Posts in:July 2012 | SubicNewsLink

31 July 2012

SBMA grants long-term lease to specialty school

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently signed an agreement with the Quiz Bee Early Learning Center, giving it bigger facilities to address the school’s rapid growth. The Quiz Bee Early Learning Center is run by the Quiz Bee Foundation, which is the proponent of the annual National Quiz Bee, a prestigious scholastic competition participated in by some of the brightest students in the country. The SBMA agreed to give long-term leasehold rights to Bldg. 1154, located on Palm Street at the Gateway Park here, to provide more room to...

30 July 2012

SBMA woos call centers to Subic’s ICT Hub

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now enticing call centers to locate in this free port, trumpeting its superb facilities for business process outsourcing (BPO) operations. In an assembly meeting of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia expressed optimism that Subic Bay will become the next place to be for information and communication technology (ICT) businesses in the country. The SBMA official, who was invited by...

27 July 2012

Hanjin breaks ground for P1.2-B housing project for workers

Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Ltd., (HHIC)-Philippines Inc., which operates the world's fourth shipbuilding facility in this free port, marked another milestone in its corporate social responsibility program by breaking ground on Wednesday for a P1.2-billion housing project for its workers. In a ceremony held at the project site, HHIC President Jin Kyu Ahn said the project will rise on a 30-hectare area in Barangay Nagbunga, Castillejos, Zambales, which the company has bought and donated to the housing project. The Subic Bay Metropolitan...

SBMA lauds BOC’s seizure of P43-M smuggled rice

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) lauded the Bureau of Customs (BOC) following the recent seizure of smuggled rice worth about P43 million at the Port of Subic. SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia also commended the efforts of both agencies, the BOC and the SBMA, whose joint inspection of 90 units of 40-footer container vans, which supposedly contained construction materials and gypsum boards, led to the discovery of 45,000 bags of rice from Vietnam. In accordance with a memorandum of agreement between SBMA and BOC, the two agencies decided...

23 July 2012

Subic stages biggest-ever duathlon event

MANILA - More than 600 duathletes from around Asia are seeing action in the continent’s biggest duathlon event, the Subic Bay Asian Duathlon Championships (ADC) presented by Century Tuna on Nov. 25. Organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the event highlights top continental honors for run-bike-run competitors at stake with the Elite, Under-23, Junior Elite and Youth (13-15) categories. ASTC’s Balwant Singh Kler confirmed that the ADC will serve as an official...

19 July 2012

Port experts to headline Subic maritime conference

The upcoming Subic Bay Maritime Conference & Exhibit will be headlined by experts in the maritime transportation and logistics industry, who will discuss trends and developments in sea-borne trade. No less that Susumu Naruse, secretary-general of the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH), will be among the guest speakers when the conference unfolds here on August 23-24 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. The IAPH, which was founded in 1955 in Los Angeles, has developed into a global alliance of ports, representing...

18 July 2012

ArenaBall goes to Subic

SEASON 3 of the ArenaBall Philippines goes out of town on Saturday when the Jaguars tackle the Wolves and the Rebels battle the Bandits in a doubleheader headlining the ABP-SBMA Games at the Remy Field inside the Subic Freeport Zone in Olongapo City, Zambales. “There is a big American community in Subic, which loves the NFL-style American football that we play so we are bringing our games over there,” said ABL founder and president Dodi Palma in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Shakey’s UN Avenue branch in Manila. Joining...

11 July 2012

Market Forces To Dictate Shifting Container Traffic To Batangas, Subic

MANILA – Diverting container traffic to Batangas and Subic Ports to decongest Manila and maximize the two ports should not be mandated on business, and market forces be allowed to decide on this issue. This was stressed by Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) president George Chua during a recent consultation meeting on the study to decongest Manila and divert container traffic to Subic and Batangas ports. Earlier, the Export Development Council (EDC) and the Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA) claimed that one way to unclog the traffic...

2nd Aboitiz Power Tour held in Subic Freeport

Subic Bay once again played host to another exciting race as the 2nd Aboitiz Power Tour of Subic concluded here over the weekend. The two-day biking event organized by Bike King in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) attracted more than 300 cyclists who competed in four race categories. The biking event, which followed the highly successful Century Tuna 5i50 Triathlon on June 24, further reaffirmed Subic’s reputation...

10 July 2012

SBMA firefighters train LGUs and firms in rescue operations

Firefighters from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) continue to expand their role in community service by providing essential training to search and rescue teams from various local government units (LGUs), as well as business locators in this free port. On July 2-7, a team composed of 21 men and three women from Valenzuela City, participated in a seminar on Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) here. Team leader Ma. Alona Ada...

06 July 2012

TESDA ink MOA with Central Luzon-based Freeport Zones

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Joel Villanueva on Wednesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with heads of Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for an active partnership toward the promotion of the agency’s various programs to locators in these Freeport Zones. The MOA covers collaboration in job-skills matching, policy consultation, conduct of industry studies, assessment and certification of middle-level workers...

Aboitiz Power Tour draws huge field

Close to 300 cyclists and over 30 cycling clubs from around the country will slug it out for top honors in the second Aboitiz Power Tour of Subic at the Subic Bay Freeport this weekend. Organized by Bike King in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Tourism Department and presented by Aboitiz Power, the event features three different stages of cycling challenges that will take participants around the Freeport and as far as Bataan. Stage 1 (40km time trial) and stage 2 (45-minute + 2 laps criterium) will both be held tomorrow. For...

05 July 2012

PLDT, unit sign Subic telecom deals

TELECOM giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and subsidiary SubicTel firmed up agreements with 12 Subic merchants to provide the latter with wireless fidelity (WiFi) service. The Subic establishments that signed the WiFi zone partnership agreement are Aristocrat Restaurant, All Hands Beach Resort, Bayfront Hotel, Eastern Gasoline Station, Meat Plus Restaurant, Networx Jetsports, Royal Duty Free Shop, Subic Bay Yacht Club, The Lighthouse Marina Resort, Zoobic Safari, Pier One Bar and Grill, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. PLDT...

03 July 2012

Hospital ship USNS Mercy docks in Subic Bay

The US naval ship Mercy (T-AH-19), a floating hospital on a four-month Asian tour, docked on Monday at the Alava Pier here for a six-day humanitarian mission, as well as rest and relaxation for its crew. In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said that USNS Mercy is in Subic Bay as part of the Philippine leg of Pacific Partnership 2012, a U.S. Pacific Fleet humanitarian and civic assistance program held annually. The Pacific Partnership program...

DENR conducts public consultation on Subic coal plant project

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) conducted a public consultation on the coal-fired power plant project proposed by Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. (RP Energy) last June 29 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. More than 5,000 participants composed of residents of Olongapo City and Subic, Zambales, as well as representatives from various stakeholder groups in the Subic Bay Freeport area, attended the consultation. ...

Taiwanese trade mission visits Subic Bay Freeport

Officials representing some of the biggest manufacturing companies in Taiwan visited this free-port zone on Tuesday in a trade and investment mission that scouted for possible business projects here. The delegates were led by Terry Lee, director-general of Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, who said the mission was composed of the representatives of 66 of the biggest manufacturers in Taiwan today. Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan...

02 July 2012

Food Industry in Subic Up

The food industry here is increasing as more and more restaurants, cafes and fast food are popping up inside the Subic Bay Freeport. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Public Relations Department Manager Armie Llamas said the increase in the number of restaurants signifies investor-confidence in the Freeport’s potential as a tourism hub. “With the setting up of restaurants such as Sumosam, TGIFridays and the likes only means that entrepreneurs who invest heavily in the food industry believes that Subic will likely generate income,” Llamas...