Subic Freeport students bag 3rd place in robotics Olympiad

Elementary students from the Special Education for the Gifted (SPED-G) Kalayaan in this premier Freeport bagged Third place in the recent Philippine Robotics Olympiad held at the Ayala Malls Trinoma, Quezon City.

During the 23rd Philippine Robotics Olympiad, grade VI students namely, Anne Margarette Inton, Dru Triguero, and Zyrene Tantay placed third in the Future Innovators Category-Elementary Level.

The said three students are part of the Aerosense Team mentored by coaches Ma Alon Elago, John Lester Perez and Principal Abdon Bayle.

With the theme Earth Allies, the 23rd Philippine Robotics Olympiad Elementary Level RoboMission Finals was held on July 29 at the Felta Multimedia Center where the Aerosense Team displayed their robot, the Aerosense.

The Aerosense is an ESP32 Drone-Based System for an Environmental Real-Time Monitoring of Air Quality, Humidity and Temperature.

According to the team members, the Aerosense was developed to address critical environmental issues such as air pollution and climate change.

“With the rapid urbanization and industrialization of cities, there is a pressing need for effective environmental monitoring solutions,” the team members stated.

During the team’s courtesy call to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño congratulated the members and coaches of Aerosense Team.

“We are very proud of your achievements. You have shown that the country’s best and brightest robotics students come from the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Mabuhay po kayo sa inyong naabot,” he said. The chairman also congratulated SBMA Director Anne Lorraine Adorable Inton, the proud mother of Aerosense member Anne Margarette, for raising a bright and wonderful child.

The Philippine Robotics Olympiad is an annual science educational event that primarily aims to challenge the intellectual skills and critical thinking of elementary and high school students. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA gets IT equipment donation from e-Konek Pilipinas

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) formally received the Information Technology (IT) equipment donated by e-Konek Pilipinas, Inc.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño himself accepted the donation from e-Konek Pilipinas, Inc. Chairman and President Theresita D. Eisma by signing the turnover document at the Seaport Administration Building conference room on Wednesday.

The donation package includes 20 sets of desktop PCs, three Appli iPads, and three large TV monitors, which will be used by the SBMA for services such as the electronic Transit Admission Permit System (eTAPS), Gatepass Management System (GMS), Trade Automation and Facilitation System (TAFS), and Automated Export Documentation System (AEDS).

According to SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator (SDA) for Operations Ronnie Yambao, the donation is to support the SBMA in its various initiatives, serving to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency’s operations.

For his part, Chairman Aliño expressed his gratitude to e-Konek Pilipinas, Inc. for the donation, citing that these equipment will be beneficial in the shipping sector of the Freeport.

“We are grateful for the donation. Rest assured that these equipment we received will be fully utilized by the SBMA,” he added.

Eisma said that e-Konek Pilipinas, Inc. is a software solutions company niching on providing technology tools for the supply chain industry. The company develops and implements best-in-class computer systems for distribution, transport management, warehouse management, freight forwarding and trade regulatory clearances. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA chief lauds SBF company advocating reduction of global food wastes

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Rolen C. Paulino recently expressed praises towards a company in this premier Freeport that distributes a machine that converts earth friendly water from food wastes.

During his tour of Dunbrae Philippines Inc. showroom facility located inside the Subic Gateway Park, Paulino was shown the ORCA Machine being distributed by the company. The ORCA Machine turns food waste into earth friendly water.

 

According to Dunbrae Philippines Inc. General Manager Reida Ibabao, the company is the sole distributor of these machines made in Canada. She said that companies in the Philippines have already purchased these waste disposers and are currently utilizing it as part of their sustainability efforts.

 

Ibabao cited that natural microorganisms, combined with the action of the ORCA technology digests food wastes and turns into earth-friendly water in 24 hours. “It’s compact, efficient, clean and undeniably green,” the company added.

 

Paulino lauded the company’s efforts in reducing the food waste in the environment, citing that if every company, not only food-related ones, in the Subic Freeport would utilize this machine, a drastic reduction in the food wastes hauled here could be expected.

 

“The ORCA machine is being utilized in dozens of countries, why can’t we use it here? Since Subic Bay Freeport is Central Luzon’s number one tourism destination, the area produces a lot of food wastes that need to be addressed,” he stated.

 

He added that if there is an ORCA machine in every major restaurants here, these would drastically reduce the overall tonnage of waste disposal that will be taken to the landfill, also reducing the labor required to haul trash bags to the garbage.

 

Ibabao stated that the earth-friendly water that the ORCA machine produces could be safely repurposed or returned to the environment once treated.

 

“Our technology creates meaningful cost savings for customers while diverting food waste from landfills. Landfill diversion reduces both carbon dioxide and methane gas emissions.  ORCA also helps to increase labor efficiency by keeping employees in the kitchen and reducing the number of strains and sprains,” she added.

 

With four different model sizes, ORCA can accommodate any kitchen’s food waste volumes and space limitations.

 

All ORCA models are equipped with onboard scales that will track the weight of every piece of food waste put into it. The scales connect to the Dunbrae’s proprietary ORCA Portal, a personalized dashboard that will allow users to analyze real-time data, create customized reports, and look at the amount of food waste diverted over time. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Bay to become a gateway for 5G services

This Freeport is poised to be a gateway for future 5G services after next-generation broadband satellite operator Kacific tapped ABS' ground infrastructure at the Subic Space Center as it prepares for the launch of its Kacific1 satellite later in the year.

ABS’ teleport in Subic Bay will host, operate and provide first level support for its gateway hub.

Kacific1 will be a pioneering High Throughput Satellite (HTS) to be located over Asia-Pacific using Ka-band spot beams for extremely cost-efficient broadband delivery. Its 56 powerful high throughput beams will cover select areas over the Pacific Islands and South East Asia, with six beams covering The Philippines archipelago and a further 21 beams covering Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Malaysia.

“Kacific chose to locate its ground infrastructure in the Philippines because it is a priority market for us,” says Kacific CEO, Christian Patouraux. “Our beams will reach 100 percent of the nation’s population across its many islands, making affordable connectivity available to all those who are currently unserved or underserved. ABS is an ideal partner as they have a proven track record and, like us, have also made a commitment to the Philippines.”

ABS has its primary space operations center for its entire fleet of six satellites in Subic Bay. Its teleport facilities operate with extremely high availability, with triple redundant power supply and fiber connectivity to Tier-1 IP international peering points.

In keeping with Ka-band operating norms for tropical regions, ABS has arranged a diversity site to be located nearby at the Clark Freeport Zone. The teleports will operate on an active diversity basis using state-of-the-art connectivity via a dedicated fiber route to directly optically connect the two gateway hubs. This ensures that commercial traffic would have a reliable transmission from one of the sites if, for example, rain degradation was impairing the functionality of the other.

ABS’ Philippines teleport is equipped with the latest technologies and platforms. It serves as one of the major satellite hubs over the Asia-Pacific region, hosting more than 50 antennas.

As satellites provide a complementary role to 5G connectivity, the Subic facility is poised to be a gateway for future 5G services, especially to remote areas. The facility is managed by professional personnel and experienced engineers providing round-the-clock services, 24 x 7 customer support and a dedicated customer program management team.

Click here for more information about the Subic Space Center.

https://spacewatch.global/2019/08/kacific-taps-abs-ground-infrastructure-for-its-gateway-services-to-the-philippines-and-the-greater-pacific-region/

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Japanese tech firm opens Subic R&D center

JAPANESE technology firm Sanyo Denki Philippines, Inc. has opened a research and product development center in Subic Bay Freeport.

The firm, which produces cooling, power and servo systems at its factories in the Subic Techno Park here inaugurated the Sanyo Denki Technology Center (SDP-TC) last week, an expansion project for the company that was established here in 2000.

Wilma Eisma, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman and administrator, graced the inauguration, remarked that Sanyo Denki’s new project that “will bring the future to Subic.”

“The technology transfer would again put the Filipino workers on top of their game, so aside from the fact that Sanyo Denki would be hiring more locals, Subic would also benefit a lot from this undertaking,” she added.

Sanyo Denki Philippines (SDP) chief executive officer and president Koichi Uchibori said SDP-TC will serve as the hub of product development for the Sanyo Denki Group of Companies here in the Philippines.

“From now on, Sanyo Denki Philippines, will be developing high performance and high quality products- the much needed parts of the costumers around the world,” he continued.

SDP senior executive operating officer Kauro Tamura said the SDP-TC will consolidate the technology development base for its three design departments.

Sanyo Denki Philippines, Inc. is the production site for cooling, power, and servo systems of Sanyo Denki Co. Ltd., a global technology company that started out in Tokyo in 1932 with a factory for the production of small AC/DC generators and power units for communications equipment.

Its Subic operations include highly efficient automated production lines such as the surface mount technology (SMT), and a department for developing and designing cooling fans.

SDP design division supervisor Michiro Watanabe explained that Sanyo Denki’s efforts to enhance its operations in Subic has resulted in the establishment of the SDP-TC, which is the third building it has put up since 2000.

He said that the new facility will now house the consolidated design department for fan design, servo design, and power design.

“This comfortable work space will allow us to go on with the business, with the combined efforts of the Japanese management and the Filipino staff, to deliver world-class products with higher performance and higher quality,” Watanabe also said. (Ric Sapnu, Sun Star)

PHOTO:

SBMA Chairman & Administrator Wilma T. Eisma (center) and company officials opened the new technology center of Sanyo Denki in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (photo from SBMA Chair & Administrator Facebook page)

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1796920

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Japanese firm launches new line of robotic parts in Subic Freeport

Nidec-Shimpo Corporation (Japan), a leading innovator of precision-gearing solutions for robotics and industrial automation, formally launched its operations here on Wednesday, aiming to mass produce in its Subic factory a new line of robot components developed in Japan.

Nidec-Shimpo First Senior Vice President Hitoshi Inoue said the wholly-owned company of Japan’s Nidec Corp. and sister-company of Nidec Subic Philippine Corp. will initially build speed reducers for high-precision motion control applications at the rate of 10,000 to 25,000 units per month.

But the plant’s target production is expected to increase to 100,000 units per month at the end of this year, and to 120,000 units per month by March 2020, he added.

Inoue stressed that the gearless component parts to be produced in Subic are an entirely new product line that has not been manufactured elsewhere in the world. He described them as “super silent, and with zero backlash and smooth rotation.”

The Subic-made products will be exported to Spain, the United States and Germany, he added.

The launch of Nidec-Shimpo operations here was attended by Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, Senator Richard Gordon, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, and Assistant Secretary Rafaelita Aldaba of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Haneda said Nidec’s expansion “demonstrates the continuing Japanese investor confidence in the Philippines’ business potential (and) shows the rigorous effort of Nidec to take advantage of opportunities and take on challenges to break new ground.”

He also cited the company for its skills development activities that make its workers “industry-ready and technology-capable.”

Meanwhile, Gordon said Nidec’s new project “shows the trust and confidence of companies like Nidec in the capacity of the Filipino workers, and in our government’s consistency in our rules and regulations.”

“We should have more companies like Nidec in Subic,” he added.

On the other hand, SBMA Chairman Eisma noted that Nidec-Shimpo’s operation here “will further promote Subic’s stature in high-end manufacturing, improve the proficiency of local workers in technology, and, of course, bolster the local economy by increasing exports.”

Eisma also praised Nidec-Shimpo for sending local workers to Japan for training.

According to Inoue, the firm had sent a total of 100 Filipino workers to Japan as the first batch of trainees to learn the technology involved in producing precision motors and speed reducers. Of these, 70 had finished the course, and Nidec had again sent another 46 trainees for the second batch.

Inoue added that Nidec intends to hire more personnel at the Subic plant on top of the 100 workers it will employ in the first year of operation.

He pointed out that the Subic factory’s monthly product capacity of P120,000 units is greater than the combined capacity of Nidec’s plants in Kyoto, which was at 30,000 units in 2018, and in Ueda, which is expected to reach 50,000 units in 2019. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Nidec-Shimpo Senior Vice President Hitoshi Inoue (left) explains how a high-precision speed reducer works to Sen. Richard Gordon and SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma during the opening of the Nidec-Shimpo manufacturing plant at the Subic Bay Freeport on Wednesday. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[2] Sen. Richard Gordon, along with SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma and other guests, views precision products manufactured by Nidec-Shimpo during the opening of the company’s manufacturing plant at the Subic Bay Freeport on Wednesday. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA urges locators: ‘Connect, or go extinct!’

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has urged business locators here to invest more in technology to remain competitive, or simply be left behind.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said companies operating in the Subic Freeport have to strengthen their capacity to interconnect computing systems and application platforms because it is the key to meeting the growing demands in the local and international markets.

“We should always be on the cutting edge,” Eisma said. “Investors in Subic, especially, should try to keep up with the changing demands of their clients and the global market through faster transaction and real-time monitoring.”

“If they don’t think about connectivity, they’d go the way of the dinosaurs—they’ll be just as extinct as far as competition goes,” she added.

The SBMA official made this exhortation at the side lines of the first Information and Communications Technology Forum held recently at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), where the country’s telecommunications giants PLDT, Smart Communications, Converge ICT Solution, and Globe Telecom/Innové showed off their latest products and services.

Among the new offerings by PLDT and Smart Communications were applications on cloud computing and hosting, co-location, and managed security and network services.


On the other hand, Globe exhibited its “Shopify” platform and vehicle tracker, while Converge ICT displayed its pure fiber internet system.

Eisma said the need for speed and computing power, as well as for improved locator operations and customer experience, were the reasons why the SBMA, through its Business and Investment Department for Information and Communications Technology, organized the forum.

“Things have changed by leaps and bounds in the last 20 years,” Eisma said, recalling that when she first joined the SBMA as volunteer in 1992 they were all using pagers and the bulky black mobile phones.

“Back then we thought that was really cool, but who would have known 20 years ago that we will now be chatting on Facebook, or video-conferencing on the phone?” she added.

Eisma said that in these days when virtual interface is already possible, the application of technology has become so essential to doing business anywhere in the world.

“Clearly, connectivity is the only way to go—and this is true in the various growth capitals of the world, as well as in Subic. We should be forward-looking because that’s how we will survive the competition,” Eisma concluded. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma underscores the necessity of technology in doing business at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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State-of-the-art CCTV system up in Subic Freeport

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has installed a state-of-the-art monitoring system that provides a live feed of images from remote surveillance areas all around the Subic Freeport to boost security operations and public safety here.

The system consisted of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in various areas of the Freeport that are viewed from a bank of monitors and a LED (light-emitting diode) wall at the SBMA Law Enforcement Department (LED) command center.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma inspected the new monitoring system on Sunday, along with SBMA Deputy Administrator Rani Cruz, LED Manager Vicente Tolentino, and LED Operations Chief Gerardo Johnson, and observed how the system is operated remotely.

Aside from watching the live streaming of videos taken from some of the busiest areas in the Freeport, Eisma also tried the public address system hook-up installed in areas like the Boardwalk Activity Center and the Malawaan Park, and reminded visitors to pick up their trash before leaving the area.

The system allows the simultaneous viewing of live images from 96 different camera angles.

“It’s quite impressive,” SBMA chief described the system. “And I hope that this will be something really effective not only in crime prevention, but also in promoting public safety and environmental protection in the Freeport,” she added.

Eisma also pointed out that the SBMA’s modern monitoring system was made possible with funding from Common Use Service Area (CUSA) fees collected by the Subic agency from business locators, residents, as well as tourists entering the Freeport.

“Now that we have this state-of-the-art monitoring system, violators can easily be detected and apprehended. Subic is known for its strict enforcement of traffic rules, as well as for its high level of security, and this system brings us to a higher level of police work,” she added.

According to SBMA police chief Vicente Tolentino, most of the tourist sites in the Freeport are now covered by the CCTV system that was recently installed by Wireless Link Technologies, Inc., a leading wireless technology provider based in Manila.

Aside from these, PLDT Subictel has also installed CCTVs at the sentry posts of three housing areas in Subic: Binictican, Kalayaan, and Cubi.

The SBMA will be paying for the system installation contracted out to Wireless Link Technologies, but the cameras provided by PLDT Subictel were for free, Eisma said.

All these CCTVs are monitored 24/7 by LED officers inside the command center, Tolentino said, adding that the system will allow police officers to closely monitor areas for any illegal activity and give them faster reaction time to apprehend suspects.

“We want people to know that the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is one of the safest places in the country, where they could relax without fear of being accosted by criminal elements. At the same time, we want criminal elements to know that we are ready for them and that we can monitor their every move here,” Tolentino said.

The SBMA police head added that the more security monitoring systems will be put in place in other areas of the Freeport under the second phase of the agency’s CCTV program. (JRR/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma, along with other SBMA officials, views images fed live through a CCTV system at the SBMA Law Enforcement Department’s control room on Sunday.

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Subic Bay to be the Philippines' earth station for "Diwata"

Subic Bay Freeport shall be the earth station for the Philippines' very own satellites, one of which shall be launched to space in April of this year, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.

A government project dubbed the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-Satellite (PHL-Microsat) Program aims to send two micro-satellites into space to assist in disaster management programs, weather forecasting, agriculture, fisheries, forest protection, mining, and even the protection of cultural and historical sites.

The first micro-satellite, PHL-Microsat-1, nicknamed Diwata, will be launched into space in April this year from the International Space Station (ISS), a large, habitable satellite orbiting the Earth. The second one, PHL-Microsat-2, will be launched in 2017.

The data will be obtained on a daily basis and will be sent to a ground receiving station in Subic Bay Freeport. The station, to be called the Philippine Earth Data Resources and Observation Center (PEDRO), will provide crops and climate experts with information on a particular area’s vegetation conditions.

It will also receive, process and distribute spatial data to provide government officials with intelligent decision-making tool on various areas of concern such as the occurrence of pests, annual yield of rice to prevent shortages in production and other issues.

DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said the launch schedule was set after the DOST firmed up the arrangements with an American provider of space shuttle services on which the “micro satellite” would be launched.

Select scientists from the DOST are now in Japan, collaborating with space scientists from Hokkaido University, in the assembly of the micro satellite.

Though the assembly is now getting much assistance from Japanese scientists, Montejo said the Filipino scientists are doing the actual design and fabrication activities.

DOST Assistant Secretary Raymund Liboro said the micro satellite will be a key component of the cutting edge remote sensing technology capability being developed by the DOST, which will use satellite imagery and ground data processing to generate data and information on agricultural and also marine and mountain conditions.

Liboro said the remote sensing technology research and development effort of the DOST was greatly benefited by the DOST’s recent hosting of the 2015 Asian Conference on Remote Sensing during which it gathered the world’s foremost experts and resource persons last October.

He said the DOST and scientists and researchers of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration were able to confer with these experts.

Enrico Paringit, head of the DOST’s Project DREAM (Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment for Mitigation), explained that through the said technology, experts can make an inventory of the agricultural resources and immediately discover any irregularities in the crops before these spread.

“The El Niño phenomenon was detected using remote sensing technologies,” Paringit said.

He said remote sensing technology has benefits in the areas of agriculture, forestry and disaster mitigation.

Remote sensing is the technology used in getting information on an object or phenomenon without making any physical contact. It is done through aerial scanning of a location or through satellite images.

“We can say that remote sensing is more like feeling without touching,” Paringit said.

Under the DREAM program which Paringit heads, DOST will be sending two micro satellites in two years starting 2016 to enable the remote transmission of data. These images will be verified using data coming from other sources. (SNL)

PHOTO:

Diwata, the Philippines' first microsatellite, may look like this, the 1U CubeSat ESTCube-1 which was developed by Estonia.  Image from Wikipedia

Sources:

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/02/1538494/april-launch-seen-philippine-satellite

http://www.rappler.com/nation/86327-philippine-microsatellite-diwata

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Subic Freeport locator launches state-of-the-art grain dryer

GrainPro Inc., an American company that manufactures grain storage and drying systems here, recently launched its patented Solar Bubble Dryer (SBD) that provides a solution to challenges faced by farmers throughout the world.

The SBD is a collapsible drying facility for such commodities as coffee, cocoa, rice, wheat, corn, millet, and beans; and can hold up to one metric ton in one drying cycle while protecting commodities from rain and ultraviolet (UV) rays.

According to Dr. Pat Borlagdan, the firm’s manager for research and development, the drying facility is made from durable materials. Its transparent polyethylene cover is UV-resistant and water repellent, while its drying floor is made of sturdy plastic materials to ensure that water does not penetrate from below in case of heavy rains.

Borlagdan stressed that the SBD is a technology developed with food security as its ultimate goal.

“As such, it will help address inadequate agri-based technologies in order to help farmers ensure higher crop yield, thereby ultimately translating to higher food production and enough food supply for the Filipinos,” Borlagdan said.

He also said that a recent study showed that around 12 per cent of prime agricultural commodities are lost during the post-harvest drying process due to unpredictable weather conditions and lack of drying facilities.

The SBD will help farming communities in their critical post-harvest process because it dries grains and seeds to the right moisture safely and efficiently under any weather condition, keeping it from infestation and fungus, he added.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia said the drying facility is “proudly Subic-made,” pointing out that the firm’s products are principally manufactured at its wholly-owned subsidiary here, the GrainPro Philippines Inc.

Garcia added that the Subic-made drying system will be a big boost to local farmers and farm producers.

“Here in the surrounding communities, we often see farmers drying their grain products on the roadside and a lot of these go to waste. The Solar Bubble Dryer can boost the productivity of these farmers, as well as our national food stock,” Garcia said.

GrainPro’s development of the SBD was in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Germany’s Hohenheim University. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
GrainPro President and CEO Tom de Bruin (left) demonstrates the operation of the Solar Bubble Dryer (SBD) during the product launch at the company’s headquarters in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (AED)

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