More Taiwanese businessmen visit Subic Freeport for investment prospects

Another batch of Taiwanese businessmen visited to look into investment and business prospects inside this premier Freeport on Thursday.

According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan who welcomed the team, the facility visit is part of the Integrated Investment Campaign: New Southbound Philippines-Taiwan Delegation in the Philippines. 

The said campaign is aimed at providing foreign investors an insight about the business climate in the Freeport and entice them to invest here. 

During the investment briefing held at the SBMA boardroom, Tan disclosed to the nine-man delegation of businessmen that the administration’s new approach in enticing investments here is called the JDT method which stands for Jobs, Development and Tourism. 

Using the Chairman’s initials, the JDT method focuses on increasing job opportunities for Filipino workers, Development of the Subic Bay Freeport, and Tourism boom for all tourist spots here.

“J for jobs, create more jobs for the people; D for development, encourage more investors in making the Freeport a competitive business hub; and T for tourism, make your stay at the Freeport relaxing while doing business,” Tan said.

Business and Investment Department for Manufacturing and Maritime (BID-MM) Manager Karen Magno gave an investment briefing to the group regarding the various business activities inside the Freeport Zone. 

She also highlighted the ease of doing business in the Freeport as the SBMA very well provides assistance for companies locating here.

Xantheng Subic International Corporation Assistant to the CEO Best Chang also presented the Tipo Hightech Eco Park (THEP) located at the Tipo Gate area. THEP is a rising industrial park that can cater from small to heavy industry businesses.

The Subic Bay Development and Management Corporation (SBDMC) Inc. Investment Services Department Manager Julie Tan also gave a briefing on the Subic Bay Gateway Park (SBGP), citing that the area has been one of the first industrial parks for Taiwanese companies in Subic.

Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Taipei Director for Commercial Affairs and Head of Delegation Anthony B. Rivera expressed his gratitude to Chairman Tan, citing that the Subic Bay Freeport is certainly a conducive area for Taiwanese businesses to prosper.

The official also thanked the SBMA for the presentation, facility visit and for arranging the meetings with other locators inside the Freeport, citing that the information provided will certainly be useful for companies looking into investing in Subic.

Deputy Administrator for Business Group Atty. John Aquino also conveyed his gratitude to the delegation, citing that their interest in investing in Subic Freeport would also mean the possibility of investing here. He added that by giving them a look into this premier Freeport, the delegation would also pique the interest of other Taiwanese companies as well. 

The business mission, which is an offshoot of the Integrated Investment Promotion Campaign in Taiwan back in October 2022, was made thru the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) of Taipei. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA to allow truck traders to stay in Subic’s CBD area

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Rolen C. Paulino has allowed truck traders inside this premier Freeport to remain in their old areas in the Central Business District (CBD) as long as they have contracts in the Tipo area.

This came after the SBMA Board issued Resolution No. 20-09-1783 that approves the “Exclusion of the Tipo Area from the Moratorium on Trading of Trucks, Buses and Heavy Equipment and the Policy/ Guidelines in Accepting Truck Trading Companies at the Tipo Area.”

The SBMA Board resolution aims to move all truck trading companies to Tipo, an area near the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and far from the Central Business District (CBD).

This move is part of the agency’s zoning program to provide more space for SBMA to lease out to other companies looking into locating here.

During a meeting with the Subic Truck Importers Group, Paulino said that the SBMA Board has ordered all truck traders to move to the Tipo Area by April 30.

He added that since most of the utilities in the area are still not complete, the top official has allowed them to remain in their old areas in the naval station provided they have a standing contract with warehousing companies in Tipo.

“The SBMA Board has granted me authority to give some leeway to your companies. I can assure you that the agency is looking out for your businesses,” he said. He added that if they already have existing contracts in lease companies in Tipo, the agency will release their Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemptions (CRTEs) for them to resume operation.

Three companies have areas conducive for truck traders, buses and heavy equipment companies to locate, but are still being developed. These are Xantheng Subic International Corp. (XSIC), Filman Property Management Consultancy Inc., and Sino Invest.

Meanwhile, Subic Truck Importers Group President Peter Geroue said that most of their clientele are familiar with their areas near the CBD, providing customers easier access to their products. But with the board resolution, it would be far for their clientele to go to their showrooms.

Geroue added that what the SBMA chairman proposed is a win-win solution to both the SBMA and the companies, citing that the truck traders can still keep their offices near the CBD for operation and showroom purposes, while using the Tipo area as a warehouse.

 He added that this eliminates the idea of putting most of their trucks, buses and heavy equipment at a warehouse in Pampanga, making it accessible for the companies to just put them at a warehouse in Tipo.

Currently, there are around 50 truck trading companies inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, with most owned by foreign companies. The truck traders, bus, and heavy equipment sector has been one of the hardest hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is still reeling from the high prices of fuel in the global market. (MPD-SBMA)

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Phase 1 completion of Subic’s Tipo eco-park eyed in 2022

The first phase of the P15-billion Tipo High-tech Eco Park (THEP), a 209-hectare development in a newly-opened expansion area of the Subic Bay Freeport, is expected to be completed by next year as Subic ramps up facilities to boost the economy amid the waning Covid-19 pandemic.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the 58.49-hectare Phase 1 area of the eco-friendly mixed-use project is now 57.81 percent completed, with Phase 2 and Phase 3 development also underway.

“This used to be an area for the SBMA’s social fencing program, wherein several families of upland farmers occupied grasslands in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, planted them with crops and, in the process, helped prevent the incursion of illegal settlers,” Eisma pointed out.

“After this was designated as an expansion area for investments, the project developer had since compensated the upland farmers involved in the program to gain the right to develop the area. Now some of the farmers or their family members are employed in the development project,” she added.

Eisma inspected the industrial eco-park on Wednesday with SBMA directors Maria Cecilia Bitare, Rolando Ampunin, Benasing Macarambon Jr., and Brian Patrick Gordon.

“Phase 1 already has 13 warehousing units, of which nine are ready for occupancy,” Eisma said. “Xantheng Subic International Corp. (XSIC), which is the major proponent of the eco-park project, is now building nine more warehouses to complete the development by 2022,” she added.

As planned, the THEP will house light industrial factories, commercial facilities, residential buildings, and a nature park. The project is at a most strategic area in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as it is near an entry/exit point of the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX).

XSIC President Simon Shu said that Phase 2, which is a 72.8-hectare industrial area, is already 11.79 percent developed, with a completion date of 2024, while Phase 3, which is a 68.87-hectare mixed-use area, is 2.92 percent developed and is set for completion in 2026.

Accordingly, Phase 2 already has two warehouse units with occupancy permit, while the developer is currently building four more units. Phase 3 is still in the preparation stage.

Shu said the company began developing the area in 2019 after it diversified into warehouse subleasing.

“We are dedicated to mixed-use development of zones consisting of industrial and technology parks, mixed-use commercial areas, as well as high-end residential and recreational zones,” he said.

He added that with Xantheng’s development and management unit, the firm will oversee and manage the park and offer value-added and professional services to locators.

Shu said that in the development stage alone, the XSIC has already hired more than 500 construction workers, including some upland farmers in the area, who were part of the social fencing project of the SBMA. The firm plans to hire more upon the start of THEP operations, he added.

According to the master plan submitted by THEP to SBMA, the development will include 101.47 hectares for light industries, 17.99 hectares for a commercial complex, 7.11 hectares for mixed use, 23.16 hectares for residential buildings, and 23.16 for a nature and environment conservation park.

There will also be a reserved area for utilities use and other purposes for a total development area of 209.27 hectares. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA warns illegal settlers

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Thursday appealed to farmers and indigenous Ayta tribesmen to stop encroaching in government-administered land and clearing forests and building illegal settlements within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the intrusion and introduction of unauthorized settlements violate the law, as well as an agreement between the Subic agency and the Ayta tribe on the use and disposition of tribal ancestral lands within the Freeport.

“Mapapagod lang po kayo sa paglilinis ng mga lupain at pagtatayo ng mga dampa kung labag naman sa batas ang inyong ginagawa. Babaklasin lang po ng mga may awtoridad ang inyong ginawa (Your efforts in clearing land and building shacks will simply be wasted if you’re activities are illegal. The authorities will simply dismantle what you build),” Eisma said.

“Matagal na pong may kasunduan tungkol sa mga lupaing katutubo dito sa Subic Freeport, at sana po ay sundin natin ito upang maiwasan ang kaguluhan (There has long been an agreement on the ancestral domain here in the Subic Freeport, and we hope you would honor it to avoid any problem),” she added.

Eisma also said the SBMA may be constrained to file legal cases against illegal settlers in order to protect government interest over the properties. 

The SBMA chief issued the warning following the discovery of two new illegal settlements at the Tipo area of the Subic Bay Freeport near the Mt. Sta. Rita Naval Link Station and the Subic Bay Expressway (SFEX). Tipo, which is the location of the eight-kilometer SFEX and some industrial park projects, is a village within Hermosa, Bataan, and adjoins Dinalupihan town and Brgy. New Cabalan in Olongapo City.

A report from the SBMA Ecology Center said that in late February, inspectors discovered an undeveloped settlement near the SFEX tunnel, which consisted of some huts built in a newly-cleared 500-square meter area. The new clearing is located along the proposed rail alignment of the Subic-Clark Railway Project, said SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya Dela Llana.

Dela Llana said that after a meeting with the Kalayaan Ayta community revealed that the unauthorized clearing was made by a group of tribesmen from the Iram Resettlement area in Olongapo City, her office referred the matter on March 31 to Nestorio Pablo, the indigenous people’s representative to the Olongapo City council.

The notice sent to Pablo said that the SBMA will demolish the huts and confiscate the felled bamboos, wood, and other building materials found in the area.

Eisma said the demolition was carried out last Tuesday, April 13, by SBMA workers backed by officers from the SBMA Legal Department and the SBMA Law Enforcement Department.

She said the SBMA also served a “notice to vacate” to farmers who have started a new settlement at Lot 2 near Mt. Sta. Rita. The notice was received on Monday by Wilson Villas, vice chairman of the group Filipino Farmers Center Internazionale (FFCI).

Eisma said that while the Lot 2 settlement was still uninhabited, some semi-concrete structures put up by the illegal settlers there point to an intent for permanent occupancy.

The SBMA chief pointed out that the SBMA has already filed in court a case against illegal settlers consisting of about 30 families affiliated with FFCI who have occupied Lot 12, an area at the boundary of the Subic Freeport and the Roosevelt National Park in Dinalupihan.

She said the SBMA gave the FFCI five days to remove their belongings at Lot 2 and leave the area. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA workers start dismantling a hut built in an illegally-cleared area near the Subic Bay Expressway

[2] Some of the structures built by illegal settlers at Lot 2 near Mt. Sta. Rita in the Subic Bay Freeport

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Opening of new SFEX lanes to ease traffic in Subic

The temporary opening of the new lanes at the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) will greatly ease heavier-than-normal movement of people and goods at the Subic Bay Freeport before and after the New Year festivities.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency is expecting more people to visit or pass through Subic for the holidays, at the same time that business locators transport more products in and out of the Freeport.

“The opening of the new lanes, albeit temporarily, is very timely,” Eisma said on Monday after Public Works Secretary Mark Villar led the ceremonial opening of the new SFEX lanes.

“It will ease the movement of people and goods in the Subic Bay Freeport and further develop Subic’s business and tourism prospects,” she added.

Eisma also said the SBMA had opened the Subic Freeport to tourists during the holidays subject to strict health safety protocols, and that tourist volume had increased dramatically to almost the current 50 percent full capacity.

She added that the Subic agency had allowed children to come into the Freeport as long as they stay in open areas or alfresco restaurants and not in malls and other closed spaces.

“There are lots of people coming in and Subic is very much excited, in a way,” Eisma said.

Villar, along with Eisma and NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista, graced the ceremonial drive-through at the new 8.2-kilometer expressway lanes to mark the temporary opening on Monday. The new lanes will be open temporarily until January 15, after which more construction activities will resume.

During the expressway drive-through, Villar expressed satisfaction at the expansion project and said the new Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) is already 92 percent complete, with the remaining portion being the construction of the Jadjad Bridge.

Villar said the P1.6-billion SFEX Capacity Expansion Project is expected to be fully completed in the first quarter of next year.

It entails the conversion of the Subic Freeport Expressway into a 2x2 divided expressway, with additional two lanes, two new bridges and a tunnel, as well as the installation of expressway-standard LED lights, raising the elevation of Maritan Highway-Rizal Highway-Tipo Road junction, and the enhancement of drainage systems for better flood management in the area.

Villar also noted that the project will enhance accessibility and promote travel efficiency along this key road that connects Bataan and Zambales, as well as boost Subic’s competitiveness as an ideal shipping gateway for Central and North Luzon.

The SFEX, which is operated by NLEX Corp., a toll road subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), connects the Subic Bay Freeport to the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, which further links with the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway. (MPD/SBMA)

TOP PHOTO:

Public Works Sec. Mark Villar, flanked by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista, walks along the new lanes of the Subic Freeport Expressway past the new tunnel during the soft opening of the expanded expressway on Monday.

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Taiwanese firm to develop P15-B techno-eco park in Subic Freeport

The first eco-friendly industrial park will be up soon in this free port to house light industrial factories, commercial facilities, residential buildings, and a nature park.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the project to be called the Tipo Hightech Eco Park (THEP) will be located in a 200-hectare property atop the gently rolling hills of Tipo, which is also the site of an expressway leading to this free port.

Eisma said the development will be undertaken by Xantheng Subic International Corp., a Taiwanese company which committed an investment of P15 billion for the project. The firm is also behind the development of a high-end condominium complex at Triboa Bay here.

According to THEP Project Manager Jeff Lin, Xantheng Subic’s project will generate a workforce demand of over 500 during the development period alone. More employees will be hired when factories and business start operating, he added.

Meanwhile, the project is also expected to deliver to the SBMA some P5 million monthly in land rentals alone.

During the launch of the THEP project held at Peninsular Hotel here last week, Chairman Eisma elicited a promise from the investors to give priority hiring to qualified upland farmers of Tipo and Mabiga villages, who were part of a “social fencing” project of the SBMA which started in 2002. The 136.59 hectares they occupied under the SBMA program will be part of the THEP.

“I want you to promise me that when the factories and business are up, you will give priority to hiring these families or their children,” Eisma said, referring to the 65 families who were part of the social fencing program.

The SBMA official also thanked the farmers for their cooperation, and for allowing a very smooth and pleasant negotiation and turn-over.

Lin said the THEP was conceived to accommodate the growing population of Taiwanese investors in the Subic Bay Freeport. However, the management does not discount giving room for other nationalities, he said.

“The business atmosphere in here is very conducive and attractive, especially with the on-going road and infrastructure projects of the SBMA. Many Taiwanese companies and investors from other countries, too, are interested to locate here,” Lin said.

According to the master plan submitted by THEP to SBMA, the development will include 101.47 hectares for light industries, 17.99 hectares for a commercial complex, 7.11 hectares for mixed use, 23.16 hectares for residential buildings, and 23.16 for a nature and environment conservation park.

There will also be a reserved area for utilities use and other purposes for a total development area of 209.27 hectares.

Eisma also congratulated Xantheng for coming up with the idea of an industrial park which will incorporate environmental conservation.

Eisma said this will be a first of its kind to be implemented in the Subic Bay Freeport. (CAE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[2] THEP Project Manager Jeff Lin explains the benefits of the project during the launching of the Tipo Hightech Eco Park (THEP) on October 9.

[1] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma asks investors to employ Subic upland farmers during the development of the Tipo Hightech Eco Park (THEP).

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