Gov’t agencies, recycling company partner to implement Cash Cycled Project in Zambales schools

Government agencies partner with a recycling company to implement the Cash Cycled Project in public elementary and secondary schools in Zambales. 

A Memorandum of Agreement for the project was signed between the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Zambales, the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Zambales, and Foochi Trading and Resources Inc. at the SBMA Corporate Boardroom on August 6, 2025. 

The Cash Cycled Project aims to encourage the active participation of schools and local communities in practicing plastic waste recycling and sustainability by trading collected plastic bottles with the recycling partner. 

“This project marks a significant milestone in environmental and youth empowerment initiatives as it aims to foster collaboration between the project proponents and the academic communities in building sustainable environmental practices,” SBMA OIC Senior Deputy Administrator for Regulatory, Amethya Dela Llana-Koval, said. 

DTI Provincial Director Enrique Tacbad explained that the plastic bottles collected by government-run schools in Zambales will be sold to Foo Chi Trading and Resources Inc. for income generation to support school activities or environmental initiatives. 

Under the Cash Cycled Project, the income generated from the sale of plastic bottles will be deposited into a designated school fund account, which will be used solely for environmental projects, supplies, or student development programs, in accordance with DepEd’s financial policies and auditing rules and regulations. 

A joint monitoring team, composed of representatives from each Party, shall meet at least once every semester, or as needed, to evaluate project implementation, address any issues, and recommend improvements. (MPD-SBMA) 

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SBMA gets tourism award for best pandemic practices

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has placed among the top 12 finalists in the award for “Best in Tourism Practice During the Pandemic” during the 22nd National Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency was recognized for its Covid-19 safety protocols that brought about a safe environment for “bubble” events in the Subic Bay Freeport in the past two years.

“This is only proof that the restrictions and safety standards that we practice like wearing masks, social distancing, disinfecting and most importantly the continuous vaccination of our stakeholders, are all working in ensuring the safety of our visitors,” Eisma said on Wednesday.

“Again, this only shows that our efforts in battling Covid-19 are paying off. Tourists and visitors feel safer to travel in Subic because we have kept our Covid cases low compared to other travel destinations,” she added.

Eisma also thanked ATOP and the Department of Tourism for recognizing the continuing efforts of the SBMA in keeping the Freeport safe not only tourists and visitors, but for business stakeholders as well.

The “Best in Tourism Practice During the Pandemic” award was given as a special category to highlight innovative tourism activities, as main or support operations to the safety of the community, during the times of Covid-19 pandemic. The SBMA competed for the award along with 32 other government agencies and local government units.

The tourism industry was considered the hardest-hit sector during the pandemic, thus necessitating resilient practices among stakeholders to sustain growth.

In the Subic Bay area, Eisma said the SBMA was the first to impose temperature scans at the onset of the pandemic, as well as strict entry protocols during lockdowns and high alert levels. Later on, it initiated a vaccination program for Freeport residents and workers to help keep Covid-19 infections at bay.

“In the course of implementing strict healthy safety practices, Subic became known as a safe haven for various sports events and conferences under the bubble concept,” Eisma pointed out.

“By placing premium on safety, we succeeded in attracting more business and find more opportunities to sustain the local economy,” she added.

SBMA records indicated that despite the ongoing pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions, the Subic Bay Freeport recorded an increase in same-day visitor arrivals by as much as 42% since the 2020 lockdown.

Tourist arrivals meanwhile increased by 141% while hotel occupancy almost doubled in number in 2021 compared to 2020 figures.

Eisma also credited the government’s crew-change and repatriation programs that made Subic a busy hub for the processing of incoming and outgoing seafarers, as well as overseas workers and other Filipinos arriving from abroad.

She said these programs saved the tourism industry in Subic amid pandemic travel restrictions. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Freeport business permits now valid for 3 years

To further promote the business-friendly atmosphere in this free port and boost government efforts on transparency, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) extended the validity of business registrations here from one to three years.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma recently released the first batch of Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption (CRTE) that are valid for three years, and cited the agency’s streamlining of business processes to better serve the needs of business locators.

“This has long been overdue. The previous board under Chairman Garcia promised this to locators, but nothing happened. So we made it a priority project for our 2018 program and we’re proud that after all the hard work, it finally materialized now,” Eisma said.

Eisma added that her administration’s drive for a more investor-friendly climate in Subic is in keeping with President Duterte’s orders for transparency and good governance.

“We want to make life easy for our investors, and the SBMA will continuously work towards improving its system,” she pointed out.

The three-year CRTE was approved by the SBMA Board of Directors on January 26 this year. Then a public hearing to gain acceptance by stakeholders was successfully held on February 28. The announcement of the approved measure was subsequently published on May 9.

Eisma’s office had also taken over the approval and release of CRTEs to further speed up the issuance of this important business document.

According to Kenneth Rementilla, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business and Investments, business locators were previously required to renew their CRTE annually. But under the new system, businesses with lease terms of more than three years can avail of a three-year registration, or opt for an annual renewal.

Rementilla added that CRTE-holders in the Subic Bay Freeport can enjoy waived value-added tax (VAT), ad valorem and excise tax on internal revenue taxes, customs and import duties, and national revenue taxes, among others.

However, the business locators would have to pay a final tax of 5 percent of the gross income earned (GIE), as required by law. Of the 5 percent final tax, 2 percent is allocated for revenue shares to local government units, while 3 percent goes to the national treasury.

Among those who received the three-year CRTEs from the SBMA are Dongyang Food Machinery Philippines Corp.; Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning Philippines Inc.; Juken Sangyo (Phils.) Corp.; and UPower Building Corporation. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma joins representatives of Subic-registered companies that received their 3-year CRTE from the Subic agency. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA welcomes hosting of int’l ecotourism meet in Subic

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has welcomed the scheduled staging here of the Subic Ecotourism Festival, which will bring together a powerhouse cast of international experts in the field of ecotourism to discuss global best practices.

SBMA Administrator Wilma Eisma said the festival is slated on May 29 to June 1 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center under the aegis of the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) and the Department of Tourism.

“We’re very much delighted in hosting this event, because we take pride in the Subic Bay Freeport being one of the few remaining places with very high biodiversity in the country today,” Eisma said.

“We will be happy to share with the participants in this forum the challenges and successes that we have experienced in the field of ecotourism since Subic was established as a free port in 1992,” she added.

According to ISST president Mina Gabor, the event will be biggest of its kind in the country as it will bring together the leaders of the Global Ecotourism Network (GEN) and its regional subsidiary, the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN).

“The event will be a rare opportunity for delegates to learn from and network with the best practitioners in the industry,” said Gabor, a former Tourism Secretary who pushed ecotourism during her tenure, making it a byword in the industry years later.

“Given the fact that the Philippines’ tourism industry is driven largely by its natural attractions, it is important to balance economic benefit, conservation and respect for local communities which the GEN board members are greatly recognized for,” she added.

The festival has been scheduled here in line with the declaration by the United Nations World Tourism Organization of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

The event will gather together ecotourism experts like Glenn Jampol and Tony Charters, GEN chair and vice-chair respectively, and general board members Robert Holmes of Australia, Hitesh Mehta of Kenya, Masaru Takayama of Japan, Nabil Tarazi of Jordan, and Albert Teo of Malaysia.

Other foreign speakers are Lizzie Corke of Conservation Ecology Center Australia, Paul Niederer of ASSOB International, Tan Thi Su of Sapa O'Chau (Vietnam), Imtiaz Muqbil of Travel Impact Newswire, Kaetwa Muangasame of Mahidol University International College, Greg Duffel of Bond Asian Ventures Limited, Ary Suhandi of Indecon Indonesia, and Randy Durband of Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

Meanwhile, local speakers will include DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau director Teresa Mundita Lim, National Commission on Culture and the Arts-School of Living Traditions executive director Rico Pableo Jr., National Commission on Indigenous Peoples socioeconomic and special affairs director Marie Grace Pascua, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity executive director Roberto Oliva, Cebu provincial tourism officer Boboi Costas, Philippine Airlines SVP for operations Ismael Augusto Gozon, and El Nido Resorts head of sustainability Mariglo Laririt.

Gabor said the event is designed for government policy-makers, infrastructure development executives, tourism, travel and hospitality professionals, and faculty and students. Festival participants also conduct a case study for the development of an ecotourism project in the Subic Bay Freeport area.

The Subic Bay Freeport, which sits on a large portion of the Subic Forest and Watershed Reserve, is touted to be one of the few places in the Philippines with high biodiversity. It has a total of 745 plant species belonging to 429 genera and 122 families, and a total of 122 wildlife vertebrates from 99 genera and 57 families.

The Subic Freeport is also home to several rare animals that include seven bird species like the Philippine Fairy Bluebird (Irena cyanogaster), two mammal species like the Striped Shrew Rat (Chrotomys minbdorensis), one reptile specie, and two amphibian species. (HEE/AMD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS (clockwise):

[1] Sailboats romp on fresh breeze at the Subic Bay Freeport, a leading eco-tourism destination in the country today, which will host the 2017 Subic Ecotourism Festival on May 29-June 1.

[2] Long-tailed macaque monkeys play at a housing area in the Subic Bay Freeport, a leading eco-tourism destination in the country today, which will host the 2017 Subic Ecotourism Festival on May 29-June 1.

[3] Fruit bats roost on trees at the Subic Bay Freeport, a leading eco-tourism destination in the country today, which will host the 2017 Subic Ecotourism Festival on May 29-June 1.

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Hanjin gets DOLE certification on labor and safety standards

Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil), the biggest shipbuilding company in the country, has passed the stringent standards of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), following an assessment early this month.

HHIC-Phil President Jeong Sup Shim said in a statement on Monday that DOLE officials have issued the South Korean shipbuilder certificates of compliance on General Labor Standards (GLS) and Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) for its shipbuilding facility at the Redondo Peninsula in this free port.

Shim said that aside from Hanjin, the 20 firms doing subcontracting works at the Redondo shipyard were also given compliance certificates after 30 DOLE officials, led by Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz toured HHIC-Phil workplaces on May 20.

Shim said Hanjin, along with its contractors and subcontractors, underwent joint assessment by Labor Laws Compliance Officers of DOLE-Central Luzon office, who also extended technical assistance to these companies to correct deficiencies and make them compliant with labor laws.

During the visit, Baldoz awarded the certificates of compliance to HHIC-Phil and its contractors and subcontractors “so the public, investors and workers may know that [we] adhere to the country’s labor laws,” Shim said.

Following this, Hanjin and its subcontractors signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DOLE to affirm their commitment in adhering to labor laws while ensuring that the compliance status is sustained and monitored by the labor agency.

The MOA was immediately made effective as specialized DOLE programs and services will be implemented in the form of “Productivity Tool Box” programs and services among the companies.

Baldoz also reminded HHIC-Phil that all new contractors it will engage shall be similarly subjected to joint assessment within six months of their operations and must secure certificates of compliance issued by DOLE for both GLS and OSHS.

Shim said the company welcomes the strict enforcement by the DOLE of labor laws, adding that HHIC-Phil “is very keen in continuously improving the safety and health situation” in its shipyard.

He said HHIC-Phil has been actively participating in the promotion of enhanced OSH condition and has even hosted in February a risk-assessment exercise attended by over 40 representatives from the International Labor Organization, Asean Occupational Safety and Health Network (OSHNET), as well as the DOLE to showcase the best practices at the Redondo shipyard.

Shim said that because of its best practices, HHIC-Phil has been topping the Philippines’s overall vessel order with 86.6 percent of the total orders booked. The rest, or a total of 13.4 percent, is taken up by Japanese shipbuilder Tsuneishi, which is based in Cebu.

Shim said in a survey in April by Clarkson, the world’s largest shipbroker, the Philippines claimed its spot as the No. 1 shipbuilding country with the highest contracts won equivalent to 590,000 Compensated Gross Tonnage (CGT), thereby surpassing the biggest shipbuilding countries, including Korea, China and Japan, with 530,000 CGT, 290,000 CGT and 150,000 CGT, respectively.

“The Philippines is now making its mark internationally in terms of shipbuilding, and HHIC-Phil is proud to be a major contributor in the country’s economy,” Shim also said. (Henry Empeño, BusinessMirror)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/hanjin-gets-dole-certification-on-labor-and-safety-standards/

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Subic Freeport locators pledge to curb corruption

More than 150 executives from various locator-companies and investors in this free port signed the Integrity Pledge on Friday, marking another significant milestone for the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in its fight against corruption.

In a ceremony held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), SBMA officials led by Chairman Roberto Garcia administered the Integrity Pledge (IP) for representatives of investor firms here in support of President Aquino’s reform agenda and to strengthen the agency’s corporate governance initiatives, and create a more conducive investment climate.

“Good governance means good business, and we have seen the fruits of good governance,” said Garcia stressed during the ceremony.

“Aside from being a good corporate citizen, companies that sign this pledge will get certain perks given to clean and ethical companies,” Garcia pointed out.

He added that the SBMA’s Integrity Program has been endorsed by the SBMA Board of Directors through a board resolution last year.

The Integrity Pledge, which was introduced in the country by the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), is a document signed by heads of companies and government agencies to express their commitment to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national campaign against graft and corruption.

The pledge is regarded as an effective tool aimed at preventing corruption in public contracting, as it enables companies to abstain from bribing by providing assurances that their competitors will likewise refrain from bribery.

At the same time, it enables the government to reduce the high cost and distorting impact of corruption on private procurement, privatization or business licensing, and issuance of permits.

The IP stipulates rights and obligations to the effect that neither side will pay, offer, demand or accept bribes, collude with competitors to obtain contract, or engage in such abuses while executing the contract.

Garcia said that SBMA has institutionalized IP in the Subic Freeport with the creation of a Code of Conduct for all employees and officials of SBMA. With this development, the SBMA will now also require stakeholders like Freeport locators, neighboring local government units (LGUs), and suppliers to sign the Integrity Pledge before any transaction is made.

Garcia praised the Bureau of Customs (Port of Subic) Collector Arnulfo Marcos for joining the IP signing and for being the first to submit his accomplished and signed IP form.

Meanwhile, in his address, Dr. Edilberto de Jesus of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), said that of the hundreds of companies nationwide that applied and were assessed by the Integrity Initiative Office, only 33 had passed and only 12 were given Integrity Pledge certifications.

“Integrity is not easy to find these days,” De Jesus said. “What we have done today is the first step towards a fairly long journey. While the process is very difficult, it is the right thing to do and it should be done.”

In closing the ceremony, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Joy Alvarado urged the locators and investors to “start in your heart and in your own office the practice of Integrity Pledge.”

“Fight corruption; start the integrity revolution and see how you will shine as days pass,” Alvarado added. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
Ayala Harbor Point manager Derrick Manuel (Photo 1) and Didet Danguilan, communications manager of Philip Morris Philippines, Inc. (Photo 2) present a signed Integrity Pledge to SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia during the mass signing ceremony for Subic Bay Freeport locators at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center on January 30. Looking on are SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Joy Alvarado, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce president Rose Baldeo, and Dr. Edilberto de Jesus of the Asian Institute of Management. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

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SEZ awarded for good corporate governance

Subic EnerZone Corp. (SEZ), an AboitizPower subsidiary and distribution utility covering the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority franchise area, was recently awarded by the agency’s labor department in view of good corporate governance.

The SBMA Good Corporate Governance Award, in partnership with Subic Bay Workforce Development Foundation Inc., recognizes outstanding business practices, industrial relations, human resource management and compliance to occupational health and safety standards.

It also recognized SEZ as a leading employer in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, developing employees with good values, high productivity and drive for excellence.

SBMA chairman and administrator Roberto Garcia presented the award to SEZ assistant vice president and general manager Warell Kern Sario in a ceremony held Nov. 22 at the Subic Bay Arts Center, Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In his message during the ceremony, Garcia told SEZ, “You are an example of what we are trying to achieve here in Subic, better business relations, good customer service, honesty, no corruption, accountability, and transparency. Good governance means good business.”

“This recent accolade from SBMA reflects SEZ’s strong commitment to adhere to international labor standards. As an Aboitiz company, we strive for excellence in every field of our businesses,” Sario added.

Subic EnerZone was also recently granted a Tripartite Certificate of Compliance on Labor Standards given by Department of Labor and Employment.

The TCCLS is given to companies that show exemplary adherence to provisions on General Labor Standards, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, the Child Labor Law under Republic Act 9231, industrial peace, and enterprise stability and competitiveness.

SEZ’s authority to operate the Subic Bay Freeport Zone power distribution system was granted by the SBMA pursuant to the terms of the Bases Conversion and Development Act.

In 2007, AboitizPower bought the 20 percent equity of Team Philippines Industrial Power II Corp. (formerly Mirant Philippines) in SEZ for P92 million. (The Daily Tribune)

http://www.tribune.net.ph/business/sez-awarded-for-good-corporate-governance

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Guam to learn from Subic ‘best practices’

Two senators from Guam said the example set by Olongapo City and this freeport zone, former hosts of the biggest US naval base outside continental America, is crucial to the military buildup on their island.

Sen. Edward Calvo said the $15-billion military buildup in Guam is “unlike anything that we have seen before.”

“There are tremendous opportunities here,” said Calvo, one of the US officials who attended the third annual Association of Pacific Islands Local Government (APILG) Conference here.

Calvo, who marveled at the transformation of the former American naval base into an economic zone, said because of Olongapo City’s experience in hosting the base, “there is much that we can learn from you.”

“We have to find out what works and what doesn’t, and there is no better way to do that than by learning from your example,” he said.

Center for best practices

Calvo said a “center for best practices” should be established to facilitate the transfer of learning from Olongapo to Guam.

Guam Sen. Tina Rose Muña Barnes, who also attended the APILG, said the supply of workers in Guam is insufficient to meet the demands of the military buildup.

“We simply do not have the manpower required and so the number of [foreign] workers involved in the project will increase by the thousands in the next few years. The people of Guam are facing a significant impact as a direct result of the relocation [of the US base in Okinawa],” she said.

Barnes also raised concern on the project’s impact on the environment, which she said will “be great and… deep” when Guam’s natural harbors are dredged.

Impact on environment

“The devastating and frustrating effects of the buildup is that it will destroy—unless a way is found to mitigate it—a hundred living species of coral on the island,” she said.

Barnes said this was a treasure that needed to be protected. “We need to protect the marine life on [the island for future generations],” she said.

Barnes said the environmental issue has generated “intense and heated debates.”

“We have less than 90 days to assess the impact, have public meetings, listen to testimony about the economic and environmental impact estimate,” she said.

Another issue on the buildup is the increase in Guam’s population and the stress it’s putting on waste management, she said.

“We’re looking at an influx of more than 70,000 individuals. It will [increase] the [volume of] waste generated on the island,” she said.

Barnes said the impact on the environment and quality of life in Guam is so great that the draft of the assessment runs to “10 volumes, containing 11,000 pages, which is about 14 feet high altogether.”

Olongapo Mayor James Gordon Jr. assured Guam officials that the city would help them.

“We will try to help them with the other issues that they face. As I have said before, this is nothing new to us. And since the US bases have left our shores, what we can do now is to try to supply them with our skilled labor and knowledge based on our experience,” Gordon said. (Robert Gonzaga, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

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‘Ecoprofit’ practices save millions for Subic’s ‘green’ companies

Greenhouse effect. Global warming. High fuel cost. Expensive power. While world leaders are busy finding ways to minimize these problems, some investors in this free port have found simple, practical and inexpensive solutions.


“We applied the ‘Ecoprofit’ approach and techniques that we’ve learned from joining the Green Philippines program, and we’ve found that they really work!” said Lyn Amor Doble, deputy manager of Hitachi (Leadus) Terminals Mechatronics Phils. Corp., Subic’s second biggest exporters last year.

Hitachi’s “ecoprofit” measures included the conservation and monitoring of water consumption, the scheduling of aircon maintenance, monthly energy audit patrol, re-use of packaging materials like cartons, and the strict implementation of waste segregation.

The results, said Hitachi’s comptroller Kazuhiro Yasuda, were “really surprising.”

The firm was able to reduce 226,700 kilowatts of its energy consumption, resulting to annual savings of P1.18 million, and to decrease its water consumption by 4,600,000 liters, thus saving another P193,500 per year.

The firm, however, only invested a total of P300,000 for these measures, and realized the payback after only 2.6 months.

The Ecoprofit approach, Doble said, was taught under the Green Philippines program, which was backed by the European Union to promote the integration of sustainable development principles with fast paced-industrialization programs.

“It is actually the process of reducing the environmental impacts of industrial activities within urban regions, while strengthening the environment and promoting sustainable economic development,” Doble explained further.

“You may not know it, but the solutions are already there, just waiting to be utilized,” added Yasuda, who helped form the company’s waste management committee composed of workers and management-level personnel.

He said the company now plans to implement more “ecoprofit” measures like the installation of additional plastic curtains, improvement of thermal heat chamber, replacement of fluorescent and hi-bay lamps to compact fluorescent lamps, further education on water conservation, and revision of the company’s waste disposal process.

Hitachi’s waste management committee has also started the mandatory switch-off of lights and air-conditioning systems in offices and halls during break time, and the promotion of a paperless, pencil-less office set-up where communications were routed through in-house computer networks, or intranet.

Yasuda added that as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, Hitachi has asked all its personnel and executives to participate in annual tree planting activities initiated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Meanwhile, Tailin Abrasives Corp., another leading manufacturer and exporter based at the Subic Bay Industrial Park, has been benefiting hugely from similar ecoprofit techniques.

“When we first introduced the program in our company, there was strong resistance from among the workers who thought the management was simply being a miser by putting up the auto shut-off faucets,” said Daniel Escusa, the firm’s pollution control officer (PCO).

“But as they began seeing the benefits for them, they started to cooperate,” he said.

Escusa revealed that Tailin spent some P500,000 to implement Ecoprofit systems at its abrasives factory here, and in return generated savings that were almost double the installation costs.

Aside from converting conventional faucets to auto-shutoff types to minimize wastage of water, Tailin also implemented garbage segregation and recycling, replacement of oven-door gaskets to minimize temperature loss during product curing, and reducing layers of packaging wrapping from five layers to just two layers.

Because of these measures, the company realized annual savings of P158,500 in electricity consumption, P134,100 in water consumption, P84,000 in reduction of mixed wastes, and P109,000 by a 60 percent reduction of plastic foil consumption.

“We also realized that by simply adopting environment-friendly measures, like improving natural ventilation in our work areas, we could substantially reduce man-hours lost due to sickness and thereby improve our production output, too,” he said.

The Green Philippines program was introduced here recently by the SBMA’s Ecology Center as part of the agency’s initiatives to promote environmental protection and sustainable growth.(SBMA Corporate Communications)

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