SBMA records P3.47-Billion operating revenue

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) registered a revenue of P3.47 billion last year, capping the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic with an 8% growth in income and other major accomplishments in key performance areas.

In her 2021 annual report to President Duterte, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said that “while a few indicators remain impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the general trend is upward where the SBMA was able to accelerate growth and surpass its performance in the previous year.”

Foremost among the top performances Eisma told the President about was the operating revenue of the agency, which stood at P3.47 billion for the period ending December 2021. This was P270M or 8% higher compared to revenue in the same period in 2020, she added.

Eisma pointed out that most of the SBMA revenue came from leases and port operations, with land and building leases growing by 2% and contributing P1.38 billion, and seaport operations growing by 14% and generating P1.37 billion.

She also reported that the agency’s regulatory income increased by 11% and provided P408 million in revenue, while airport operations grew by 26% and contributed P79 million.

The SBMA chief likewise provided positive reports in investment and employment generation, tourism, imports and exports.

She said the SBMA recorded a total of 142,177 Subic Bay Freeport workers as of December 31, showing an employment increase of 2.31% from 138,966 workers in 2020. SBFZ business locators, meanwhile, numbered 1,737 SBFZ as of December 31, “continuing a slight upward trend since 2019,” Eisma said.

She added that new investments, including expansions, totaled P17.29 billion, higher than the 2020 record by P15.74 billion, or 1,011%. The 2021 record even topped the pre-pandemic 2019 level by P8.05 billion, or 87%, with the bulk comprised by a P15-billion commitment from a business locator, which proposed to develop the SBFZ marshalling yard.

Meanwhile, Eisma said that the pandemic-hit tourism industry in Subic “is recovering and has recorded a total of 7.3 million same-day visitors in 2021.” This was also higher than the 2020 record by 2.18 million or 42%, but still lower than the 2019 record by 2.2 million or 23%.

In terms of trade, Eisma said the Subic Bay Freeport “defied the negative impact of the pandemic by recording a total of US$1.58 billion import value in 2021, which was 49.53% higher than the 2020 import value of US$1.12 billion.”

On the other hand, Subic’s export value reached a total of US$1.37 billion, which was 32.42% higher than the 2020 export value of US$1.03 billion. Both import and export values respectively exceeded the 2019 pre-pandemic records by 8.12% and 6.73%, Eisma added.

At the same time, Chairman Eisma reported to President Duterte that the Subic Bay International Airport, which was tapped by the Department of Transportation last year to accommodate “Bayanihan” flights has recorded a total of 53 flights as of December 31, bringing home a total of 14,312 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos, and generating P3.17 million in direct revenues for the SBMA.

Eisma likewise reported that the SBMA’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout, which was a joint project with the Department of Health, has resulted in the administration of 22,251 vaccine doses as of the end of 2021.

Eisma assured the President that the SBMA “is doing its best to be more competitive and maintain a business-friendly environment in the Freeport, as we continue to support all the programs of the government to ensure the well-being and safety of everyone in the Subic Bay Freeport.” (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA earns P65.73M from crew-change program

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has generated a total of P65.73 million in income from participating in the government’s crew-change program that facilitated the safe and speedy travel of Filipino and foreign seafarers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the additional revenue was realized after 16 months of processing seafarers following the designation of the Subic Bay Freeport as a crew-change hub in September 2020.

The total income came from the P14.64 million that was earned from September to December 2020, and the P51.09 million that was collected in the 12 months last year.

Eisma pointed out this did not include income earned by local hotels and other tourism-related businesses that provided quarantine rooms and other services for the disembarked seamen.

“The P65.7-million income is an additional windfall that SBMA earned by banking on Subic’s strict enforcement of health safety protocols,” Eisma noted.

“And it was realized after Subic took the opportunity—despite initial disapproval by some neighboring LGUs—to provide much-needed service at a time when only a few ports wanted to take in seafarers because of the virus threat,” she added.

Eisma said that the SBMA decided favorably on the crew-change project because it would not only bring crewmen home to their families, but would also help unlock congestion in ports and reboot the global supply chain that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

According to the SBMA Seaport Department, a total of 254 crew-change operations were undertaken in Subic in the 16 months since September 2020. These involved 62 vessels in 2020 and 192 ships in 2021.

On the average, around 12 to 15 ships arrive in Subic each month for crew change, said Seaport general manager Jerome Martinez. But on busy times as many as 25 ships could call in Subic in a month, as they did in June last year, or even 33 as they did last November.

The ships arrive either to take in new on-signers to refresh the crew, or disembark off-signers who must go on vacation or visit their families.

Martinez said that in the last 16 months, the port of Subic was able to process a total of 2,001 on-signers, of which 1,931 were Filipinos and 70 were foreigners of various nationalities.

At the same time, a total of 1,927 off-signers came onshore through Subic. These included 1,743 Filipinos and 184 foreigners, Martinez said.

The seafarers arrived in all kinds of ships like the MT Dapeng Star, a liquified natural gas tanker which was the first vessel to call in Subic under the crew-change program; MV Mindoro, a Panama-flagged vehicles carrier; MT Jason, a chemical tanker from Marshall Islands; MT Euro Integrity, a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker; MV Nine Eagle, a Panama-flagged livestock carrier; and CS Cable Retriever, a dredging and cable-laying ship based in Singapore.

Aside from Subic and the Manila South Harbor, the other designated crew-change hubs in the country are in the port of Batangas, Port of Cebu, Port Capinpin in Orion, Bataan and Port of Sasa in Davao.

Under the crew change program, disembarking seafarers have to quarantine in facilities designated under the One Stop Shop (OSS) for Seafarers until testing negative in RT-PCR Covid-19 test which is taken on the sixth day after arrival. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA racks up P16.67-B investments in 2021

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) persistently defied the economic downturn brought about by the continuing Covid-19 pandemic this year and registered a total of P16.67 billion in investments from January to December.

This amount represented a 1,099% increase over the P1.39-billion investment turnout approved by the Subic agency in 2020 and almost four times the P4.38-billion investment forecast for this year, said SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

The new investment projects are also projected to generate close to 72,000 new jobs in Subic, she said.

“We’re not yet there even with this P16.67-billion figure this year, but we are definitely on our way to pre-pandemic investment levels,” Eisma enthusiastically pointed out on Monday.

The key, she said when asked how the SBMA attracted more investments despite the pandemic, “is keeping Subic a safe haven for both business and leisure.”

“The people here—and that includes the workers and residents—have gotten used to the strict implementation of safety protocols by the SBMA, and this is apparently paying off,” Eisma added. “People are asking where does Subic’s economic vibrancy come from, and the simple answer is that it comes from keeping Subic safe for everybody.”

Figures from the SBMA Business and Investment Group indicated that 110 new business locators registered in the Subic Freeport this year.

These included 82 companies wholly owned by Filipinos; five Sri Lankan and Filipino partnerships; three Filipino-Chinese combines; two Dutch, American and Filipino joint ventures; two Sri Lankan firms; two Taiwanese-Filipino companies; an American enterprise; and 14 other projects between a Filipino and a foreign partner.

The biggest investment project in 2021 was the P201.2-million watercraft operation business proposed by Empress maritime Subic, Inc., a British-Filipino venture.

This was followed by a petroleum trading venture by Bicol Oil (International) & Shipping Corp., a Filipino form that pledged P179.3 million; Subic Spectron Energy Trading Corp., another Filipino petroleum trading firm with P101.39 million; MN3A Subic Trading Corp., a Filipino general trading firm with P80 million; and SBGP Food Services, Inc., a Taiwanese-Filipino trading and retailing business with P74.6 million.

Completing the top 10 new investors are: Da Fu Yuan Corp., a Filipino-Taiwanese-Chinese venture for real estate development with P57.28 million; Jung Fang Corp., a Taiwanese real estate firm with P38.44 million; Alquenes Petroleum Inc., Filipino, with P28.5 million; Vexio Corp., another Filipino petroleum trader, with P25.97 million; and CGD Medical Depot Inc., a Filipino trader of medical supplies and food products, with P19.7 million.

On the other hand, the biggest investment project in terms of employment is that of Subic Supreme Industries, Inc., with projected 71,250 jobs.

This Filipino venture with committed investments of P15.5 million will develop and operate the marshalling yard at the gateway area for mixed-use development and services.

 Eisma also said the success of Subic in generating more business commitments was underpinned by a community effort to practice minimum safety protocols, get vaccinated, and establish Covid-19 facilities like a testing center and RT-PCR laboratory, and a 500-bed quarantine facility.

“Our readiness and capability to fight Covid also brought more business to Subic,” Eisma said, pointing out that some sports and tourism events, as well as the crew-change and OFW repatriation programs of the national government, were held here under the bubble concept. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA sends rescue team, gathers donation for ‘Odette’ emergency operations

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has fielded an 11-man rescue team to assist in emergency operations in areas devastated by Typhoon Odette.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the team enplaned early Sunday morning to Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, where Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) first made landfall on Thursday, Dec. 16.

The team brough along emergency rescue equipment like chainsaws, power tools, ropes, and portable generators for the rescue and clearing mission, Eisma said.

Authorities said at least 15 people died in the island, which also lost its electricity and is reportedly running out of potable water, food, and medicines.

Eisma said the SBMA team will also coordinate with local officials in Siargao to restore power and communication facilities in the island.

“We understand that time is very crucial at this stage of disaster response, so we immediately sent in our rescue team as soon as we can find some transportation for them,” Eisma said.

“Our team, which is headed by SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno, an acknowledged expert in disaster and emergency operations, are experienced in this kind of operations and have specialized in urban search and rescue,” Eisma added.

She pointed out that in the last five years alone, the SBMA emergency rescue team “has proven its capability during disaster missions in Baguio, Cagayan, and Bicol, as well as during floods and fires in communities surrounding the Subic Freeport.”

The team is expected to carry out its mission in Siargao within 10 days, Eisma said.

Meanwhile, as in previous disaster responses, the SBMA manpower augmentation is followed by a donation drive.

SBMA Public Relations manager Armie Llamas said the SBMA has called for donations last Saturday from Subic Freeport stakeholders. The requested items included sleeping mats, hygiene kits, easy-open canned goods, mosquito nets, pre-loved clothes, and bottled water.

“We are now gathering the donations from locator-companies and residents in Subic, as well as SBMA employees, and once we have enough, we will send these through the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and OCD (Office of Civil Defense),” Llamas said.

Eisma said the Subic community has been giving its all-out support to donation drives by the SBMA, thereby complementing agency’s emergency assistance. “This is our routine response in the past five years whenever some disaster strikes and the situation is desperate,” she pointed out.

“We understand that timely response is imperative and we need to act fast. And we are so fortunate that our stakeholders are very sympathetic to our efforts in helping others,” she 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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SBMA opts for virtual Christmas party, cancels New Year countdown

To ensure the health and safety of its personnel, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has decided to forego its usual face-to-face Christmas party this year and will instead have a virtual yearend thanksgiving program this Friday, Dec. 17.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency has prohibited face-to-face gatherings in all SBMA offices and facilities and disallowed events that would gather crowds in the Freeport because of the continuing danger from the Covid-19 virus and its emerging variants.

By the same reason, the Subic agency won’t hold a New Year countdown, cancelling this year a popular event that usually draws crowds of revelers from the Subic Bay area, as well as neighboring provinces and Metro Manila.

“This is the prudent decision by the SBMA because the virus is still here amidst us. The rate of infection may have gone down recently, but we cannot be complacent and fully open up Subic now because we cannot afford to have another surge just like they’re having in other countries,” Eisma said.

“While we respect the individual rights of SBMA employees and other Subic stakeholders to organize or attend gatherings this holiday season, we cannot yet allow these events in SBMA facilities. We also call on everyone to observe minimum public health standards wherever they may have their Christmas parties or yearend activities,” she added.

To spice up the virtual program, SBMA officials and employees will make video presentations and participate in online contests, Eisma added.

According to Jennifer Guiang, chief of the SBMA Board of Directors staff and head organizer of the virtual program, the SBMA yearend thanksgiving event will have a carnival theme. It will be held from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Dec. 17.

Guiang added that there will be three competitions to be held during the program.

These are “Our SBU Story,” a video contest on depicting the stories and accomplishments of the agency’s various strategic business units (SBUs); “SBMA Patiktok,” which should be a one-minute dance interpretation of any Christmas song; and the “SBMA Star of Thanksgiving,” which shall showcase the Subic Bay virtual carnival theme.

The overall winner shall be chose based on submissions for the three contests, Guiang said. (MPD-SBMA) 

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SBMA, DA sign MOA for P509-M agri border control facility in Subic

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the establishment of a control facility for fresh and frozen agri-fishery commodities entering the country through the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Agriculture Secretary William Dar formalized the agreement here on Friday, following initial talks in July.

The proposed Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA) in Subic—the first of five such facilities planned to be built nationwide —will cost P509.5 million and will facilitate 100-percent inspection of agri-fishery cargoes arriving here.

“It will also enhance industrial and commercial activities in Subic and foster the free flow of goods in the Freeport Zone,” Eisma noted.

The project supports the national government’s thrust to strengthen the food safety regulatory system in the country to protect consumer health as mandated by Republic Act No. 10611, or “An Act to Strengthen the Food Safety Regulatory System in the Country to Protect Consumer Health and Facilitate Market Access of Local Foods and Food Products.”

Sec. Dar said the Subic CEFA will ideally be constructed in a 2,000-sqm area along the San Bernardino Road near Subic’s New Container Terminal. The CEFA will be completed within eight months upon the start of construction, he added.

Dar said the DA will use the property strictly as a “first border facility” to thoroughly inspect imported containerized agri-fishery commodities and prevent the entry of transboundary agri-fishery pests and diseases.

He said the facility will house examination areas and laboratories intended for the execution quarantine and inspection protocols enforced by the agency’s Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

“We have also taken into consideration the volume of cargoes arriving here,” Dar pointed out. “We expect 26,000 containers of meat, meat products, fisheries and plant commodities to enter the Subic Freeport each year,” he added, citing the need to examine all these cargoes.

With the proposed facility, Dar said the DA will be able to undertake 100 percent in-depth inspection of containerized animal, fish and plant commodities identified through the Risk Assessment Categorization, and will be complemented by the X-ray screening of the Bureau of Customs which will be subject to sampling and laboratory testing.

He said the facility will also have a crematorium to dispose of confiscated agricultural products and by-products, including those mis-declared, unfit for human consumption, and contaminated and/or infected.

“I assure everyone that the emission from the components of the crematorium and its appurtenance will not cause harm to the health and well-being of the port workers and port users or cause adverse effect to the environment,” Dar also said.

Prior to the signing of agreement, Dar had announced that the Subic CEFA will earn at least P130 million a year in testing and inspection fees.

The DA said similar facilities are being eyed for construction in the ports of Manila, Batangas, Cebu and Davao. (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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SBMA honors volunteers, outstanding workers in 29th founding rites

Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) paid tribute on Wednesday to some 8,000 volunteers who worked without pay to kickstart operations here in early years of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Speaking during the 29^th SBMA founding anniversary celebration, the agency’s Chief of Staff Vicente Evidente recalled that it became the special mission of the SBMA to provide livelihood opportunities to residents of Olongapo City and nearby communities that were badly affected by the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy from Subic in 1992.

“When the U.S. Navy pulled out, the whole place was devastated. Olongapo’s Magsaysay Drive, which was the center of rest and recreation for American sailors, was like a ghost town. Businesses had to close because they did not have any option,” said Evidente, who delivered the message on behalf of SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

“The only option left for then SBMA Chairman Richard Gordon, was to rally the people of Olongapo to come to the Freeport, to preserve the facilities left behind by Americans, and build a new future,” he added.

Evidente, who was a volunteer himself and served as an executive assistant at the Chairman’s office, said the spirit of volunteerism “mesmerized” even prospective investors and convinced them to put up businesses here.

“To this day, we commemorate the volunteers’ sacrifice and hope to continue living the culture of volunteerism that these people have started,” he added.

Evidente and SBMA Treasury Department head Agnes Cabling, who is one of the original volunteers in 1992,  also offered flowers at the Volunteers Shrine, where the names of the Subic volunteers are etched on granite.

In the same ceremony, the SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services Ramon Agregado presented outstanding employees from rank-and-file and supervisory positions with plaques of recognition, sashes and collar pins.

The finalists among the rank-and-file employees were Loreta Reforba of Planning and Development Office; Lucky Niño Baula, Business and Investment Department for Manufacturing & Maritime; Joseph Egalla Jr., Seaport Department; Tomas Dionson II, Maintenance and Transportation Department; and the eventual winner, Christian Paulo Belisario of Labor Department.

Among the supervisors, the finalists were Rolando Paloma Jr. of Planning and Development Office; Edwina Taguiam, Business and Investment Department for Logistics; John Quevedo, Seaport Department; and the winners Darwin Bitangcol of Maintenance and Transportation Department, and Rommel Aquino of Labor Department.

The celebration of the 29^th SBMA anniversary was capped by the switching-on of the giant SBMA Christmas tree at the Boardwalk Park here by Agregado, Senior Deputy Administrator for Business Renato Lee II and Senior Deputy Administrator for Operations Ronnie Yambao. (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 to promote ‘junk art’ in 10th recyclable collection event

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will encourage the youth in the Subic Bay community to turn waste products into junk art, a contemporary art subgenre that uses found objects as art materials, in the upcoming 10th Recyclables Collection Event (RCE).

SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya dela Llana said the upcycling project, aptly named “From Scrap to Craft”, will use wastes collected from coastal and river clean-up other recycling activities and convert them into junk art.

“Thrash are just resources out of place. And with this project, we can show the community that certain materials that we normally throw away could be turned into art pieces that would not just be Instagram-worthy but could even be sold for extra income,” Dela Llana said.

She said the SBMA will also provide cash prizes for the best “From Scrap to Craft” entries to encourage more participants and introduce the idea that upcycling could be profitable and worth their time.

The junk art contest is just one part of the 10^th RCE, which is scheduled on November 15 to 19. With the theme “REFUSE. REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE. REPURPOSE”, the event will feature various activities that promote waste reduction and segregation, teach proper collection and disposal of recyclables and hazardous wastes, and increase awareness in waste management.

Dela Llana said the SBMA has been organizing recyclables collection as a bi-annual event in the Subic Bay Freeport with the cooperation of business locators, residents, government agencies and private groups.

Another component of the upcoming RCE is the “Refill Revolution for a Cause”, which will be a bazaar sale of cleaning products. Stakeholders can buy detergent, laundry soap, fabric conditioner, dishwashing liquid, and hand soap by the bulk, but they need to bring their own containers, Dela Lllana added.

Accredited haulers and hazardous waste handlers will also collect PET bottles, cartons, scrap metals, newspapers, and aluminum cans; plastic packaging from online and retail stores; glass bottles; wastes from electronics and electrical equipment; biomedical wastes; used oils and oil-contaminated materials; used lead acid batteries; busted fluorescent/lamp bulbs; empty containers; inks and dyes; paint sludge; as well as expired make-up.

The RCE will also be a venue for an information, education and communication campaign on waste management to be conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan.

Meanwhile, partner groups Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce and RP Energy, Inc. will also use the event as a springboard for assistance to local schools and Sangguniang Kabataan units in the neighboring communities of Olongapo City, Zambales and Bataan.

Dela Llana said the various activities under RCE are crucial interventions to protect the local environment and help promote health and wellness among Subic stakeholders.

The Philippines ranked third in 2015 among the highest sources of plastic pollution in global waters, after China and Indonesia, DENR records show. It is estimated that 31.9 million metric tons of plastic pollution are produced around the world each year, and about a quarter of that volume ends up in bodies of water. (MPD-SBMA) 

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Subic road projects nearing completion

The road rehabilitation program initiated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to replace decades-old streets in this free port is now in full swing, with major construction projects expected for completion by the end of this year, officials said on Friday.

These include sections of the Rizal Highway, which is the main road at Subic’s Central Business District, as well as roads leading to the container terminal, sea port, and residential areas.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency’s ongoing road rehabilitation and construction program is now substantially completed with a 95% accomplishment rate for the 40 road projects in the program.

“The remaining project we’d like to see fully-completed is the Argonaut Highway-14th Street segment of the Rizal Highway, and I’ve taken the contractors to task because of the resulting inconvenience to motorists,” Eisma said.

“Work on this segment of the Rizal Highway started in October and with 66% of it completed, our engineers are confident that this will be finished by December,” she added.

According to the SBMA Public Works Group (PWG), which oversees infrastructure work undertaken by private contractors, half of the current batch of road works are in various stages of construction, but all with December 2021 target substantial completion projections.

These are the Rizal Highway sections 2 and 3, which is 66.36% complete; San Bernardino Road, 80.76%; Boton Road, 91.36%; Palm Street, 74.68%; El Kabayo Road, 98%; Road to Leyte Wharf, 31.27%; and Binictican Road, 79.32%.

Meanwhile, among the early road works that were 100% completed are the Remy Field complex, Canal Road, Dewey Avenue, Subic Bay Gateway Park access road, Sunset Calesa Street, Binictican Drive, Cubi-Apparri Road, Cubi-Tarlac Road, Cubi-Zambales Highway, as well as the El Kabayo entrance. Only the Perimeter Road remains unfinished at 85%.

The SBMA-PWG said some projects were delayed due to variation orders adapting to existing site conditions, bad weather, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic when public works projects were stopped for several months. In 2020, the road program lost 79 days of work and 55 this year because of inclement weather, as well as work stoppages due to Covid-19 lockdowns, it added.

For the mid-batch projects, those fully-completed are the Malawaan parking area, Waterfront Road, St. Michael St., Finback St. sections 1, 2 and 3; Bonita St., Archerfish St., Dolphin Terrace, Triton Circle, Easy St., portions of Rizal and Maritan Highways, Greyback St., intersection of Efficiency Ave. and Argonaut Highway, and Finback 1 parking. Soon to be finished is the road leading to the New Container Terminal, which is now at 98%.

The NSD road projects, on the other hand, include seven fully completed components: Main Road 2, and Service Roads 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Both Main Road and the access road to the Marine Terminal are 99.5% completed.

Eisma said three other SBMA road work programs with a total of 80 segments have recently commenced under the SBMA’s own Build-Build-Build program, which is a major part of her administration’s 10-Point Agenda.

“We are intent on implementing and completing these road projects now because the structures built during US Navy days have already deteriorated. This is the first time that the SBMA is undertaking a massive overhaul of these old infrastructure,” Eisma explained. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA workers near 70% full-vaccination rate

Nearly 70 percent of the employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) are now fully vaccinated against the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as a result of an intensified vaccination program implemented by the agency in the last five months.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said on Thursday that of the 2,238 employees in the SBMA rolls, a total of 1,561 or 69.75% already received their full dose of Covid-19 vaccines, while 513 or 22.92% have already had their first vaccine shots.

This leaves just 164 or 7.33% of the total SBMA manpower personnel yet unvaccinated.

Eisma said, however, that more agency workers are expected to be fully-vaccinated in the next two months as more vaccine allocations come in from the Department of Health (DOH) and private sources.

“Right now, we’re looking forward to a full-vaccination rate of more than 90 percent — which is the new target for herd immunity — for our employees by December,” Eisma said.

“We’re doing everything that we can to get all our employees inoculated because, like the rest of the workforce in the Subic Bay Freeport, we need to get back to our normal work schedules to get the local economy going again,” she added.

According to SBMA records, 11 of the 47 departments and offices in the agency already have 100% vaccination rate as of October 12. These are the Office of the Chairman and Administrator, Board Secretariat and Office of the Directors, Office of the Deputy Administrator (ODA) for Health and Safety, Public Health and Safety Department, Office of the Senior Deputy Administrator (OSDA) for Support Services, ODA for Administration, ODA for Finance, Management Information Systems Office, Legal Department, ODA for Port Operations, and the Trade Facilitation and Compliance Department.

Meanwhile, 12 other offices have a full-vaccination rate of from 80 to 96 percent, while eight more rank in the 70’s.

Some health experts had earlier increased the vaccination rate to achieve the so-called ‘herd immunity” from the initial 70% to 90% because new Covid-19 variants have reportedly lowered the efficacy of available vaccines.

The SBMA last month expanded the coverage of its vaccination drive to include more workers in locator-companies in the Subic Bay Freeport to sustain productivity in this special economic and free port zone.

Eisma said 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. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA expects more victory in CUSA fee dispute

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now expecting more success in court after it scored a huge legal victory on the issue of the Common Use Service Area (CUSA) fee, which was opposed by some businessmen and residents here since it was imposed nine years ago.

Atty. Ramon O. Agregado, SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services, said the agency is anticipating to claim “victory in all of the other cases” after the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the petition filed by Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. in 2013 to stop the imposition of CUSA.

“We’re very happy that ultimately the Supreme Court decided in SBMA’s favor and sustained the validity of the CUSA fee,” Agregado said.

The Court’s First Division recently issued a 19-page resolution denying the Philip Morris petition to seek the reversal of the decision issued by the Court of Appeals (CA), which affirmed the December 2, 2015 ruling of the Regional Trial Court of Olongapo City dismissing the firm’s plea to stop the CUSA.

The CUSA fee was imposed by the SBMA in October 2012 to defray the cost of municipal services in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone that were being shouldered by the Subic agency. The fee covered law enforcement, fire-fighting, street lighting, and street cleaning.

In upholding the CA, the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the imposition of CUSA fee by the SBMA, adding that Republic Act 7227, which created the SBMA, “granted it authority to impose reasonable fees and charges for the provision of the municipal services covered by the CUSA Fee.”

Agregado said the SBMA is now waiting for the SC to affirm its decision and make it final and executory.

“Procedurally, Philip Morris can still file a motion for reconsideration. But personally, we feel very confident that ultimately, the Supreme Court will affirm its decision, which was very comprehensive. It covered all of the issues raised by Philip Morris,” Agregado added.

The SBMA senior official also disclosed that other than the complaint filed by Philip Morris, there are about 11 to 12 cases filed by other locators against the CUSA fee. Some of these have already passed the Regional Trial Court and are already in the Court of Appeals.

“Once the Supreme Court’s decision becomes final, we will invoke the decision of the Supreme Court in all of the other cases involving other locators who filed cases against the CUSA fee,” Agregado said.

Agregado recalled that when the Freeport started in 1992 until the imposition of CUSA, the SBMA had shouldered expenses for municipal services, except garbage collection. “This continued until it came to a point that the expenses were already so heavy and so significant that they were draining SBMA’s resources,” he said.

When CUSA was imposed, and some business locators and residents objected and filed court cases, the SBMA continued to provide these services just the same, Agregado explained.

“Once the SC affirms with finality the SBMA’s right to impose CUSA fee, we will have to collect arrears from those who have not paid CUSA,” he 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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