Subic firms give SBMA excellent rating for Covid-19 response

Subic business locators have given the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) superior grades for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic since March last year, citing its strict implementation of safety protocols that allowed businesses to continue operation amid the health crisis.

In a series of interview for last week’s State of the Freeport Address (SOFA) by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, Subic firms gave the agency from 8 to 10 points for its Covid-19 response.

David Reyes, a public relations strategist for the utility firm SubicWater, said he would give SBMA an 8 rating “because SBMA did things very well, relative to other neighboring areas.” He added that one of the things that a lot of locators appreciate about the SBMA was its “effort to adjust to improve.”

Santiago Detal Jr., customer service manager at Subic’s high-end eyewear maker Lindberg, also gave SBMA an 8 mark, pointing out that there were not that many Covid-19 cases in the Freeport. “Not having many cases meant that the SBMA did what needed to be done during the pandemic,” he said.

“Actually, I will rate it as 9 because they really handled it well, especially the protocols during the ECQ,” said Marvin Gangano, HR supervisor for Datian Subic Shoes, Inc., one of the biggest employers in the Subic Freeport today. He pointed out that strict border restrictions in Subic resulted in fewer cases.

For Catherine Stewart, HR and IT manager for Philippine Coastal Storage & Pipeline Corp., the SBMA deserved a grade of 9.5 for handling the Covid-19 challenge “very smartly.”

“It has not been intimidated by anyone, (including) people forcing their authorities over SBMA,” Stewart observed. “It has been confident that it has been following the guidelines of the government, so it has stood its ground to implement what is necessary to protect everyone here.”  

PTT Philippines Trading Corp. president and CEO Danny Alavado, meanwhile, gave the SBMA a perfect score for handling the pandemic. “I think they were able to manage the Covid cases inside the Freeport Zone. There are some pocket outbreaks, but they really did a good job. For me it’s a 10,” he said.

In her report about the state of the Subic Freeport last week, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma recalled that the Covid-19 pandemic “practically crippled Subic’s emerging cruise tourism business” and began to impact the local economy more after a nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 17, 2020.

But even before the lockdown, Eisma said the SBMA was already on top of the situation. As early as January last year, she said the SBMA issued a public health bulletin to warn Subic stakeholders of a viral pneumonia and also formed a task force to plan the agency’s pandemic response.

Among the measures taken by the SBMA to fight Covid-19 were strict implementation of border controls, temperature scanning at Freeport gates and buildings, and regular disinfection of facilities. It also established isolation facilities, and put up a Covid-19 testing center with the Philippine Red Cross.

On the other hand, the SBMA boosted business in Subic amid the pandemic by coming up with a series of relief measures to help companies weather the economic slowdown. It also came up with various online platforms to allow business transactions with the SBMA to continue.

“Let me assure everybody that the SBMA will come out of the Covid-19 pandemic wizened and experienced and more capable in steering the Subic Bay Freeport Zone into a better tomorrow,” Eisma said in her SOFA last Thursday.

As of now, Eisma said the SBMA is teaming up with the private sector for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines for SBMA employees, as well as Subic residents and workers of business locators. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Senator Richard Gordon announce the operation of  the SBMA-PRC Covid Laboratory Testing Center in Subic last year.

[2] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma inspects the implementation of safety protocols at a shop in the Subic Bay Freeport.

[3] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma at the SBMA Covid-19 swabbing center.

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Covid-19 saliva test now available at Subic Freeport

The saliva test, a more comfortable and affordable alternative to the nasal swabbing method for Covid-19 testing, is now available at the Subic Bay Freeport under a joint project of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the PRC on Monday (Feb. 8) opened a saliva collection facility at the PRC-SBMA Covid-19 Testing Center near the Subic Bay Freeport main gate for its Saliva-Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (Saliva RT-PCR) testing program.

The Red Cross rolled out the saliva testing program in Manila late last month following approval by the Department of Health (DOH) of the use of saliva as an alternative specimen for RT-PCR testing.

“It’s just like the nasopharyngeal swabbing procedure in terms of efficacy because it uses the same system, which is the RT-PCR,” Eisma explained during the project launch.

“But while others find the nasopharyngeal swabbing somewhat painful, this one is not because it’s non-invasive. To top it all, it’s way cheaper than the swab test,” she added.

The saliva test, which is touted to be a quick and safe alternative for diagnosing Covid-19 infections, requires patients to spit through a tube into a small specimen collection container. About 1-2 mL of saliva is needed for testing.

The procedure is also said to be safer because there is less risk of exposure between the patients and the health care workers collecting the samples.

Moreover, processing of the sample in the testing machine takes less time, thus allowing for the release of test results in about 6 to 12 hours, the PRC said.

The PRC also noted that the saliva test costs from P1,500 to P2,000 and has an accuracy rate of 98.23%, while the nasal swab test, which is 99% accurate, costs from P3,800 to P5,000.

To date, only the Red Cross saliva RT-PCR test to date has been approved by the DOH as a saliva-based testing method to detect Covid-19 infections, the PRC added.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao said there are now two booths dedicated for saliva testing at PRC-SBMA Covid-19 Testing Center, although the testing facility would continue to accommodate those who would prefer the nasopharyngeal swabbing procedure.

Those who want to take the saliva test here should deposit a P2,000 payment to the Philippine Red Cross account number 0132062464009 at Security Bank in Mandaluyong EDSA, and then email proof of payment and details of the person who will get tested to saliva.olongapo@redcross.org.ph.

In response, the Red Cross will email an online registration link for the customer to get the Retrieval Code, which must be presented to at the PRC-SBMA Covid-19 Testing Center in order to proceed with the collection of saliva specimen. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Emergency Medical Services staff Marcelo Macariola demonstrates the collection of saliva specimen for testing during the launch of the saliva testing facility in Subic on Monday. Also in photo are SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, PRC-Olongapo Administrator Vilma T. Feji, and SBMA Deputy Administrator for Health and Safety Ronnie Yambao.

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Subic Freeport Covid-19 testing center now open to public

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, which is considered the gold standard in the accurate diagnosis of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19), is now available to residents in the Subic Bay Freeport area and neighboring communities.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the public may now avail of RT-PCR testing here even as employees of the Subic agency undergo testing on a staggered schedule.

“We are now close to completing the testing of SBMA frontline workers, and so we are calling on business locators and other stakeholders in Subic to get their frontliners tested, too, and for residents from nearby areas to also avail of RT-PCR for their peace of mind now that testing is conveniently available here in Subic,” Eisma said.

“The 3T’s — testing, tracing, and treating — is still the best way to beat Covid-19 and to keep our community safe and conducive to business,” she added.

The testing center, which was established jointly by the SBMA and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), is located at the former Wimpy's Restaurant near the Freeport main gate and is manned by technicians trained on taking swab samples.
Under the RT-PCR test, actual swabs from the nose or throat of patients are used to determine the actual presence of the coronavirus and if a person is currently infected.

The swab samples are then forwarded for analysis at the Red Cross molecular laboratory in Subic’s Naval Magazine area, which is capable of doing 2,000 tests daily.

Eisma said that to avail of the test, interested parties may register via email at swabtest.sbmaprc@gmail.com and pay a testing fee of P4,000 through any of the following bank accounts: Philippine Red Cross, Account No. 151-7-151524342 at Metrobank (Port Area Manila Branch), or Philippine Red Cross, Account No. 00-453-0190938 at Banco de Oro (Port Area Manila Branch).

Then applicants would have to email proof of payment (scanned or screenshot) along with applicants’ name to treasury.office4@redcross.org.ph, forms@redcross.org.ph, and swbtest.sbmaprc@gmail.com.

Following verification of payment, the confirmed testing schedule will be emailed to the applicants who should report at the SBMA-PRC Swabbing Facility on the scheduled testing date.

Eisma said that results of the RT-PCR Covid-19 test will be available in four days.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross announced on Sunday the launching of a COVID Samaritan program to ensure that poor people who could not afford the Covid-19 testing fees could get tested.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, PRC chairman and CEO, reiterated the need to ramp up testing to ensure victory over Covid-19 and added that the COVID Samaritan program would help those who could not afford the testing fee with funds donated for the program.

“Kailangan ma-test ang mga tao para manalo tayo laban sa Covid. This way, carriers can be separated from those who are not infected and they can be cured. At maaari na ring makabalik sa trabaho kapag na-test. Kaya sinimulan namin ang programang ito para pati ‘yung mga hindi kayang magbayad, maaaring makapagpa-test,” he said.

Gordon disclosed that the Automobile Association of the Philippines has donated €50,000 or almost P2.8-million for the COVID Samaritan program. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Workers pass by the SBMA-PRC Swabbing Facility near the Subic Bay Freeport main gate. SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma has urged Subic stakeholders and residents from nearby communities to avail of RT-PCR testing services offered at the facility. (MPD-SBMA)

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Covid-19 testing center opens in Subic Bay Freeport

A molecular laboratory capable of doing 2,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests daily has formally opened in the Subic Bay Freeport under a joint project between the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Senator Richard Gordon, who is PRC chairman, inspected the laboratory last Friday, along with SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and CEO Vince Dizon, who has been designated deputy chief implementer of the government’s Covid-19 response.

“The Subic lab is already open. We need to have the employees of SBMA tested first, then those of the locators, and then the public in Olongapo Zambales and Bataan,” Gordon said in a media briefing after the inspection.

“Our aim is to get our people tested so that we can immediately isolate those who are affected and prevent the non-carriers from acquiring the virus. We really have to ramp up testing to ensure victory over Covid,” he added.

PRC’s Subic laboratory located at the former naval magazine area here will be working in tandem with the SBMA’s swabbing center, which is strategically located at the Freeport main gate.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA will assign up to 15 swabbers in the facility to accommodate samples from nearby communities and provinces.

“Zambales is already sending swab samples for testing at the PRC labs in Manila. Now, Subic offers a nearer alternative that would also hasten the process and make the results available earlier,” she said.

Eisma explained that she has already enjoined neighboring local government units in Zambales and Bataan to have their residents tested in conjunction with the PRC-SBMA mass-testing project.

The Red Cross testing facility in the Freeport is equipped with an automated RNA extraction machine that can run 90 samples per hour, and two PCR machines that can each process 1,000 samples a day for a daily turnout of 2,000 tests.

Application for testing will be screened and processed through the Red Cross hotline 1158, and will cost P3,500 per test. Gordon said the minimal cost will defray the costs of equipment, manpower and supplies, and other overhead needed for the mass testing program.

Gordon said the PRC laboratory in Subic, combined with a similar laboratory that PRC had set up with the BCDA at the Clark Freeport Zone, will help step up the government’s mass testing program.

“We can do a total of 4,000 tests per day in the two new facilities, which will enable us to run an overall total of 16,000 tests a day,” Gordon said.

He said that as more laboratories are being prepared, the Red Cross will be able to increase its overall capacity to 32,000 tests a day by next week.

Aside from the testing laboratory and the swabbing center, the Subic Bay Freeport is also home to two Covid-19 care and isolation facilities that the SBMA has set up at the Subic Gym and the former Leciel Hotel.

Eisma said these projects had been put up with the help of donations from investor companies in the Subic Freeport and other private groups and individuals from all over the country. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
[1] Sen. Richard Gordon and SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma inspect the PRC molecular laboratory on Friday. The PRC lab has the capacity to complete 2,000 tests daily.

[2] Sen. Richard Gordon observes how a medical technician takes a swab sample at the SBMA swabbing center on Friday

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Bio-molecular labs in Subic, Clark to open this week

Philippine Red Cross Chairman and CEO Senator Richard Gordon on Sunday said two bio-molecular laboratories in Subic and Clark will open within the week to boost the PRC’s testing capacity amid the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country.

In a statement, Gordon said the two laboratories passed the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine’s proficiency test on Friday and were accredited as certified COVID-19 testing centers.

The Subic laboratory, which is located at the PRC Logistics and Training Center inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and the Clark laboratory, which is located at Clark Freeport Zone, are capable of running up to 2,000 tests per day.

“This is a very welcome development. We can do a total of 4,000 tests per day in the two new facilities, which will enable us to run an overall total of 16,000 tests a day. And with the hotel capabilities of both Subic and Clark, repatriation flights for overseas Filipino workers can now be directed to the airports in the two cities,” Gordon said.

Aside from the facilities in Subic and Clark, he said the PRC will open up eight other testing centers in Batangas, Laguna, Mandaue City, Isabela, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga City, Bacolod City, and Surigao.

The PRC will also add ten more PCRs in the Port Area molecular lab, which will enable the agency to conduct a total of 46,000 tests per day.

“According to the WHO (World Health Organization), we have to test 13 percent of the population so we can determine the disease’s positivity rate. For Metro Manila, alone, that would be 1.7-million and it would take ten months or 308 days to test 13 percent of its population at 46,000 tests a day. So we really have to ramp up testing to ensure victory over COVID,” Gordon said.

So far, the Philippines recorded 25,392 cases of COVID-19, including 1,074 deaths and 5,706 recoveries. (Ma. Angelica Garcia, DVM, GMA News)

PHOTO:

The Subic laboratory is located at the PRC Logistics and Training Center inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/742575/bio-molecular-labs-in-subic-clark-to-open-this-week/story/

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