SBMA receives patient transport vehicle from PAGCOR

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) received a patient transport vehicle from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) during a turnover ceremony held at its head office in Pasay City on May 26, 2026.

PAGCOR President and Chief Operations Officer (COO) Atty. Wilma T. Eisma turned over the patient transport vehicle to SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD) Medical Services Division OIC, Dr. Arlene Gravina-Cesa.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño expressed his gratitude to PAGCOR for the patient transport vehicle, which will boost the efficiency of medical service delivery in Subic Bay Freeport.

“My heartfelt thanks to PAGCOR, especially to Chairman Alejandro H. Tengco, for providing the Freeport with a patient transport vehicle. This unit will certainly enhance the services of our Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD) during the scheduled, non-emergency transfer of clinically stable patients,” he said.

“Kay Mam Amy (Eisma), marami pong salamat at hindi pa rin kayo nakakalimot sa iyong dating tahanan, ang SBMA,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to Tengco, the donation is part of the agency’s broader efforts to make basic healthcare more accessible, ensuring that communities and sectors in need can receive urgent medical attention through these new patient transport vehicles.

“More than simply meeting targets, it reflects a clear commitment: to support healthier, more resilient communities by investing in essential services people rely on when it matters most,” he said.

The donation is one of many under PAGCOR’s ongoing nationwide program to distribute medical transport vehicles.

Aside from the SBMA, PAGCOR also donated patient transport vehicles to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) (two vehicles), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), and the local government units of Manay, Davao; Narra, Palawan; and Dumaguete. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBF stakeholders benefit from SBMA health caravan

A total of 618 stakeholders from this premier Freeport received free medical attention during the health caravan organized by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) at the Subic Bay Gymnasium on July 17, 2025.

 The said health caravan is a two-in-one event that features Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training, as well as the Bayanihan sa Kalusugan activity. 

 According to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño, the Hands-Only CPR and AED Trainings are in line with the Nationwide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Awareness Campaign by the national government. Participants were employees from SBFZ locators, as well as residents and students from neighboring localities.

 The largest delegation was from the SBMA with 307 participants, followed by employees from private companies here with 160 participants, and 151 from local government units, teachers, and students.

 He added that the Bayanihan sa Kalusugan is a wellness initiative for SBMA employees, with the assistance from physicians and laboratory technicians from The Medical City Clark, who held medical consultations, and facilitated the free screening tests, and sampling, respectively.

Awed with the highly successful conduct of the health caravan, Chairman Aliño expressed his gratitude to the SBMA’s partner institutions and socio-civic organizations namely, the Philippine Heart Association-Philippine College of Cardiology, Philippine Heart Association Central Luzon Chapter, Olongapo City Medical Society, Philippine College of Occupational Medicine Olongapo City Chapter, Rotary International District 3790, Unilab, Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corporation, and the Rotary Club of Subic Pearl. (MPD-SBMA) 

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“Lab for All” caravan goes to Subic Freeport

Lab for All Caravan made its current stop at the Subic Bay Exhibition (SBECC) in this premier Freeport on Tuesday to provide free medical services to more than 3,500 people here, including the first district of Zambales. 

The Lab for All Caravan, a flagship project of the Office of the First Lady, was formally opened by the First Lady herself, Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos. 

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño, who welcomed the First Lady during her visit to the Freeport, expressed honor for the agency’s being chosen to host the event. 

“It is an honor for us to hold the Lab for All Caravan here,” Aliño said. 

Araneta-Marcos expressed her gratitude to the national government agencies who participated in the Lab for All Caravan, providing much-needed medical consultations, medicine and surgery for free to almost 4,000 beneficiaries. 

She also thanked the local officials from the provinces of Zambales, Pampanga, and Bataan for showing support to the project, and for also showing unity with their constituents during the event. 

During the opening program, the Lab for All jingle was also introduced, which the guest government elected officials learned to dance to. 

The First Lady, Chairman Aliño, Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda, Pampanga Vice Governor Lilia Pineda, Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman, Zambales First District Representative Jay Khonghun, and other guest government officials took part dancing to the Lab for All jingle.

Meanwhile, the SBMA Board of Directors, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Director Rolen Paulino, and other guest government officials also took part in the activities.

The guest agencies in the event include the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade Industry (DTI), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Pag-Ibig, and PhilHealth.

Chairman Aliño said that the SBMA is always ready to support any national government endeavors, especially programs that benefit the masses. “Our doors in Subic Bay Freeport are always open. It is an honor for us to be of service to our people,” Aliño said. (MPD-SBMA) 

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400 Subic Bay Freeport, Olongapo City stakeholders join Pink Run 2022 for breast cancer awareness

Close to 400 Subic Bay Freeport and Olongapo City stakeholders joined the Pink Run 2022 to show support to breast cancer awareness, which happened last October 21, Friday. 

Dubbed as “The Pink Run 2022–D’Feeting Breast Cancer,” the event was organized by the Philippine Society of General Surgeons (PSGS)-Central Luzon Chapter, the Olongapo City Medical Society (OCMS), Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM), and the Subic-Olongapo Cancer Foundation (SOCFI) in collaboration with the SBMA Gender and Development. 

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) Executive Committee Head Amethya Dela Llana was hands-on in welcoming the organizers, participants and event partners on behalf of the SBMA Chairman and Administrator Rolen C. Paulino. 

“On behalf of Chairman Paulino, we would like to thank the organizers and participants for having the breast cancer awareness activity here. And we have agreed that from here on out, the breast cancer awareness event will be hosted here in the Subic Bay Freeport.  This said signature project will be included in the Tourism and GAD calendars annually,” Dela Llana announced. 

Men and women participants in the Pink Run 2022 either wore pink shirts, pink bandanas, pink face masks, pink caps, pink pants, or pink shoes. They represented various Freeport locators such as Lindberg, Sanyo Denki Philippines, Wistron Infocomm Philippines, Nidec Subic Philippines Corporation, Brookes Aesthetic and Wellness Center, and Victory Gym. SBMA employees and Subic Bay Multipurpose Cooperative members also joined. 

Olongapo City contingents included Batang ‘Gapo Riders Club (BGRC), Metro Subic Colleges, Philippine Dental Association (PDA), Ridon St. Jude Medical Center, Sunlife, James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital (JLGMC), Olongapo City National High School (OCNHS) Batch 75, Olongapo City Police Office (OCPO), Lion’s Club District 301, Rotary Club of Downtown Olongapo (RCDO), Rotary Club of Subic Pearl (RCSP), and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA).

PSGS-Luzon chapter vice president Dr. RJ Manzo, who was in the forefront of the event organizing committee, recalled that breast cancer awareness was last held in 2019 before Covid-19 pandemic broke. 

He added that before pandemic, it was celebrated with a unity walk then forming a human pink ribbon.

“So now that we are coming back to the new normal, playing safe. But we are trying to ease back the activities that we used to do. So this year, after a two-year absence, we are back,” Dr. Manzo said. 

He reminded that October is breast cancer awareness month, and that the Pink Run 2022 brought them all together to celebrate breast cancer patients, cancer survivors, and all womenfolk suffering from the big C, because women are more prone to breast cancer. 

“But truth be told nowadays, cancer is beatable. We can prevent cancer with early screening,” he assured. 

Hosted by DJ Tommy G of 89.5 Subic Bay radio and Dr. Karl Edejer, a pain management specialist, the program was highlighted by the warm-up stretching led by Victory Gym coaches. 

Meanwhile, the coaches and athletes of Crossfit Olongapo City spearheaded the first wave of runners, leading the participants around the Remy Field oval track.

Capping the event was the iconic forming of the human pink ribbon. 

In other parts of the country, Pink Run 2022 was also celebrated in Bacolod, General Santos City and Dasmariñas, Cavite with a lap run. 

In Bohol, a non-profit organization launched a long distance run in various distances as a fund-raising campaign for the benefit of breast cancer patients and other indigent beneficiaries. Participants were given the choice to run in 3, 5, 10 and 16 kilometers. 

The Pink Run is a project of the PSGS, a national event celebrated annual in October in observance of the Breast Cancer Awareness month. (MPD-SBMA) 

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SBMA launches Mobile Vaccination Drive

In its effort to provide the community better access to Covid-19 vaccines, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) thru the Office of the Deputy Administrator (ODA) for Health and Safety launched the Mobile Vaccination Drive.

“This is in accordance with the directive from the Department of Health (DOH) to see to it that everyone has access to Covid-19 vaccines in our community,” said SBMA OIC-DA for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao.

This came after a meeting with the Asst. Regional Director D. Lailani Mangulabnan of the Central Luzon Center for Health Development and the Provincial Department of Health Office of Zambales Dr. Jessie Fantone, and will be executed by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD).

The SBMA Mobile Vaccination Drive will be at the Binictican Housing area beside Gobstopper Convenience Store on April 13 (Wednesday) from 9am to 12nn to render vaccination service to residents nearby for their first dose, second dose or booster dose.

On April 22 (Friday), the SBMA PHSD team will be at the SBMA Day Care Center from 9am to 12nn for SBMA employees who wish to be vaccinated without having to go far from their offices.

Also, the DOH-SBMA vaccination program will still be on their regular schedule from 10am to 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, except this Good Friday.

However, according to PHSD, their vaccination site has moved a little farther from the Activity Center to the hallway near HMR at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall, to give way to the summer activities of the mall.

Currently, the SBMA workforce is at 69 percent boosted, while a little short of 100 percent vaccinated with primary doses.

The PHSD also reported that they have already administered 30,162 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine since May 2021. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Freeport Covid-19 cases drop to zero

The number of active Covid-19 cases in this special economic zone plunged to zero on Wednesday, February 9, after surging for three weeks in January when health authorities confirmed nationwide transmission of the Omicron variant.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said there was not any new case of Covid-19 here since then for both Subic Freeport residents and transient workers or guests, although two active cases remained among SBMA employees.

“This is a good sign. It looks like the Omicron surge has peaked last month, and that our vaccination program is really helping to arrest local infection,” Eisma said.

“Still, there is no reason to put our guards down. We must continue observing health protocols because this is the surest way out of the pandemic,” she added.

Data released by the SBMA on Wednesday showed that 39 residents of the Subic Bay Freeport, 14 transient workers, and 27 SBMA employees recently recovered from Covid-19 infection after quarantine and treatment, leading to the lowest case record in more than a month.

Said recovered residents tested positive between January 19 and February 1, while the recovered guest workers were infected between January 23 and January 21.

The SBMA employees, meanwhile, tested positive between January 23 and 31. The SBMA continues to monitor cases among its employees and reports on them even when these properly fall under the care of local government units where the employees reside, Eisma explained.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, who heads the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), said the surge in Covid-19 cases here was consistent with Department of Health (DOH) findings that community transmission of the highly-infectious Omicron variant began in the second week of January.

“According to the DOH, 80% of the cases now are caused by the Omicron variant,” Jacalne said. “Again, this was consistent with our monitoring reports that those infected in Subic either travelled outside of the Freeport, or had some visitors coming in during the holidays,” he added.

PHSD monitoring indicated that the active cases began rising on January 1 when six Subic residents tested positive of the virus. By January 9, 36 residents were infected, and by January 18 a total of 78 active cases was recorded.

Among transient workers, meanwhile, the tally climbed from zero cases in January 1, to nine cases on January 9, and 17 cases on January 18.

Fortunately, most of those who fell ill only had mild symptoms and only four patients were admitted to the hospital, Jacalne said.

The cases began to taper off in the last week of January, dropping to only 27 active cases among residents as of January 28. At the same time, there were just 11 active cases among transient workers, and six among SBMA employees.

The total confirmed Covid-19 cases in Subic now stand at 421 for residents, 175 for transients, and 233 for SBMA employees. Meanwhile, the SBMA has recorded a total of 417 recoveries for Freeport residents, 171 for transients, and 224 for SBMA employees.

Despite the continuing downtrend, Jacalne also said that Subic stakeholders still need to continue with strict health protocols, and do only essential travel. “We cannot yet say that we’re at the end of a surge,” he added.

The SBMA, in partnership with the DOH, continues to roll out vaccines to residents, including those from outside the Freeport zone, with priority given to senior citizens for both basic and booster shots. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic ensures visitor safety with strict hotel protocols

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now enforcing stricter safety protocols to ensure the health and safety of visitors to the Subic Bay Freeport amid the recent surge in Covid-19 infections.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said hotels and accommodation facilities here will now require guests to present negative results for Covid-19 antigen tests taken in the past 24 hours or RT-PCR tests released 48 hours prior to check-in.

The new requirement was made effective Monday, January 24, following Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines placing the surrounding areas of Zambales, Olongapo City, and Bataan under Alert Level 3 on January 6, Eisma said.

“While interzonal travel is allowed under Alert Level 3, we want to take the extra step in ensuring the health and safety of, not only our visitors in the Freeport, but also our local businesses, workers, and stakeholders,” Eisma said.

She added that the SBMA is also checking for vaccination cards among visitors entering the Freeport and required negative RT-PCR test results for the unvaccinated.  

Previous Alert Level 3 guidelines from the IATF did not require antigen or RT-PCR tests for interzonal travel except when required by establishments or event organizers. “However, because of the recent surge in Covid-19 infections, there is a need for us to enforce stricter measures for the sake of both visitors and locals, and to keep Subic businesses going,” Eisma stressed.

Recently, Olongapo City, which provides most of the workers in the Subic Bay Freeport, was named as one of the cities with the highest rate of Covid-19 infections. The Subic Freeport, meanwhile, logged 78 active cases for SBFZ residents and 17 for Freeport transient workers and guests as of January 18.

“This is why we have to be more vigilant, and why we should not relax our guard,” Eisma explained.

Along with the hotel requirements, the SBMA also reminded Subic business locators and stakeholders to report possible cases of Covid-19 to the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department, pointing out that failure to do so shall be grounds for the cancellation of their certificates of registration.

Eisma said that under Republic Act 11332, or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act,” persons and entities who will not report Covid-19 cases or respond to Covid-19 health events may be fined from P20,000 to P50,000.

Business establishments in the Freeport were also required to announce to the public if they have been temporarily closed because of any recently confirmed Covid-19 case in their premises, she added.

Eisma said that both the SBMA and neighboring local government units have been increasing their target vaccinations and booster rollout to keep Covid-19 cases low and not overwhelm the healthcare system. “As the SBMA and neighbor-LGUs have proven well in the past, we are stronger together in every common undertaking,” she said.

She added that while the SBMA is not an LGU, it has initiated a vaccine drive primarily for Freeport employees, health workers, and residents. “At the end of the day, we can only beat Covid-19 if we practice malasakit and help each other,” she said.

The Subic chief also reminded the general public that while restrictions are in place, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is still very much open to everyone and will continue to be the premier business hub in this part of the country.

“As long as we follow the minimum health and safety standards like always wearing mask, keeping safe distance, frequent handwashing or disinfection, and, of course, getting vaccinated, we will get over this new surge as we have had before,” Eisma said. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA now requires vaccination cards for Subic entry

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Monday began checking for vaccination cards among persons entering the Subic Bay Freeport to prevent further transmission of Covid-19 in the area and maintain the health and safety of stakeholders in this vital economic zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said this is just one of the stricter measures implemented by the Subic agency after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed Olongapo City, along with Zambales, Bataan and 11 other areas in the country, under Alert Level 3 late last week.

Under the new SBMA guidelines, interzonal travel and intrazonal movement are allowed in Subic upon presentation of vaccination certificate showing completed doses. Meanwhile, unvaccinated persons would have to show negative RT-PCR test results taken with 24 hours prior to arrival in Subic, Eisma said.

Subic, which boasted of zero Covid-19 cases among its residents until Christmas day, had reported a total of 36 active cases just after the holidays.

“The rate of increase—36 cases in just two weeks—is quite alarming, so in consonance with IATF resolutions, we have put in place stricter border controls and prohibited certain activities that could further spread the virus,” Eisma said on Monday.

“I have ordered our law enforcement officers to be thorough in checking for vaccination cards at the gates because we cannot afford another lockdown that would curtail business and industry in Subic. We have to be strict because we have to keep the local economy running, too,” she added.

Eisma said the SBMA has considered interzonal travel as high risk because eight of the recent Covid-19 cases in the Freeport involved residents who reported travel to Metro Manila, while five said having visited other areas outside of the Freeport.

She added that monitoring by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department showed that these 13 travelers had, in turn, transmitted the virus to 12 close contacts. Still two others were infected after receiving visitors from outside Subic.

Eisma said that aside from requiring vaccination cards at the gates, the SBMA also limited the access of some public areas only to fully-vaccinated individuals. These include venues for meetings and social events, amusement parks and recreation venues, visitor or tourist attractions, venues for in-person religious gatherings, as well as restaurants, and gyms and personal care shops, which should all take in customers at 30% of their indoor capacity and 50% for outdoors.

Unvaccinated persons, however, may be allowed in supermarkets and groceries where 30% maximum capacity should be maintained, and inside malls but “only for the purpose of accessing essential goods and services,” the SBMA chief said.

At the same time, the SBMA allowed 70% maximum capacity for public transportation; 30% indoor capacity for face-to-face classes in higher schools; and 60% on-site capacity for government offices.

Meanwhile, the SBMA prohibited the operation of karaoke bars, indoor entertainment venues, kid amusement places, and venues for contact sports except in bubble-type setup.

Eisma said the Subic agency will enforce other measures that will arrest the current surge of Covid-19 cases in the greater Subic Bay area while encouraging stakeholders to get vaccinated for either basic doses or booster shots.

“We intend to contain this upsurge with vaccines and sound science behind basic safety protocols like masking, handwashing and social distancing,” Eisma added. (MPD-SBMA)

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Galvez lauds SBMA vaxx program for economic frontliners

National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. praised the efforts of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma to vaccinate workers and other economic frontliners in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Speaking in the town of Subic in Zambales during the second day of the National Vaccination Day-Phase 2 on Thursday, Galvez noted that the SBMA has been extending its vaccine rollout to companies inside the Freeport to keep workers safe and sustain economic activities despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

He pointed out that the SBMA has focused on the private sector, including Freeport stakeholders, while local government units (LGUs) attended to the communities, especially residents with comorbidity, senior citizens, and the youth.

Galvez also cited the role of the SBMA in establishing the Subic Freeport as an entry point for repatriation of overseas Filipino workers, as well as for returning seafarers under the government’s crew change program.

Eisma, for her part, said that it was her job as SBMA chairman to take care of Freeport workers and take necessary action, especially as she observed that LGUs were having a hard time securing vaccine supplies for their constituents.

“For me, it was very important that workers are vaccinated and protected because they are the ones going out every day to sustain their families during the pandemic when most people were told to stay home,” Eisma said.

“It’s very fortunate for us that business locators in Subic are very cooperative, so we have done very well on our company-based vaccination program where we usually had two or three companies scheduled for vaccination for day’s vaccine rollout,” she added.

Eisma also thanked Sec. Duque, Sec. Galvez and Covid-19 testing czar Sec. Vince Hizon for supporting the SBMA vaccine initiative. “They are all very accessible. Our success in vaccination is largely due to their support,” she said.

The SBMA chief said that as of December 16, the SBMA, in partnership with the Department of Health, has administered a total of 19,535 doses of vaccine, mostly to workers in the A4 category with a total of 5,617 first doses and 3,993 second doses.

The SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout also benefited Olongapo City residents with 7,661 first doses, 5,406 second doses, and 57 booster shots; Subic Bay Freeport residents with 1,208 first doses, 1,119 second doses, and 6 booster shots; Zambales residents with 1,383 first doses, 1,069 second doses, and 16 booster shots; and LGUs outside Zambales with 997 first doses, 610 second doses, and 3 booster shots.

“We are very confident that most employees of companies located inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone are either fully vaccinated or have reached herd immunity status. The SBMA itself has close to 2,800 employees and only 10 remain unvaccinated due to medical reasons,” she added.

Eisma also said that the SBMA is “looking forward to economic recovery next year,” pointing out that some Subic companies have even started expanding operations, and that tourists are now back in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (MPD-SBMA)

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Long queues in Subic Freeport for ‘Bayanihan Bakunahan’ vaccine project

Hundreds of residents from neighboring areas of the Subic Bay Freeport braved long lines at the Ayala Mall Harbor Point here to get vaccinated against Covid-19 on Monday, the first day of the government’s three-day “Bayanihan Bakunahan” national vaccination program.

Among those who waited patiently for the vaccination to start at 8 a.m. was Jovelyn Merced, an employee of Datian Subic Shoes, Inc., who said she has queued as early as 5 a.m. to be sure she would get the vaccine shot that day.

“It’s just now that I registered for the Covid-19 vaccine because I didn’t want to miss work before,” Merced explained. “It’s a good thing they declared a holiday for this, and that somebody assisted us in registering while we’re already lining up.”

Also in the queue was Red Cross worker Eduardo Buena of Olongapo City, who brought along his three teenaged children for the vaccine rollout. “We have long wanted to have the kids vaccinated, so we are here to take advantage of this government program,” Buena said.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said a total of 784 persons were vaccinated in the first day of the rollout that targeted Freeport residents and workers, including those who are seniors or with comorbidities, as well as children aged 12 to 17 years.

“We are ready to double our usual number of vaccine recipients in the next two days and we will accommodate anyone, including walk-ins, just as long as they’re registered at the SBMA-Department of Health (DOH) vaccination program website,” she added.

Eisma said two vaccination sites were set up here for the three-day “Bayanihan Bakunahan” national vaccination program: the Ayala Mall Harbor Point activity center and the Allied Care Baypointe Hospital.

The vaccines available for this rollout are Pfizer and Astra Zeneca brands, as we’ll as Sinovac for second doses of those who have earlier received Sinovac shots.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), said that government targets for the three-day program have been actually increased to double the usual goal of 700 inoculations per day.

He said some members of the Olongapo Medical Society arrived to help SBMA health workers administer the shots so that the target number of doses can be completed.

“We’ll give the shots to everyone—seniors and children, those for their first dose or second dose, as long as they’re registered,” Jacalne added.

The SBMA will also open a drive-through vaccination site on Wednesday at the west wing entrance of Ayala Mall Harbor Point to provide shots to Subic stakeholders who cannot walk to the indoor vaccination site, said SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao.

The government’s three-day vaccine campaign dubbed as “Bayanihan Bakunahan: Ligtas. Lakas. Buong Pinas” was designed to increase vaccine coverage and mobilize stakeholders to support the national government’s goal of giving Filipinos a safe and healthy Christmas, the DOH said in a statement.

Prior to the three-day national vaccination project, the SBMA has administered a total of 13,063 doses of various Covid-19 vaccines under the SBMA-DOH vaccine program. These included a total of 5,841 doses for economic frontliners in the Subic Freeport, and 3,962 doses for those with comorbidities.

The beneficiaries came from Olongapo City, which received a total of 8,138 doses; Subic Bay Freeport, with 1,937 doses; Zambales, 1,653; and communities outside Zambales, 1,335 doses. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout reaches 13k jabs

More than 13,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for workers and residents in the Subic Bay Freeport under the agency’s vaccination program in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the vaccine rollout seeks to ensure adequate protection for stakeholders in Subic and facilitate the revival of local businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

“We’re gunning for herd immunity with the vaccination program in Subic because that’s the only way that we can reopen and sustain the economy. We need to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the residents and workers in the Freeport so that we can minimize, if not contain, the spread of the virus,” she added.

Eisma said that as far as SBMA employees are concerned, 82 percent of the agency’s 2,249 workforce are already fully vaccinated while 12 percent are awaiting their second dose.

“On the other hand, we still have a long way to go among residents and workers in the Freeport, but with more vaccine allocation from the DOH, we are closing the gap steadily,” she added.

“It also helped a lot that we have received donations of biomedical refrigerators, as well as freezers and vaccine transporters, thus enhancing our capacity for storage and distribution,” Eisma said.

According to Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), the agency’s health workers have already administered a total of 13,063 vaccine doses as of November 24. This is broken down into 8,404 first doses and 4,659 second doses.

Most of the beneficiaries of the SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout are residents of Olongapo City, who received a total of 8,138 doses. Meanwhile, 1,937 jabs have been administered to residents of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone; 1,653 doses for residents of Zambales; and 1,335 shots for those coming from communities outside Zambales.

Figures from the SBMA-PHSD also showed that most of the shots administered were Pfizer vaccines with a total of 5,516 doses, followed by Sinovac, with 3,881 shots; Astra Zeneca, with 3,306; and Janssen, with 360.

The SBMA-PHSD reported early this month that the Subic Bay Freeport no longer had any active Covid-19 cases among residents, transient workers and SBMA employees for the first time since July 2020, following the recovery of five Subic residents and three SBMA employees who were the last to contract the virus in late October.

However, Jacalne said the month-long record was broken last Tuesday when an SBMA employee, who is a resident of Olongapo City, tested positive while undergoing diagnosis for an unrelated medical procedure in Manila.

The latest case is asymptomatic and is under home quarantine, Jacalne added.

Eisma meanwhile reminded Subic stakeholders and visitors to maintain health safety protocols, even when Subic had eased quarantine restrictions following its classification as under Alert Level 2.

The SBMA no longer required negative test results for persons entering the Freeport, but is enforcing here government guidelines on outdoor and indoor activities for both residents and visitors.

“The virus is still here, although we’re slowly defeating it,” Eisma said. “We cannot be complacent in observing health measures because we simply cannot afford another surge that will shut down businesses and livelihood here in Subic,” she added. (MPD-SBMA) 

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Subic gets Covid-free, but SBMA urges keeping health protocols, getting vaxxed

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced that there is no longer any active Covid-19 case among residents and transient workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as well as employees of the Subic agency as of Monday.

This developed as five Subic residents and three SBMA employees who contracted Covid from October 18 to 21 were all declared as recovered by the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (SBMA-PHSD) after quarantine and treatment.

“For the first time since July last year when Subic Freeport recorded the first positive cases, we can all breathe that much-needed sigh of relief,” said SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma. “But still this does not mean we can already relax our guard against the virus,” she insisted.

“Remember that we are easing restrictions not because Covid-19 is gone, but because we have to sustain the economy, which has been badly affected by the pandemic,” she pointed out.

Eisma said that after Subic was placed by the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Alert Level 2 status, the SBMA relaxed entry to the Freeport and allowed children 14 years old and below to enjoy parks and other open spaces, as well as al fresco dining restaurants here. Seniors 65 years old and above are also allowed in malls, shops and other enclosed spaces when fully-vaccinated, she added.

However, she reminded Subic stakeholders and visitors not to get careless. “We cannot afford another surge,” Eisma said, urging everyone to wear mask, avoid crowded places, maintain physical distancing, and disinfect.

The latest SBMA announcement posted on Monday indicated that the last reported Covid case among Subic Freeport residents was on Oct. 20 and among transient workers and guests in the Freeport on Sept. 25. Meanwhile, the latest case among SBMA employees was recorded on Oct. 21.

The announcement also showed a total of 275 confirmed cases among Freeport residents, with 271 recoveries or 98.55% and four deaths (1.45%); and 128 confirmed cases among transients, with 124 recoveries (96.8%), one death and three relocated cases.

Meanwhile, cases among SBMA employees, which were actually counted in their respective places of residence but reported by SBMA for transparency, indicated 197 confirmed cases, with 190 recoveries (96.45%) and seven deaths (3.55%).

The SBMA chief also urged Subic residents and workers to get vaccinated in order to further reduce Covid-19 infections.

As of November 5, she said 93 percent of the 2,237 SBMA employees are already either fully vaccinated or had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and only seven percent have yet to receive anti-Covid shots.

Eisma said the SBMA is now arranging with the Department of Health (DOH) to allow walk-ins under the DOH-SBMA vaccine rollout so that more Freeport residents and workers could be inoculated.

“Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic, but let us not be choosy about the vaccine brand,” Eisma reminded stakeholders here.

“As experts say, the best vaccine is the one you get into your arm, and we owe it to ourselves and our community to get vaccinated so that we can help protect each other, begin reviving our economy and start moving on under the new normal,” she added. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA ramps up vaccine drive for economic frontliners

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has expanded the coverage of its vaccination drive to include more workers in locator-companies here and sustain productivity in this special economic and free port zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency is getting more workers inoculated with increased vaccine allocations from the Department of Health (DOH), as well as donations from private groups like the ICTSI Foundation.

Last Thursday, Eisma supervised the launch of the second phase of SBMA’s vaccination program at the Subic Gym, with 250 employees of MSK Group Work, Inc. (Subic) and some SBMA personnel receiving their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine from the ICTSI Foundation.

“This is the start of a more intensified vaccination program for Subic stakeholders because we are able to secure more vaccines now since we have a storage facility with a total capacity of 40,000 doses,” she added.

The SBMA chief also pointed out that under the SBMA-DOH vaccine rollout, the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department continues to vaccinate qualified recipients in the A1 to A4 categories of the government’s priority list.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao said the intensified rollout is also made possible by the availability of two inoculation sites: the Subic Gym and the activity center of the Harbor Point Ayala Mall here.

Yambao said that as the SBMA administered the second dose of Sinovac vaccines from the DOH to locator employees at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall on Friday, another team was inoculating workers of the Mikuni Terminals Mechatronics Philippines Corp. with the first dose of AstraZeneca.

“We can do simultaneous vaccine rollouts because we have these two vaccination sites that can accommodate hundreds at a time,” Yambao explained.

“This morning at the gym, we finished up with 180 doses of AstraZeneca for Mikuni employees and in the afternoon, it was the turn of employees from GrainPro. All the while, the rollout for Sinovac was continuing at Harbor Point,” he added.

Aside from the aforementioned companies, Chairman Eisma said that Subic companies like Exxinum and Sanyo Denki will have their employees inoculated within company premises. Another firm, Nicera, will have its workers vaccinated at Harbor Point. Juken Sangyo, a Japanese firm at the Subic Techno Park, had its workers vaccinated on Sunday.

Eisma recounted that last July, the Subic Bay Freeport launched the vaccination program for essential workers in the A4 priority list with Secretary Vince Dizon, the deputy chief implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19, and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque gracing the occasion at the Nidec factory site.

“This is just the continuation of the A4 vaccination program we launched last July, but this time we’re doing it at a faster pace because we have a steady supply of vaccines,” she said.

Eisma also expressed thanks to the ICTSI Foundation for the vaccine donation, as well as to Subic companies that provided biomedical refrigerators to store vaccines.

“This is the first step for the Subic Bay workforce to get back to normal life and help renew economic growth. It is very important that we all get vaccinated and back on track,” Eisma added. (MPD.SBMA)

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Subic firm donates vaccine fridge to SBMA

A business locator in this free port has donated a biomedical refrigerator to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in support of the agency’s vaccination program for workers, residents and other stakeholders here.

SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma said the donation from TeleEmpire Inc. will strengthen the capacity of the SBMA to pursue its vaccine rollout in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and private groups.

“It’s a bio-ref, capable of temperatures from 2 to 8 degrees Centigrade, and it’s good for Sinovac, Astra Zeneca or Janssen vaccines,” Eisma explained. “This will be a big help in our vaccine program and will complement the transport boxes and vaccine carriers we recently received from the DOH.”

Eisma said the biomedical refrigerator can store up to 20,000 vaccine vials. "Additional storage means better supply management of our vaccine allocations," she added.

The donation was turned over by TeleEmpire president and CEO Johannes Lin to SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD) manager Dr. Solomon Jacalne.

Jacalne said the vaccine refrigerator will allow the SBMA health unit to store vaccines in its own facility rather than getting vaccine supplies from the DOH regional office or from the health office in Olongapo City.

"This donation from TeleEmpire makes it possible for us to get more vaccine allotment from the government," Jacalne pointed out. “It can also be used to store vaccines for flu and other medical preparations.”

TeleEmpire Inc. handed out its donation as a gesture of gratitude for the vaccination of its employees on August 11. The rollout was made possible with the assistance of the SBMA and DOH and benefited the firm’s 280 employees.

TeleEmpire provides facility management services and business process outsourcing services to Philippine overseas gaming operators located out of the Freeport.

Eisma also expressed her gratitude to the company for its support, pointing out that if both the private and public sectors worked together, herd immunity could be attained faster in the Subic Bay community.

She said the Subic agency is reaching out to all possible sources of vaccine to ensure that the Subic Bay workforce will all be immunized and protected against the Covid-19 virus. (MPD-SBMA)

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Red Cross medical tent to augment Subic hospital’s Covid-19 capacity

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has donated a fully air-conditioned medical tent to the Baypointe Hospital here to serve as an extension Covid-19 isolation and treatment unit for possible spillover cases of the highly infectious disease. 

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the medical tent was installed on Wednesday at the emergency admittance area of Baypointe, the only hospital in the Subic Freeport Zone that admits Covid cases from Olongapo City, Bataan and Zambales.

“We have here the hospital tent from the Philippine Red Cross that we hope can help Baypointe catch up with the growing numbers of Covid cases. This tent is fully air-conditioned, has 10 to 20-bed capacity, and will hopefully augment our needs as of this time,” Eisma said on Thursday.

“We are truly grateful that Senator (Richard) Gordon never misses on giving Subic his priority, as we fight a collective battle against this pandemic,” Eisma added. Gordon, who was the first SBMA chairman, is now chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.

Eisma said the medical tent is invaluable to Subic because of the rising number of Covid cases in the locality. “We have to be proactive. We have to be ready. We will not wait until we cannot catch up anymore,” she stressed.

“I will not want Subic to be ill-prepared for what may happen. So, this is one of the first steps that we are doing to make sure that we are ready should the pandemic escalate even more,” Eisma added.

According to Dr. Erlinda Alconga, Baypointe’s expert on infectious diseases, more patients are seeking admittance at the hospital because they have Covid pneumonia, with a total of 68 currently in the waiting list.

“Before our bed capacity for Covid cases was only 29, but now we attend to about 40 to 50 patients at Baypointe,” she added.

Baypointe director Dr. Felicisimo de Castro, meanwhile, said the medical tent is a very welcome gift from the Red Cross and Senator Richard Gordon, who is Red Cross chairman.

“We thank the community for giving support and we acknowledge with much appreciation the help that SBMA is providing us. This will go a long way in alleviating the desperate plight of our patients who wait outside just to be able to gain admission in our hospital, which is now full to capacity,” De Castro also said.

Both Alconga and Eisma also stressed their call for Subic stakeholders to observe minimum health protocols and to get vaccinated.

As of Thursday, August 19, the neighboring city of Olongapo has reported a total of 406 active Covid-19 cases and a total of 3,416 confirmed cases since the pandemic began early last year.

The neighboring province of Zambales, which has shifted back its quarantine status early this week to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions, has reported a total of 644 active cases, among the total confirmed cases of 5,156.

On the other hand, the province of Bataan, which is under Extreme Community Quarantine (ECQ), has reported a total of 2,519 active cases, out of the total 15,721 confirmed cases. (MPD-SBMA)

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