OFW repatriation flights continue via Subic Freeport

Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) under the government’s repatriation program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will continue here until the yearend even as travel curbs were imposed by some countries to stem the spread of the latest Covid-19 variant Omicron.

For the first time on Sunday, two PAL aircraft arrived here within two hours of each other to bring home two more batches of OFWs from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, both cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The recent arrivals brought the OFW flights via Subic to a total of 42 and the passengers coming in through the Subic airport since July this year to a total of 11,410.

“The OFWs continue to be repatriated through Subic, and everything’s as normal as when the program started here in July,” Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma said on Sunday.

“We can be assured that no passengers will be brought here from any red-listed country because the government has prohibited the inbound international travel of all persons from red-list areas regardless of vaccination status,” Eisma added.

The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) had earlier placed South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique on the red list after the Omicron variant was identified in South Africa last November 25.

But as the variant was discovered in Europe days after, the IATF added to its list Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy effective November 28 until December 15.

The government had earlier said it planned to suspend measures to relax entry for vaccinated tourists because of the emergence of the Omicron variant, but the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday that there was no reason to panic over the Omicron as there has been no sudden increase or clustering of cases lately.

Eisma also pointed out that the OFW repatriation program here is being handled carefully by the Department of Transportation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Bureau of Quarantine.

“We all see to it that IATF guidelines on health safety are strictly enforced while the repatriation program continues here,” she added.

According to SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao, more PAL flights are expected this month because of the holiday season.

He said 10 OFW flights from the UAE were scheduled in Subic this December: the first on December 3 followed by two on December 5; then on

December 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, and 31.

So far, a total of 42 OFW flights had brought in 11,410 passengers, including returning overseas Filipinos, to the Subic Bay Freeport, said SBIA manager Zharrex Santos.

These included six flights in July, seven in August, 10 in September, five in October, 11 in November, and three so far in December, Santos said.

Upon arrival in Subic, OFWs and other returning Filipinos are required to stay in Subic hotels for a BOQ-supervised quarantine of up to 10 days. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

Subic to host Miss Philippines-World finals with full health-safety protocols

The Miss World Philippines coronation night will be held here tomorrow at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) with full safety protocols following full endorsement for the event to proceed from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the pageant’s final ceremony here was only approved after rigorous vetting of Covid-19 health procedures and subsequent assurances by organizers that they will strictly follow protocols set by the IATF.

“This will be another bubble event like the other ones Subic had hosted for basketball and volleyball tournaments, as well as some national conferences,” Eisma said.

“The SBMA Board approved the request of ALV Event International, Inc., the organizer of the Miss World Philippines, to have the event here in Subic only after the Regional Task Force (RTF3) conducted an online coordination meeting with us and the organizers,” she added.

Eisma said among the requirements set were: full vaccination of all attendees; conduct of daily antigen tests, including guests, during the pageant; 24-hour posting of marshals with placards to act as health and safety protocol checkers, along with usherettes; and daily health declarations/reports with QR-coded IDs for contact tracing.

“Aside from the 44 candidates, there will also be guests and members of the organizing committee who will be taking part in the event. And we all want them to contain themselves for the duration of the event,” Eisma added.

“We’d like to stress here that we have set a 1:30 marshal-guests ratio to ensure enforcement of health protocols and that there will be only 800 attendees in a 5,000-capacity venue,” she also said.

Meanwhile, Miss World Philippines national director Arnold Vegafria expressed his gratitude for the approval to stage the coronation night at the SBECC.

He said that his promotion submitted its proposal to SBMA to stage the coronation night in Subic on September 21 and received r3ecommendation from the SBMA board of directors four days later after thoroughly establishing required safety measures.

“Rest assured that all IATF and SBMA health protocols will be strictly enforced by our EWP medical director-in-charge as recommended in the SBMA Board resolution,” he added.

The coronation night will feature 44 candidates vying for seven crowns in the pageant. These are titles for Miss World Philippines, Miss Eco Philippines, Miss Eco Teen Philippines, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas, Miss Multinational, Miss Philippines Tourism, and Miss Environment International.

The Miss World Philippines pageant, which is one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the country, is on its 10th edition this year. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

Subic Freeport to host first ‘bubble’ volleyball playoffs

The country’s first-ever volleyball tournament to be held under the Covid-19 pandemic will happen right here at the sand courts of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Feb. 26-28.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the 2021 Gatorade-PSL Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup organized by Philippine Super Liga (PSL) will be held under a “sports bubble” concept approved under strict guidelines by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The IATF through Resolution No. 79 issued on Oct. 15, 2020 allowed the PSL volleyball tourney subject to strict observance of, among others, health and safety protocols finalized with the SBMA, the local Regional Task Force Covid-19, and the local Department of Health Center for Health Development.

“Because of this, there will be no spectators to be allowed at the tournament area, and only players and organizers and technical crew will be out there. But the games will be livestreamed on television and online channels,” Eisma said.

“It’s the second-best thing next to a playoff with live audience, and I believe the excitement and intensity of the games won’t be diminished a bit by the restriction,” she added.

Eisma added that under the sports bubble concept, all participants in the tournament, as well as the organizers and technical crew, will be housed in dedicated accommodation facilities and monitored by health and safety personnel. They will have no interaction with the public, she added.

The PSL said a total of eight teams will see action this season at the SBMA sand courts, which served as venue for an exciting beach volleyball meet during the 30th Southeast Asian Games in December 2019.

These are Sta. Lucia, which is billed as the team to beat with veteran beach volley campaigners Bang Pineda and Jonah Sabete, as well as DM Demontano and Jackie Estoquia; guest team Kennedy Solar Energy-PetroGazz, with the tandem of Ariane Luna Alarcon and Christina Canares; and F2 Logistics, with Jenny Mar Senares, Kyla Angela Gallego.

Meanwhile, Chery Tiggo, which will don the colors of United Auctioneers Inc., will join the fray with Ella Viray and Theresa Ramas; Abanse Negrense 1 with Alexa Polidario and Erjan Magdato; Abanse Negrense 2 with Jennifer Cosas and Gelimae Villanueva; and Toby’s Sports with Jonah San Pedro and Javen Sabas.

The tourney sponsored by Cherrylume, Ube Express and Subic Bay Peninsular Hotel, also has Cocolife, UCPB Gen, Data Project and Genius Sports as technical partners.

PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico said this historic tourney will not be possible without the support of the participating teams, as well as IATF, which approved the bubble setup in Subic.

“By becoming the first volleyball league to restart its season in the coronavirus era, we have a very big responsibility to our players, coaches, team owners, the media, and other stakeholders. But rest assured that we will do everything to observe all the necessary health and safety protocols in accordance with the policies of the IATF, the SBMA, and the Department of Health,” Juico added.

Eisma said the PSL volleyball tournament will just be the first in a series of tourism-related events being prepared for implementation in Subic under the bubble setup.

“We are also eyeing basketball events, beauty pageants, and conferences, which would be possible here because of facilities that allow social distancing, the availability of quarantine hotels where event participants can be housed in isolation, and strict adherence by stakeholders to health and safety protocols,” she added.

The Subic Bay Freeport also serves as a crew change hub for international commercial vessels and hosts a corporate jet maintenance bubble at the Subic Bay International Airport. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

SBMA Tourism Department personnel prepare the SBMA sand courts on Tuesday for the start of PSL’s 2021 Gatorade-Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup this Friday. 

Read More

SBMA sets more measures to curb BPO Covid-19 surge

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has required a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm here to implement additional safety measures like staggered shutdowns and work-from-home arrangements to prevent further transmission of Covid-19 at its offices here.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the measures were deemed necessary after it was learned that 26 employees of Buwelo BPO Solutions, which operates a call center here, had tested positive for Covid-19 infection.

Contact tracing had earlier identified 65 employees of the company who were suspected to have been exposed to positive Covid-19 cases. Their RT-PCR tests had so far turned out 37 negative results and 26 positives as of Dec. 4. Two test results are yet to be released by the Philippine Red Cross.

“We are now working with the Buwelo BPO management to avert further virus transmission and to enhance health safety in the workplace. We asked them to implement partial shutdowns and alternative work schedules and it’s good that the company management was receptive,” Eisma said.

“At our end, we shall be monitoring the implementation of the agreed-upon health protocols and we shall be firm that these measures be carried out because workers’ welfare is paramount,” she added.

Eisma said that during discussions last Thursday, company officials agreed to implement staggered shutdowns at the company facilities, at one floor at a time starting Dec. 4, in the three-story building the firm occupies at the Subic Gateway Park here.

The company also agreed to allow 180 employees to work from home to allow better physical distancing at the offices. The firm employs a total of 729 who work in three shifts.

Eisma added that the company has previously requested for an expansion area and that the SBMA might allow the use of an adjacent building for this purpose.

Aside from these commitments, Eisma said the Buwelo management will immediately proceed with more disinfection at the company premises using ozone generators.

With this development, Eisma also warned workers and other stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport to report suspected cases of Covid-19, as required by the inter-Agency Task Force on Eme4rging Contagious Diseases (IATF).

The SBMA health officials said earlier that contact tracing showed the workers who tested positive either attended parties held outside of the Freeport, or were exposed to co-workers who went to the said social gatherings.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Health and Safety Department, also noted that the surge of Covid-19 cases at Buwelo BPO was the result of “unsafe behavior” by some employees who did not honestly declare their health condition.

Jacalne said that some employees still reported for work when they were already exhibiting mild Covid-19 symptoms.  He also noted that contact tracers only learned of the beach and pool parties, which were suspected to have been the source transmission for the original positive clusters, after 16 of the employees have already tested positive.

Eisma had earlier urged companies in the Subic Freeport to forego the traditional company Christmas party this year to avoid the risk of virus transmission.  She pointed out that even the SBMA has cancelled its traditional Christmas party for this reason.  (MPD/SBMA)

Read More

SBMA extends suspension of business fines, fees

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has further suspended the collection of penalties and other fees from Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) business locators and residents to help ease economic difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a memorandum issued last Friday, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency has extended the suspension of penalty payments until the end of June to further assist companies and other stakeholders in recovering from the lockdown.

The extension covered penalties on late payment of billings, fees on deferment of deposit for maturing post-dated checks, and due dates covering payment schemes with deed of undertaking, which were all initially suspended from March to May 2020.

“Following the imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning March 16, we have ordered the majority of Subic locators to stop their day-to-day operations and the residents to stay at home,” Eisma noted.

“Given the status that we are right now where some companies are still closed or operating on scaled-down capacity, we find it necessary to further assist our locators and residents by suspending the collection of these fees until June 30,” she added.

Prior to this, the SBMA board of directors approved the suspension of penalties and other fees as economic relief assistance to companies and other payers in support of RA 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

The measures ratified by the SBMA board by way of referendum were the following: Certification No. 20-087, which suspended the imposition of penalty on late payment of billings from March to May 2020; Certification No. 20-088, which suspended fees on deferment of deposit of the maturing post-dated checks of locators and residents with written request for deferment from March to May 2020; and Certification No. 20-089, which extended March to May 2020 due dates covering payment scheme agreements with deed of undertaking.

Eisma said the same resolutions authorized the SBMA chairman and administrator to extend the said measures for another 30 days, as needed.

“Taking note that the SBF further complied with the extension of the ECQ from April 16 to May 15, the modified ECQ from May 16 to 31, and the general community quarantine (GCQ) from June 1 to 15, local businesses really deserve some boost for them to recover,” she added.

Eisma also pointed out that the SBMA had extended the validity of expired IDs and access passes for SBF workers until June 30 and allowed the renewal until July 31 of vehicle decals with one-year validity issued last 2019.

The SBMA announced earlier that close to 900 companies are now operating in the Subic Bay Freeport under GCQ rules, which is about half of all the registered enterprises in the Freeport.

Under the IATF guidelines, some companies were allowed to reopen at either 100% operational capacity; 50% up to full operational capacity; or 50% work-on-site arrangements, work-from-home, and other alternative work arrangement. Still, others, mostly from the leisure sector, were not yet allowed to operate.

Eisma said the SBMA is expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines. (MPD-SBMA)

Read More

SBMA shifts to modified ECQ status

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be allowing more business operations in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) but will retain border controls and restrictions on non-essential activities as it joins neighboring communities in implementing modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of this month.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency will abide by the May 15, 2020 resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) which placed transitioning high-risk areas under MECQ from May 16 to May 31.

 “This shift to MECQ will definitely not involve any major relaxation of our existing quarantine rules. We still have to wear mask, do disinfection, practice social distancing and observe curfew hours,” Eisma stressed. “The only significant difference is that we’d be allowing more business operations so that the local economy may start its rebound,” she added.

According to the IATF’s Resolution No. 37, the MECQ areas included the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija, as well as Angeles City. These places were previously classified as moderate-risk areas and qualified for general community quarantine (GCQ).

However, Bataan, Zambales and Bulacan had filed for extension of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), while Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Angeles City filed for modified ECQ.

Eisma said the SBMA had similarly appealed to the IATF-EID as early as April 28 to extend ECQ status over the Subic Bay Freeport due to the lack of adequate health facilities needed to contain a possible surge in Covid-19 cases in the greater Subic Bay area.

“Despite having a daytime population of around 155,000 people, the SBFZ has only one functioning hospital with only 8 ICU beds and 13 hospital rooms,” Eisma pointed out.

She also stressed that while the SBMA has put up Community Isolation Units composed of 32 beds and 45 rooms, the same are not yet fully operational. Moreover, only a small portion of the local population has been tested for Covid-19 infection, Eisma added.

The SBMA chief said that pending a separate quarantine classification by the IATF for the Subic Bay Freeport, the SBMA will adopt the MECQ status placed over Bataan and Zambales, since 65.25% of the total land area of the Freeport is located in Bataan and 24.48% is located in Zambales.

“As of now, the SBMA has started issuing guidelines and protocols to various Freeport stakeholders so that we can effectively transition from ECQ to MECQ,” Eisma added. 

The Subic Bay Freeport Zone had so far remained free of Covid-19 infection, but the SBMA has prepared care and isolation facilities open to residents of nearby communities in case of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Eisma has also urged neighboring local government units to join a mass testing program to be implemented jointly by the Philippine Red Cross and the SBMA to detect Covid-19 infections in the locality.

The adjoining province of Bataan and Zambales have so far reported a total of 22 and 119 confirmed Covid-19 cases, respectively, while nearby Olongapo City, which has opted to remain under GCQ, has tallied 12 positive cases as of May 15.

Both Zambales and Bataan had earlier opted for an extension of ECQ, citing the continuing local transmission and the possibility of a second wave of Covid-19 infection in their areas. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, shown here inspecting a swabbing center, has opted to retain quarantine controls and health measures in the Subic Bay Freeport, which is a major economic center in Central Luzon

Read More

INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES (IATF) RESOLUTION NO. 14: SALIENT POINTS RELEVANT TO THE FREEPORT

1. The IATF organized the Response Cluster and Incident Management Team at the national, regional and local levels, designating the DOH to lead the response clusters and the Department of Interior and Local Government to lead the incident management teams.

LGUs must coordinate with the Regional Response Clusters headed by the Regional Directors of the DOH.

2. The IATF allowed the accommodation of distressed or stranded overseas Filipino workers in hotels, which ceased operations since the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine. OWWA shall provide certifications for distressed OFWs.

3. It immediately suspended the issuance of visas to all foreign nationals, as well as visa-free privileges based on visa waiver agreements, holders of Hong Kong, Macau, Macau-Portuguese passports and British national overseas passports. Foreign spouses and children of Filipinos are exempted from the above suspension.

Foreign nationals with visas previously issued by foreign service posts will not be allowed entry into the country, except for accredited foreign government and international organization officials and their dependents

4. Business process outsourcing and export-oriented establishments were given until March 22 to prepare alternative work arrangements, such as temporary accommodations for their workers, the need to shuttle employees and the transfer of necessary equipment to facilitate work from home arrangements.

5. Exempted from the quarantine are the following government officials and their skeleton workforce:

a. Media entities/personnel provided that only the 50% (maximum) of their workforce are allowed.
b. Members of Congress and their chiefs of staffs
c. Department Secretaries, undersecretaries, assistant secretaries
d. Bureau Directors of the different government agencies under executive branch
e. Ombudsman and deputy ombudsman
f. Justice of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, and the Sandiganbayan
g. Judges of regional, metropolitan, and municipal circuit trial courts, and prosecutors
h. Local chief executives and close-in staffs

6. Exempted from the quarantine are the following private entities/individuals and/or their skeleton workforce:
a. Cargo vehicles (maximum of three personnel)
b. Delivery services (food, medicine, water, and other basic necessities
c. Employees of manufacturing plants (food, medicine, medical supplies, and other essential products)
d. Employees of retail establishments (groceries, supermarkets, convenience stores, public markets, pharmacies, drug stores)
e. Logistic Services (cargo handling, warehousing, trucking, freight forwarding, and shipping lines)
f. Hospital and medical clinics
g. Food preparations
h. Water refilling stations
i. Banks and capital markets
j. Power, energy, water, IT, and telecommunications
k. Waste disposal services
l. Export and BPO companies
m. Airline and aircraft maintenance employees (including pilots and crews)
n. Ship captain and crew
o. Hotels that have bookings as of March 17
p. Energy companies and their third-party contractors
q. Pastors, priests, imam (for funeral services)

7. Manufacturing, BPOs and export oriented companies must have able to arrange accommodations and shuttle services for their employees. The deadline is extended until MARCH 26, 2020.

/SNL

Read More