DICT, SBMA lead GovNet site Subic Bay launch

In its thrust to boost connectivity between 47 government agencies for faster communication, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) launched the Government Network (GovNet) Project in this premier Freeport.

Held at the Best Western Hotel on June 24, the GovNet interconnects national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), public schools, and state hospitals through a secure, high-speed fiber-optic network to streamline public services and data sharing.

“GovNet is more than infrastructure; it is the backbone of a unified digital ecosystem for government. As a high-speed interagency facility, it will connect 44 government agencies, ensuring faster communication, better coordination, quicker document processing, and easier access to online services,” SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said.

Aliño said that GovNet will help modernize government operations and bring public services closer to the people, as the National Broadband Program (NBP) was created to bridge the digital divide, provide intervention policies, and infrastructure.

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Philippine government’s strategic blueprint to build a nationwide digital infrastructure, accelerating the deployment of fiber optic cables and wireless technologies to provide universal, fast, reliable, and affordable internet services.

“Subic has long been recognized as a center for trade, logistics, investment, tourism, and innovation. But in today’s digital economy, roads, ports, and airports are no longer enough,” DICT Central Luzon Assistant Regional Director Atty. James Francis Villanueva said.

He added that digital infrastructure has become just as important as physical infrastructure, and through the GovNet, the department is helping to ensure that Subic Bay remains globally competitive and fully prepared for the opportunities of the digital economy.

The GovNet project provides a dedicated fiber-optic internet with bandwidth capacities reaching up to 10Gbps, which connects isolated agency databases to improve inter-agency communication and ease government transactions.

The said project eliminates the need for multiple, expensive individual ISP subscriptions by centralizing government network infrastructure. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBF becomes center for business startups with launching of SBMA Business Acceleration Hub, Subic Bay Angel Investor Network

This premier Freeport has become a center for business startup activities with the launching of the SBMA Business Acceleration Hub and the Subic Bay Angel Investor Network at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) on October 20, 2025.

During the Dakal Lakad 2025 Demo and Graduation Day, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment Renato Lee III said that launching the two programs establishes Subic Bay Freeport as a center for business startup activities to access investors and strategic partners while expanding innovations beyond the region.

“The project aims to stimulate growth of startups and support them through acceleration with incentives from the SBMA and a business location within the SBFZ. We are also celebrating the graduation of ten startups, coinciding with the launching of the Angel Investor Network,” Lee said.

The SBMA spearheaded the Angel Network Program in compliance with Republic Act No. 11337, or the Innovative Startup Act, which aims to strengthen the local startup ecosystem through a government-led program.

The act provides benefits and incentives for startups and startup enablers thru the Philippine Startup Development Program, managed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).

“We’re also proud to share that SBMA has already incubated and produced a successful startup from having 2 Business Process Outsourcing or BPO/Accounting Agents to 300 agents today,” Lee said.

Meanwhile, ten of Central Luzon’s most promising startups took center stage at the Dakal Lakad 2025 Demo and Graduation Day. The event was co-organized by the SBMA, SULONG Central Luzon, and the Wadhwani Foundation.

The event marked the culmination of the five-month acceleration program designed to help startups transition from incubation to investment readiness.

The ten startups that graduated during the event include the Tambanokano Aqua Farm, Dayap Philippines, Project Nitriact, Wisdom | The IP Vault Co., Kilala PH, Kloudtech, Ordermo, Hive Energy PH, InnoVSmarter, and Expoxur.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Engr. Eduardo Jose L. Aliño expressed his gratitude to all partner government agencies and campuses for their keen interest to develop Subic Bay Freeport as a platform to incubate startups, adding that the SBMA will always provide the necessary guidance and support to ensure the growth of businesses in Subic Bay Freeport. 

Other attendees were DICT Region 3 Regional Director Engr. Antonio Edward E. Padre, DTI Region 3 Assistant Regional Director Richard V. Simangan, DOST Pampanga Provincial S&T Director Engr. Mary Michelle M. Quiambao, and Bulacan State University – Main Campus Chancellor Dr. Ruben E. Borja II. (MPD-SBMA)

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Gov't enhances services; launches 'super apps' in Subic Freeport

As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance government services and improve the quality and turnaround time of official stakeholder transactions, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) launched the e-Gov and the e-LGU mobile applications at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), Subic Bay Freeport on Tuesday, September 3.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño welcomed this game-changing initiative led by DICT Region 3 Director Antonio Edward Padre.

Aliño also lauded this undertaking as this will enhance government services and improve industry processes and transactions.

"The e-Gov 'super app' houses all government institutions in a single site, which will enable stakeholders to avail of government services faster and with less stress, less expenses, and less man hours. Lining up in queues will be reduced and hours spent for travel time may instead be utilized productively for other activities," he said in the speech read on his behalf by SBMA Management Information Systems Office manager Engr. Vergil Joseph Lansangan.

"Ultimately, this project hopes to eliminate corruption and red tape in government transactions since the platform will keep track of them and leave a clear audit record," he added.

Government Digital Transformation Bureau Director June Vincent Manuel Gaudan disclosed that this mobile app allows inclusivity and empowerment across the nation; no individual is left behind. Stakeholders will now have easy access to various government online services and information since all sites are being housed in a single mobile application, which covers all local and national levels of public agencies.

Gaudan added that the launching held in this premier Freeport is significant for the e-Gov app, citing that the Green Lanes of the app provides "Ease of Doing Business" for foreign companies looking into investing in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

He added that this is in line with Executive Order 18 or the Constituting Green Lanes for Strategic Investments policy, which is a government-wide response to enhance Ease of Doing Business by mandating the creation of Green Lane units in all government offices that will expedite, streamline and automate government processes for Strategic Investments.

"There are many processes and transactions that happens in Subic Bay Freeport that needs to be digitized for a more efficient way of conducting business here since the e-Gov integrates the multi-sectoral government services in a single platform, covering a wide range of local government services such as business permit licensing, community tax, local civil registry and many others," he said.

The launching on Tuesday was participated in by DICT officials, Zambales Governor's Office, Olongapo Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr., SBMA officials namely MIS manager Engr. Vergil Joseph Lansangan and Telecoms OIC Engr. Eddie Ventura, and National Government Portal Project Director Joshua Vazir Querol.

Secretary Ivan John Uy, USec David Almirol Jr., ASec. Maria Teresa Camba, Congressman Jefferson Khonghun' Chief of Staff Jan Joshua Khonghun, representative of Congresswoman Doris Maniquiz, Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Stephany Panaligan, ARTA Chief Admin Officer Mary Grace Manabat, USec. Mark Cristeo Gimenez, DTI R3 Director Edna Dizon, PSA Zambales Chief Statistics Specialist Norman Bundalian, FCSupt. Renato Capuz of BFP R3, and Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) PB Gen. Jose Hidalgo Jr.'s representative expressed their support for the e-Gov system.

Meanwhile, DICT Zambales Director Jeffrey Lazaro presented future plans that will affect the digitization of government services in Zambales.

The e-LGU system creates a single operating system for all government transactions to ensure ease of doing business, as part of the digital transformation of government towards more efficient, faster service delivery, and transparency across all localities in the country.

As mandated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the e-LGU is among the vital components of the DICT's e-Gov PH Super App.

Anchored on the Administration’s whole-of-government agenda, the e-LGU nationwide caravan is a joint project of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the DICT. (MPD-SBMA)

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