Eisma confirms SBMA, Olongapo ‘on the same page’

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma confirmed that the neighboring communities of Olongapo City and Subic Bay Freeport continue working together to promote progress and development for their common stakeholders.

“We’re on the same page,” Eisma said on Friday, stressing that friendship and cooperation had long been the cornerstone of Subic-Olongapo relations.

“I believe that we have a shared mission, that we have to get our acts together despite some friction that crop up in the minutiae of operations, which is but normal between two separate entities that work in close proximity,” she added.

Eisma asserted this a day after Olongapo City Mayor Rolen “Len J” Paulino Jr., in an interview with Press Secretary Martin Andanar over Radyo Pilipinas, described a “symbiotic” relationship between Subic and Olongapo.

The mayor’s pronouncement belied charges made recently on social media that the SBMA lacked coordination with city officials on matters like Covid-19 control measures and that it was building a “wall” between the two communities.

In the said interview, Mayor Paulino stressed that the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Olongapo City have a mutually beneficial relationship and that coordination between the two entities has boosted the local economy.

“Actually, the relationship is very symbiotic; it’s mutual. Olongapo supplies manpower (to) the Subic Bay Freeport, and on the other hand, the Freeport is, of course, a major source of employment for Olongapo residents,” Paulino explained.

“It’s a big help, in addition to the business establishments here in Olongapo,” he added.

Paulino also told Andanar that the city government and SBMA had coordinated with each other in establishing health safety measures after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

“We continue to coordinate with each other to ensure the control of Covid transmission, so that we can also prevent business disruption. And, of course, when we ensure the continuity of business operations, we also ensure the financial security of our people,” he added.

Following this, Eisma said the SBMA will further initiate cooperation projects with Olongapo and other local government units near the Subic Bay Freeport to improve local response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is another common ground where we can pool our resources and contribute best practices so that we can balance health and economy, and together beat Covid-19,” Eisma said. “In fact, we have already agreed to regularly meet to discuss Covid-19 strategies.”

She also confirmed that the neighboring city is the biggest provider of workers in the Freeport, with a total of 58,957 as of June this year, or almost 43 percent of the Subic workforce. Because of this, Olongapo consistently receives the biggest revenue share from the SBMA among the eight beneficiary local government units contiguous to the Freeport, she added.

Eisma also put to rest the issue that the SBMA is building a wall to separate the Freeport from Olongapo, whose original Spanish-era settlement now comprises the Freeport’s central business district. She clarified that the agency is simply replacing the US Navy-era cyclone wire fence with concrete to avoid costly repairs.

“We are not building a wall to divide the Subic-Olongapo community. What we are actually doing is protecting the single biggest local asset that Olongapeños and other stakeholders in Zambales and Bataan have built and nurtured all through these years,” Eisma said.

“This is our legacy and it is our common task to protect it,” she added. (30)

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File photo show SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma and Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. during SBMA-LGU meetings before the Covid-19 pandemic

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SBMA approves cashless public buses for Subic Freeport

To further promote public health safety in face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has approved a cashless public transportation system in this premier Freeport.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency has recently given its go-signal for Autokid Truck Solutions to create a line of public utility buses that will utilize an automated fare collection system (AFCS) and be compliant with social-distancing rules as well.

“This is an innovative concept that fulfills a felt need in this time of the pandemic, so we’re going for it,” Eisma said.

“With this, we can minimize the dangers of virus transmission, thus creating a better environment for workers, residents and visitors in the Subic Freeport,” she added.

According to Autokid Subic Trading Corporation CEO Kevin McHale Yao, the proposed project would provide an efficient, environment-friendly, and safe and comfortable transportation for the public.

“Public transportation services (PTS) is a vital part of modern urban economies. An efficient PTS encourages passengers to use public services instead of private vehicles,” Yao said.

“This preference reduces traffic, air and noise pollution, and accident rate in cities,” he added.

Foremost among the features of the new system is the use of loadable payment cards that would preclude the need for passengers to carry cash for their bus fare.

Yao also stressed the added advantage of predictable travel time, as the firm would regularly deploy vehicles at a certain time period so that the public would know exactly when to expect the buses.

The company has proposed three bus routes in Subic’s Central Business District. One will be from Kalaklan Terminal to Main Gate Terminal and vice versa, another from Main Gate Terminal to Royal Duty Free and vice versa, and the third from Main Gate Terminal to Kalaklan to Royal Duty Free to Main Gate.

The proposed fares will be P25 per person for the first two routes, and P30 per person for the third route, which is longer.

The SBMA and the company are already discussing a dry-run of the routes for which the buses will be fielded to see how the plans would actually work out.

Yao also pointed out that Autokid will field environment-friendly buses that are Euro IV-compliant, using Yuchai engines. He added that the units will be equipped with comfortable seats, air-conditioning, a global positioning system (GPS), and closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) to ensure the safety of the riding public.

Following the approval of Autokid’s proposal last month, the SBMA had required the firm to register its fleet of motor vehicles and have its drivers accredited by the agency.

The SBMA and the company are already discussing a dry-run of the routes for which the buses will be fielded to see how the plans would actually work out. (MPD-SBMA)

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Autokid public utility buses using an automated fare collection system will soon see operation in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone

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SBMA frontliners get P22.73-M hazard pay for ECQ work

Workers in the frontline and essential services of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) received a total of P22.73 million in hazard pay for physically reporting for work assignments here during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the compensation was released under Administrative Order No. 26 dated March 23, 2020, which granted hazard pay to government employees and contract workers during the public health emergency at the amount of P500 per day per person.

The SBMA board of directors duly approved the release of the hazard pay based on recommendations of the management last August, Eisma added.

“Most of those who received significant amounts are security officers and firefighters, who were on field assignments at a time when most of our departments worked from home,” Eisma pointed out.

“The security officers enforced border controls, while the firefighters disinfected offices, facilities and public places to keep the Subic community safe,” she added.

According to the SBMA Finance Group, a total of 1,739 employees benefited from the release. These included 1,074 employees in plantilla positions, 550 workers engaged through contract of service, 101 personnel under government contracting, and 14 casual hires.

SBMA data indicated that plantilla employees received an average of P13,438 hazard pay, while contract workers got an average of P12,912.

Finance Group head Antonietta Sanqui said that under guidance from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the SBMA computed the hazard pay at P62.50 per hour from the P500 per-day government ceiling and applied this pro-rata to actual number of work hours based on daily time records.

The biggest amount went to two security officers, who each received P61,500. They logged in a total of 984 man-hours each since March 17 when the ECQ came into effect, and until May 31.

On the other hand, the smallest pay amounting to P131.25 went to 16 mostly office workers, who logged in just 2.1 hours at their workplaces during the ECQ.

Prior to the release of hazard pay, the SBMA Accounting Department reviewed the number of hours logged in by each personnel in the ECQ, computed the difference between Covid 19 hazard pay and the magna carta hazard pay received by public health workers, and deducted corresponding withholding taxes.

Under DBM guidelines, government employees such as public health workers and uniformed personnel who are already entitled to hazardous duty pay or hazard allowance may also receive the Covid-19 hazard pay, whichever is higher. (MPD-SBMA)

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Frontline service workers received the biggest hazard pay released by the SBMA for work during the ECQ

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59 hired on-the-spot in 1st SBMA virtual job fair

A total of 59 job applicants were hired right there and then by business locators during the first online job fair conducted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) last week.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said that more workers are expected to join the Subic Bay Freeport workforce, as business locators here continue interviewing prospective employees and processing job application of those who joined the recent three-day job fair.

According to data from the SBMA Labor Department, 50 of the 59 workers hired on the spot were taken in by Philippines Easepal Technology Corp., a manufacturer of sports and athletic goods, outdoor bags, and waterproof backpacks. The firm hired 25 female and 25 male workers on the spot.

The rest were hired by Strategic Channel for Career Development (SCCD) Corp., a manpower placement firm, which accepted seven applicants; and Sam’s Group of Companies, a food service business, which hired two.

As of now, 174 other applicants have been scheduled for interview by various companies, said Rommel Aquino, head of the SBMA Labor Department’s Manpower Services Division.

These include 20 applicants set for interview by Sam’s Group of Companies; five by SBDMC, Inc.; 53 by SCCD Corp.; 35 by Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal Services, Inc.; and 11 by FFP Concept Planning Solutions Corp.

Chairman Eisma said a total of 695 jobs were offered by 16 Subic Bay Freeport locators and 18 other companies.

Meanwhile, a total of 2,609 jobseekers were served during the three-day event, out of a total of 4,605 applicants who pre-registered for the job fair.

The three-day online job fair, which was conducted via video conferencing, was hailed as a game-changer in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic when face-to-face interaction is considered risky.

“Thank you for building this site. It's super easy to access and very helpful to applicants, while lessening the chance of spreading virus,” said Xyreile T. Gonzaga, an applicant from Olongapo City.

Marie Carilanda Francel Pamintuan, an applicant from Zambales, meanwhile observed that company representatives who received her virtual application during the job fair were very accommodating.  

“Congratulations for this initiative. In these times of crisis, putting up a job fair provides great hope to the unemployed,” Pamintuan added.

The virtual job fair was part of the National Tourism Week celebration here that was organized to promote Subic Bay in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and NLEX Corporation.

Other online activities during the weeklong program were a free web seminar on the “Filipino Brand of Excellence” and the “Subic Bay Got Talent” online singing competition. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA Labor Department staff monitor the conduct of the online job fair

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SBMA retains ISO seal for environment management

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has maintained its status as a duly-certified organization adhering to international standards in environmental management after hurdling an audit of operational systems early this month.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA retained its ISO 14001:2015 EMS certification after fulfilling all the environmental management system actions recommended by DQS Certification Phils., a third party certifying body.

“We have envisioned Subic Bay to be a leading eco-urban free port that is why we have consistently raised the bar in managing the environment, which is the core asset of Subic,” Eisma pointed out.

She said that an effective EMS is necessary to achieve enhanced environmental performance, meet compliance obligations, and fulfill environmental objectives.

“Getting more investments, and thus more job opportunities for the community, is always anchored on the fact that Subic is attractive as a location both for business and leisure. This is why an effective EMS is a necessary management tool for the SBMA,” Eisma added.

The ISO 14001:2015, which is the international standard for an effective environmental management system (EMS), specifies the requirements that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance and manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner to attain sustainability.

SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya dela Llana, who is also officer in charge of the SBMA Regulatory Group, said the ISO 14001:2015 is tied up with other management systems standards, such as ISO 9001:2015 or the Quality Management System, which the SBMA received in October 2018.

She said that in compliance with government health protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19, DQS conducted the surveillance audit remotely using on-line meet applications.

Dela Llana also noted that during the first surveillance audit in 2019, SBMA received two yellow ratings or commendable actions that exceeded requirements for compliance. In the second surveillance, SBMA got four yellow ratings.

She attributed one of the yellow ratings to the support of the top management for allocating budget and resources for the construction of the SBMA Hazardous Waste Facility.

She added that the SBMA management has fully supported efforts by the agency’s Total Quality Management (TQM) and Environment Management System- Technical Working Group (EMS-TWG) to achieve the ISO certification.

Aside from establishing EMS practices in all its offices, the SBMA has also spearheaded several environment-promotion programs like the semi-annual Recyclables Collecting Event wherein companies or individuals sell or donate recyclable items.

Other SBMA-initiated environment projects include the annual SBMA Arbor Day tree-planting, banning of single-use plastics and Styrofoam in work places, and anti-smoking campaign. (MPD-SBMA)

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Waste collection and recycling are part of the established environment management system in the Subic Bay Freeport

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SBMA virtual job fair keeps job-hunting safe under pandemic

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) launched on Monday a three-day virtual job fair to provide employment opportunities to job-seekers via video conferencing.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma the project is a game-changer as applicants can meet potential employers, fill up forms, and file application letters without leaving the safety of their homes.

A total of 16 Subic Bay Freeport locators, as well as 18 other companies, and two government agencies—the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Zambales—have joined the event to roll out a total of 695 jobs.

On the other hand, at least 3,670 job applicants have pre-registered as of last Saturday for the job fair scheduled via Google Meet on Sept. 21 to 23, at 8 am to 5 pm.

“This online jobs fair is an answer to the prayers of our people,” Eisma said in her message during the virtual opening program on Monday morning. “This is the first online jobs fair in Subic, and under the present circumstances, it will not be the last.”

“The pandemic also affects us here in Subic, but we are proud to say that we try to find solutions, to look for ways by which we can continue providing for our loved ones in these abnormal times,” she added.

Among the firms that offered jobs are: Tokiwa Subic Corp.; Subic Xin Hong Corp.; Sam's Group of Companies; Juan Fong Industrial Corp.; PA Support Subic Ltd. Inc./Play-Asia; Pactec Subic Bay Inc.; Materion Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Philippine Branch); Toyota Subic Inc.; Strategic Channel for Career Development (SCCD) Corporation; Subic Asia Pacific Marine Resources Inc.; Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal Services, Inc.; Uptimised Corporation; SBDMC, Inc.; Philippines Easepal Tech. Ltd Corp.; and FFP Concept Planning Solutions Corp.

Among the positions offered were: Quality control staff, warehouseman, loading clerk, nurse, accounting staff, chef, cook, kitchen staff, restaurant manager, marketing staff, sewer, pattern maker, customer service staff, sales representative, credit and collection staff, audit staff, mechanic/ welder, production operators and helpers, mechanical technician, painter, fabrication helper, human resources assistant, office aide, utility worker, finance manager, mason, architect, civil engineer, and driver.

The virtual job fair was part of the National Tourism Week celebration here that was organized  to promote Subic Bay in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and NLEX Corporation.

Other online activities during the weeklong program were a free web seminar on the “Filipino Brand of Excellence” to be conducted by DOT Region 3 office on Sept. 21-23; and the “Subic Bay Got Talent” online singing competition with elimination rounds on Sept. 22 and 23 and finals on Sept. 25. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA Labor Department personnel monitor the virtual job fair platform on Monday, as job applicants browse for job openings offered by Subic Bay Freeport locators and other project participants.

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SBMA to conduct virtual job fair Sept. 21-23

In keeping with safety protocols in these times of a pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be conducting for the first time a virtual job fair wherein jobseekers would meet potential employers via videoconferencing.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the virtual job fair will be held on Monday until Wednesday (Sept. 21 – 23), 8 am to 5 pm, by means of Google Meet.

She said that 16 Subic Bay Freeport locators, as well as 18 other companies, and two government agencies—the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Zambales—have joined the event to roll out a total of 695 jobs.

Among the firms that will open up positions are: Tokiwa Subic Corp.; Subic Xin Hong Corp.; Sam's Group of Companies; Juan Fong Industrial Corp.; PA Support Subic Ltd. Inc./Play-Asia; Pactec Subic Bay Inc.; Materion Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Philippine Branch); Toyota Subic Inc.; Strategic Channel for Career Development (SCCD) Corporation; Subic Asia Pacific Marine Resources Inc.; Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal Services, Inc.; Uptimised Corporation; SBDMC, Inc.; Philippines Easepal Tech. Ltd Corp.; and FFP Concept Planning Solutions Corp.

On the other hand, a total of 3,670 job applicants have already pre-registered for the virtual job fair as of Saturday.

“This is something new for everybody, but we are encouraged by the huge number of participants who have stepped up either to fill or avail of a need—jobs that are necessary to sustain our economy ,” Eisma said.

“Like in face-to-face job fairs, applicants must also prepare copies of their resume, recent 2”x2” pictures, PSA birth certificate, diploma or transcript of records, NBI and police clearances, and other certificates—only this time, these documents must be in digital form,” she added.

The SBMA Labor Department said that applicants must first register online at https://forms.gle/nWZ3Myy13vL63vgW9 in order to receive the link for the virtual job fair platform.

The links will only be accessible at 8 am to 5 pm during the three days of the virtual job fair.

“We have resorted to this novel job-hunting scheme to do away with mass gathering and face-to-face interaction, while allowing prospective employees to meet up with recruiters, fill up forms, and file application letters,” Eisma said.

According to the SBMA Tourism Department, the virtual job fair is part of the National Tourism Week celebration that was organized  to promote Subic Bay in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), NLEX Corporation, and 89.5 FM Subic Bay Radio.

Other online activities during the weeklong program are a free web seminar on the “Filipino Brand of Excellence” to be conducted by DOT Region 3 office on Sept. 21-23, 9:30 am to 11:30 am. This will be open to frontline workers among stakeholders in Subic Bay, said SBMA tourism head Jem Camba.

On Sept. 25, meanwhile, the “Subic Bay Got Talent” online singing competition will be launched at 2 pm, with elimination rounds on Sept. 22 and 23 at 2 pm to 5 pm.

Camba said the contest will take in contestants in two categories: employees of the SBMA or Subic locator-company, and students. Winners will get prizes that include P15,000 for first prize; P10,000 for first runner-up; and P5,000 for second runner-up. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA resumes P122.7-M perimeter fencing and road rehab projects

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has resumed the implementation of perimeter fencing and perimeter road rehabilitation projects designed to improve the security in this premier free port zone following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in construction works.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the projects were disrupted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last March, but “are now back in full force.”

Eisma said the P69.7-million perimeter fencing project will cover the entire stretch from the Kalaklan Gate up to the Kalayaan Gate of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, while the P53-million perimeter road rehabilitation project will run from the 14^th Street Gate to the Kalayaan Gate.

“The two projects are complementary,” Eisma said. “The fencing project will improve the security at the Freeport perimeter, while the road rehabilitation project will improve management of access along the perimeter areas,” she added.

According to the SBMA Engineering Department, the seven-kilometer long perimeter fence project, which started on January 2 of this year, is now 53 percent completed.

It was previously scheduled to be finished by October 28 this year, but the delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has moved project completion to April 2021.

The project involves the installation of special load-bearing concrete blocks with the strength of 2,500 psi, SBMA project engineers said.  It also includes clearing and excavation works, column and tie beam installation, block laying, and plastering works.

Meanwhile, the perimeter road rehabilitation project is now 11 percent completed.

Project engineers said it will address the deteriorating condition of the old perimeter road that separates the Subic Bay Freeport Zone from communities in the adjacent city of Olongapo, and improve drainage along the perimeter road as well.

Both the perimeter fence and the perimeter road are remnants of the security network erected by the U.S. Navy around the fenced-in portion of the former military base.

The road rehabilitation project likewise started in January this year, and was previously slated to be finished last August. The new completion date has been set for February 2021.

The project involves the concreting of an area measuring 6,614 square meters with Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP). The PCCP is specifically used to yield a strong and durable, yet cost effective and workable structure that can take heavy loads like trucks that usually utilized the perimeter road.

Aside from paving works, the project includes clearing and grubbing, levelling and compaction, and installation of forms. (MPD-SBMA)

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Workers install load-bearing concrete blocks to maximize the integrity of the perimeter fence project at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone 

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SBMA releases P154.87-million LGU shares

Despite the global economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) still gave out revenue shares amounting to more than P154 million for the first semester to eight neighboring communities.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma handed over the checks to officials from the beneficiary local government units (LGUs) who arrived at the SBMA office in succession to observe social distancing on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Olongapo City remains to be the recipient of the biggest share with P36,020,102.98; followed by Subic, Zambales with P23,677,221.95; Dinalupihan, Bataan P19,262,853.00; San Marcelino, Zambales P18,561,184.24; Hermosa, Bataan P16,125,939.80; Castillejos, Zambales P14,496,222.41; Morong, Bataan P13,458,376.24; and San Antonio, Zambales P13,271,704.95.

The latest LGU release was taken from the agency’s revenue collections from January to June this year.

The LGU share is determined according to population (50 per cent), land area (25 per cent), and equal sharing (25 per cent).  Olongapo, which is a highly urbanized city, always received the biggest chunk of the shares.

The shares are given to LGUs twice a year and are derived from two percent of the five-percent gross income taxes collected from business locators in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.  Shares for the January to June period are released in August, while shares for July to December are given out in February the next year.

Eisma stressed that the LGU shares were meant to augment local resources and enable stakeholder communities to carry out development projects in health, education, peace and order, and livelihood generation.

She also pointed out that the total LGU shares given out this semester decreased a bit from the P175.7 million given out for the July to December period last year because of the slowdown in local business because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Mayor Elvis Soria of San Marcelino, Zambales said the LGU shares would be a big boost to local communities as they grapple with the effects of the pandemic.

“While the LGU shares are usually budgeted for development projects, we hope it can be realigned for use in our Covid-19 response, too,” Soria said.  

The LGU of Morong, Bataan had requested for another schedule for the release of its share. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA Chairman Wilma Eisma hands over LGU shares to local officials representing Olongapo City; the municipalities of Subic, Castillejos, San Marcelino, and San Antonio in Zambales; and Dinalupihan, Morong, and Hermosa in Bataan.

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Subic crew-change hub begins operations

Subic started operations as a crew-change hub on Thursday, September 10, with the arrival here of five Filipino seafarers who finally disembarked after being stranded aboard their ship for several months due to port restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said this was the first batch of crewmen to arrive here after Subic was designated by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) as a hub for international crew change.

The five Filipinos disembarked from MV Dapeng Star, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker based in Hong Kong.

“The operation went without a hitch and was over in just a matter of three hours,” Eisma said. She recounted that at 7:40 a.m., a tugboat left the San Bernardino jetty here to meet up with Dapeng Star, which had anchored near Grande Island at the mouth of Subic Bay.

The tugboat carried personnel from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Coast Guard, who conducted the initial health check-up of the inbound seafarers and had them suited up in personal protective equipment (PPE) prior to disembarkation.

“At 10 a.m. the tugboat was back at the jetty, the five seafarers in blue PPEs got off, had their baggage checked by K-9, boarded a van to the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) at the Subic airport where they got swabbed for RT-PCR test and had their documents processed by the Bureau of Quarantine and Bureau of Immigration,” Eisma noted.

“At exactly 11:14 a.m., or just over three hours, the seafarers were already departing for the Manila Grand Opera Hotel, which shall serve as their quarantine facility for 14 days,” she added.

The opening of the Subic crew-change hub is expected to ease the current congestion in Manila Bay where merchant ships with Filipino crewmen await their turn to disembark their crew and take in fresh personnel. The Philippines is among the biggest suppliers of manpower in the shipping industry today.

Eisma pointed out that the problem on crew-change does not only concern crewmen longing to go home to their families, or the congested ports where ships await their turn to disembark their crew.

“It is, in fact, a problem of huge proportion because it affects the global supply chain,” she said. “With the start of crew-change operations here, Subic becomes a part of the solution to this global problem,” she added.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), which spearheads the inter-agency project, said the Subic operation is part of the “Philippine Green Lane” put up for the speedy and safe travel of seafarers and swift crew change during the Covid-19 pandemic. The other crew-change hubs are the Port of Manila and Port Capinpin in Bataan.

Subic was designated as a crew change hub in July, and was formally opened on August 22. However, operations here only involve point-to-point embarkation and disembarkation pending approval of the second phase where inbound seafarers could quarantine in local hotels after their RT-PCR test.

DOTr Assistant Secretary Narciso Vingson, who supervised the maiden crew-change operation in Subic, stressed that crew-change protocols were strictly observed and that a “no-contact” policy was put in place to ensure the safety of the seafarers and the attending personnel.

Vingson said that prior to debarkation, the seafarers were made to undergo customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) procedures on board the ship. Thereafter, they were debriefed, RT-PCR tested and processed at the Subic OSS, before transported to a mandatory quarantine facility in Manila.  (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Filipino crewmen disembark from the LNG tanker Dapeng Star anchored on Subic Bay during the first crew-change operation in the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday, Sept. 10

[2] Disembarked Filipino seafarers arrive at the San Bernardino jetty during the first crew-change operation in the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday, Sept. 10

[3] A newly-disembarked Filipino seafarer gives the thumbs up during the first crew-change operation in the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday, Sept. 10

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SBMA firemen take risks in fight vs. Covid-19

From putting out blazes, catching snakes and stray animals, and responding to disasters, the SBMA Fire Department has now switched mostly to fighting an unusual enemy that could not be seen: Covid-19.

While fighting with sprayers carried on backpacks to disinfect facilities had not diminished the team’s fire suppression capacity, it too had not reduced the dangers these frontline workers face every day on the job.

The new mission is all part of a contingency plan that was hatched when the cruise ship World Dream with close to 800 tourists from China was stopped from docking in Subic last January when the new coronavirus began spreading worldwide, said SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno.

“We needed to be proactive; it’s the way risk managers should think, and that is embedded in the SBMA culture,” Magno said. “So we started preparation and planning.”

The preparation involved training on disinfection and decontamination procedures, orientation on the new coronavirus, and the actual purchase of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) suits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), and three backpack sprayers.

For disinfectant and decontaminant solutions, Magno said the Subic firefighters used chlorine granules (calcium hypochlorite) mixed with clean water, an ingenuity they practiced here months before the Department of Health (DOH) officially endorsed chlorine solution as effective against Covid-19.

These came in handy when SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma ordered the disinfection of all SBMA offices, especially those frequented by clients, in order to ensure health and safety in the Freeport while keeping the local economy running.

SBMA’s disinfection program began on March 14, two days before the declaration of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), and the first to be sanitized was the Pass and ID office where there were always some queues for customers.

Soon, some stakeholders got involved and chipped in: two hotels with huge swimming pools donated chlorine granules from their stocks. A Filipino who retired from the US Marine gave two units of backpack sprayers.

Since then and until June 30, the SBMA Fire Department had decontaminated a total of 110 buildings and offices, including 34 SBMA facilities.

At the same time, the Fire Prevention Division of the SBMA Fire Department switched from its usual lecture on fire control and instead performed orientation and inspection of Covid-19 health protocols in in locator companies that were allowed to operate during the quarantine.

Under this task, the fire team managed to inspect the implementation of safety protocols, including measures for social distancing, in a total of 936 companies from May to August.

“One thing we learned during this pandemic was that every step must be precise; there’s no margin for error because lives are at stake here,” Magno said. “It is a hard task for us because we are all exposed to the virus.”

Magno noted that one SBMA fireman had recently been infected after decontamination of the Subic container terminal where 45 workers had tested positive of Covid-19.  He said the firefighter, who remains asymptomatic, has been quarantined at an SBMA isolation facility and is doing well.

“We know the risks of our job. We understand that we could be infected anytime. But we have to do our job to protect our locators and stakeholders,” Magno said.

Right now, as the SBMA management considers giving the disinfection job to its maintenance unit, the tactical objective of the Fire Department would be to train locator-companies on the proper procedures for disinfection. 

“To be safe, we have to be resilient by seeing to it that our area is free from virus. But each and every one of us—the stakeholders— should be resilient so that the whole community could be resilient,” Magno added. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Using sprayers and fire nozzles, SBMA firemen disinfect facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus

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SBMA offers Subic gym for isolation of SBITC workers

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has offered its community isolation facility at the Subic gymnasium for the care and isolation of workers at the Subic container terminal who had tested positive of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said she sounded this off in a meeting on Wednesday with officials of the Department of Health (DOH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation (SBITC) to defuse the health crisis at the Subic container port where the latest tally placed 29 workers having tested positive.

Eisma said the major concerns raised in the meeting included the home quarantine of Covid-positive workers who are either asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, and the tracing of contacts in the community where workers live.

“In this situation where we have a rising number of Covid-19 cases among workers in one area at the Freeport, it would be best to quarantine the infected workers in a proper isolation facility, rather than send them home to self-quarantine,” Eisma pointed out.

“This is a situation that could blow bigger, but by isolating those who tested positive, we can help arrest local transmission. Otherwise, the contagion would spread and may get out of hand. We don’t want that to happen,” she added.

The Covid-19 outbreak at the SBITC container terminal was detected last week when a total of 15 cases were initially recorded after a worker from Olongapo City, who had no history of travel to any high-risk area, first manifested symptoms of the disease on July 30.

Over the weekend, the SBMA ordered SBITC to have all its employees tested through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in order to prevent a total shutdown of operations.

SBITC president Roberto Locsin agreed and gave his assurance that all other personnel in the terminal will undergo RT-PCR test. These included a total of 238 shift workers, port users, security personnel, canteen staff, and even SBMA checkers.

However, as results of the mass testing on Monday began coming in, 14 new cases were confirmed as of Wednesday from about 80 percent of the total number of tests taken, resulting to a running count of 29.

“If more Covid-19 cases are discovered among SBITC workers, and if local medical facilities can no longer accommodate them, then we offer the Subic gym community isolation facility,” Eisma said.

“We have started preparing the Subic gym as early as April for just this kind of scenario—but always with the prayer that it won’t come to this, and here we are now. It’s sad, but at least there’s a place where the afflicted can go and get medical care without posing risk to their families,” she added.

The Subic gym, which has just been refurbished last year as venue for the Southeast Asian Games, has been converted by the SBMA into a 32-bed care and isolation facility complete with work and rest quarters for medical care personnel.

The facility became a DOH-certified community isolation unit for Covdi-19 cases effective July 29, 2020, under a certificate signed by Dr. Cesar Cassion, director of the DOH Central Luzon Center for Health Development.

Eisma said the SBITC may use the facility at its own expense, as the DOH has not yet designated any level-2 hospital in the community to manage it as a Covid-19 facility.

Aside from the Subic gym, the SBMA also transformed the six-storey Leciel Hotel building into an additional care and isolation facility with 81 rooms. This, however, is still awaiting DOH accreditation. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO: 

DOH personnel, local health care professionals and SBMA managers inspect the Subic gym community isolation facility after its completion in April.

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SBMA orders mass testing of Subic container terminal workers

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has ordered the Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), operator of the new container terminal here, to have all their employees tested for new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) after an outbreak of cases there last week.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said a total of 14 positive cases have been recorded among SBITC workers since July 30 when a worker from Olongapo City, who had no history of travel to any high-risk area, first manifested symptoms of the disease.

“It was either mass testing by RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) or shutdown of terminal operations—that’s the only choice left if we wanted to contain the outbreak,” Eisma said.

She said the SBMA also required disinfection of the whole terminal complex, closure of engineering and maintenance areas subject to focused disinfection, and daily in-house disinfection.

“Thankfully, the SBITC management was very cooperative in our strategy to contain the spread, as we knew that closure is a last resort because testing is the key to preventing the spread and that the Red Cross lab at our doorstep makes for fast turnaround for results,”  she added.

She said that SBITC president Roberto Locsin has given the assurance that aside from those already traced and tested after some workers turned out positive, all other personnel working in the container terminal will undergo RT-PCR test.

These include a total of 238 shift workers, port users, security personnel, canteen staff, and even SBMA checkers.

According to contact tracing records received by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department, at least 50 employees have been identified as close contacts after the first Covid-19 infection at SBITC.

The PHSD said that after the first worker tested positive on Aug. 4, tracing identified 15 contacts in the workforce. When three of the 15 contacts tested positive on Aug. 7, 25 close contacts were identified in turn and of these, seven came out positive. Since then, three other positive cases were recorded.

Of the 14 infected workers, nine are from Olongapo City, four from Zambales, and one from Aurora.

Only two of the confirmed cases have been admitted to a hospital, as the rest, who are mostly asymptomatic, were placed on home quarantine.

In messages to Chairman Eisma, Locsin said that they have also initiated other measures to arrest the infection in the workplace.

Aside from contact tracing and immediate quarantining of close contacts, the firm had since closed the administration building to visitors, started issuing gate passes online, encouraged online payments, closed the operations barracks, ordered the mandatory wearing of face mask and face shield, and prohibited dine-in at the company canteen.

Locsin also said terminal facilities have been disinfected first by the SBMA Fire Department on Aug. 8 to 10, and the next by a third party contractor on Aug. 11. More disinfection was made on Aug. 15 and 16.

For the mass testing scheduled today, Aug. 17, Eisma said that swabbing booths have been set up by SBITC at the terminal, with two mobile swab booths loaned by the SBMA for contingency.

Two medical technologists will be assigned at the container terminal to take swab samples starting at 9 a.m. from 80 SBITC staff already stationed at the terminal, while three others will be at the SBMA swabbing center near the Subic main gate for samples from the other 158 SBITC workers who would be coming mostly from Olongapo City.

Eisma said that test results can be generated within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the volume of samples tested at the Red Cross molecular laboratory here in the Freeport. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO: 

The new container terminal operated by SBITC in the Subic Bay Freeport

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DOTr holds dry run to test Subic crew-change protocols

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTOS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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