments in the two free ports and promote their potentials in catering to the needs of the Asia-Pacific region.

Arreza noted that Subic and Clark previously operated as competing economic zones that boasted of contrasting strengths — a seaport for the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and an airport for the Clark Freeport.

However, the two free ports that are now connected by the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) “have realized that their diversity could provide a common strength that will define, focus and magnify their individual capacities,” he added.

With these complementation efforts, Subic and Clark are steadily moving towards combining their assets to become catalysts of development for Central Luzon and other parts of the country, Arreza said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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