Sanyo Denki donates two Hydroponic System units to SBMA

In its effort to encourage healthy eating habits, Sanyo Denki Philippines Inc., a Japanese electronics manufacturer here, donated two units of Hydroponic Systems to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Sanyo Denki Philippines Inc. Director Yosuke Takeuchi explained that these Hydroponic System units grow fresh, chemical-free vegetables in a safe and healthy environment, while they are being tested in real-world scenario with the government agency as a test bed.  

The two units installed at Building 255 are currently growing Black Rose Lettuce which will be distributed to SBMA employees once ready for harvest.

Takeuchi, along with Sanyo Denki Philippines Inc. President and CEO Hirokazu Takeuchi, presented the two units to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño on January 22, 2026.

Aliño expressed his gratitude to the two officials, acknowledging that these Hydroponic System units can be adapted to the planned dormitory and residential areas proposed for Freeport employees to ensure augmented food security.

“With the buildings of the SBMA running on solar power, electricity for these Hydroponic System units will not be an issue. I hope that the testing of these units would become successful so that companies inside the Subic Freeport would adopt it for the sake of their employees,” Aliño said.

The Hydroponic System introduced by Sanyo Denki Philippines uses San Ace fans, a product made by the company itself. The two units have Black Rose Lettuce currently being grown, with the capacity to grow leaf radish, parsley, Mizuna, coriander, romaine lettuce, green and iceberg lettuce.

The Hydroponic System is a Deep Flow Technique type that has dimensions similar to a large cabinet and weighs 61 kilograms without water. The system uses 220-volt electricity, which consumes approximately 0.3 kilowatt-hour, has a capacity for 90 plants, and a water tank capacity of 60 liters.

The lettuce grown in the Hydroponic System may be harvested after 20 days. (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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NFA starts unloading imported rice in Subic

The National Food Authority (NFA) started unloading imported rice from Thailand and Vietnam via the Subic Bay Freeport to reach intended destinations in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley.

NFA Administrator Jason Aquino said in meeting here with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Wilma T. Eisma that a total of 340,000 bags of premium rice arrived at the Port of Subic on board the cargo ship MV Tay Son 2 on June 5, but that unloading was delayed due to foul weather.

Another shipment consisting of 160,000 bags is expected to arrive here next week to complete the 500,000 bags or 250,000 metric tons scheduled for unloading via Subic Freeport.

Aquino said that 100,000 bags will be distributed in Cagayan Valley, while 400,000 bags will be distributed in Central Luzon. He added that with the arrival of the long-awaited rice shipments, the NFA is expecting a drop of from P1 to P2 in the price of commercial rice

However, the official clarified that only marginalized sectors, indigenous people, and NFA-accredited retailers endorsed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) can avail of the imported rice at P27 per kilo.

Aquino also said that the rice importation was coursed through the government to government (G2G) procurement scheme in line with the call of President Duterte to fast-track the importation of rice to maintain food security in the country.

He noted that more than one million bags of imported rice intended for Metro Manila has already arrived, but could not be unloaded because of over-crowding at the Port of Manila.

SBMA Chairman Eisma, meanwhile, urged the NFA to use the Port of Subic more often, pointing out that that there is hardly any cargo traffic here, and that the Freeport is strategically positioned to serve as unloading point for goods destined to various point sin Luzon.

She also expressed appreciation to NFA officials for making Subic an NFA discharge port for its rice importation program.

NFA Administrator Aquino, accompanied by NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez and other NFA Zambales provincial officials, called on Eisma at the SBMA office on Wednesday morning before proceeding to inspect the rice shipment at Subic’s NSD Pier. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Workers unload imported rice at a warehouse in the Subic Bay Freeport on Wednesday, as the NFA started distributing imported rice to Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[2] NFA Administrator Jason Aquino and NFA Spokesperson Rex Estoperez confer with SBMA Chairman Wilma Eisma on the unloading of imported rice at the Subic Bay Freeport. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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