So scores again, grabs solo lead

Subic Bay Freeport - No opening gambit surprises Wesley So anymore.

Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto tried to waylay the Filipino GM with the Ruy Lopez-Marshall variation Sunday, but the ploy backfired as So exploited his familiarity with the opening to down the Indonesian star in the fifth round of the 9th Asian Individual Chess Championship here.

The 16-year-old So notched his fourth win against a lone draw after 38 moves and grabbed the solo lead with 4.5 points midway through the $50,000 tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center.

“He has never used it against me, so he experimented,” said So, noting that he played the same line against Indian GM Anhijeet Gupta in a game that ended in a draw last year.

So said Megaranto committed an error on his 17th move, when he sacrificed a knight for two pawns instead of just developing his rook.

“I just want to make the top five,” said So, referring to the five slots to the 2011 World Chess Cup at stake in the championship.

“If possible I don’t want to drop a match,” added So, who’s skipping college this year to concentrate on chess.

Chinese GMs Li Chao and Ni Hua and Indian GM Narayanan Gopal stayed close behind So with 4.0 points.

Li stopped Allan Macala’s surprising run, Ni beat compatriot IM Yang Kaiqi while Gopal outplayed Filipino GM Darwin Laylo.

Fourth round co-leader GM Yu Yangyi of China was still trying to extract the full point against Gupta at presstime.

Also locked in a tight battle were Filipino GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Vietnamese IM Nguyen Thanh Son.

Two-time Olympian GM John Paul Gomez bounced back at 3.5 points with a victory over International Master Kirili Kuderinov of Kazakhstan.

Gomez, a mechanical engineering graduate from De La Salle University, landed in the company of Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi and untitled Yu Ruiyuan, who drew their match, Megaranto and Chinese GM Zhou Jianchao, who bested Filipino IM Oliver Barbosa.

Other Filipino bets who suffered setbacks were IM Rolando Nolte (2.0 points), IM Oliver Dimakiling, Emmanuel Senador (2), Rhobel Legaspi (1.5) and FM Julius de Ramos (1.5).

FM Haridas Pascua beat Mari Joseph Turqueza to improve to 2.5 points.

Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre finally ended his slump with a victory over countryman Deniel Causo. Torre, who was beaten by Mongolian FM Namkhai Battulga, however, was still way down in the standings with 2.0 points.

The unheralded Macala shared the limelight in the fourth round when he stunned GM Tu Hoang Thong of Vietnam and improved to 3.0 points with 11 others in the event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Pagcor, Department of Tourism, PCSO and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Macala, a mainstay of multi-titled Tagaytay City chess team of Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino rebounded from a third round loss to Chinese GM Ni Hua. Ranked 80th in the field, Macala has also beaten Indian WIM Dronavai Harika in the first round and Qatari GM Mohammed Al-Sayed by default in the second round.

Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo downed compatriot and fellow Olympian IM Oliver Dimakiling.

In other late results, Filipino GM John Paul Gomez drew with Indian FM Asghar Glizadeh of India, Filipino IM Oliver Barbosa halved the point with Iranian GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami and national junior standout Jan Emmanuel Garcia agreed to a truce with Mongolian Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa.

The games in the top two boards are being shown live by way of ncfphilippines.org and the FIDE website. (Roy Luarca, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Provisional fifth round leaders:
4.5—W. So; 4.0—C. Li (China), N. Geetha (India), H. Ni (China); 3.5 points— S. Megaranto (Indonesia), Y. Yu (China), J. Gomez, R. Yu (China), W. Zhou (China)

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SBMA joins Bataan fishers in ‘Galunggong Festival’

MORONG, Bataan — With its brass band rendering festive marching music, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) joined fisher folk in this town for the “Araw ng Mangingisda” festival, which highlights the abundant “galunggong” catch at barangay Sabang.

Organized by the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) of Morong, the celebration is intended to raise public awareness on the importance of the fisher folk sector to the provision of daily food to the community.

The festival is also part of a local fishermen’s program to seek recognition and support from the local government unit of Morong, as well as to broaden the fisher folk’s network of assistance in the province, said Morong FARMC chairman Restituto del Rosario.

“The celebration is the first in a series of events to showcase the large contribution of fisher folk to the larger community here,” Del Rosario explained.

In addition, the festival could serve as inspiration for the fisher folk to continue protecting the abundant marine resources of Morong, he added.

Highlight of the one-day festival was a cooking contest featuring different ways “galunggong” could be prepared.

Del Rosario said that each of the 60 fishing boats that went out fishing on the eve of the event contributed one bucket, or about 20 kilos, of “galunggong” for the cookfest.

The public was then invited to the Sabang barangay plaza to sample the results of the cooking competition.

To spice up to the celebration, the organizers also put up events like street dancing, beach volleyball, chess, table tennis, palosebo, sack race, and other traditional games for the community to participate in.

Later in the day, fisher folk leaders and guests awarded school supplies to winners of the kiddie basketball tournament, which fielded youth members of “Bantay Dagat”, and for teams that collected the most garbage during the coastal clean-up drive.

Del Rosario said that with the successful staging of the festival this year, they will hold the “Araw ng Mangingisda in Morong every year, with a different theme each time.

Del Rosario also lauded the contributions of Anvaya Cove, a private resort located in Morong, which provided cash prizes for the various contests, and the SBMA, which also provided school supplies distributed to schoolchildren in Sabang.

The SBMA has traditionally been a partner of the fisher folk community in Morong in terms of putting up environment-friendly livelihood projects.

After providing assistance for the “lambaklad” project of Morong fishermen several years ago, the SBMA also released early this year a P4-million financial assistance to fishermen for the sustainable development of the Subic Bay area.

The grant benefited fishermen in Morong, Olongapo City, and the municipalities of Subic and San Antonio in Zambales.

According to SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga, SBMA granted the assistance in fulfillment of the agency’s responsibility to communities affected by the development of the Subic Bay Freeport.

The P4-million assistance is broken down into four components: P2.3 million for the establishment of artificial reefs; P.7 million for the operating expenses of the SB-IFARMC; P.5 million for a scholarship fund to deserving SB-IFARMC members and their immediate families; and P.5 million to fund livelihood programs for SB-IFARMC members and their families. (SBMA Corporate Communications)
PHOTO: Residents of Sabang village in Morong, Bataan show the various ways that “galunggong” could be cooked during the “Araw ng Mangingisda” festival.

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Asian Chess Championships: So stays at helm with third win

Grandmaster Wesley So added IM Oliver Barbosa to his growing list of victims as he fashioned out a 56-move victory for his third win in row and a share of the lead with GM Yu Yangyi of China in the Asian Individual Chess Championships at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center in Subic yesterday.

So wisely steered the game out of a drawish endgame of a Slav by forcing an exchange of queens before the first time control to produce more active two rooks and two bishops plus a pawn against Barbosa’s two rooks and two knights.

“He (Barbosa) made a slight mistake in the opening that’s why I was able to force an exchange of queens. Before the exchange, the position is unclear,” said So, who plans to skip college this school year to pursue his chess career.

Yu outsteadied IM S.P. Sethuraman of India to hike his total to three points for joint lead in the nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission, Department of Tourism, PCSO, Pagcor and the Subic Bay Metrpolitan Authority.

Half a point with 2.5 points is GM Ni Hua, who beat Allan Macala.

The two other local bets in the last World Cup – GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Darwin Laylo –drew their respective matches.

Antonio, who finished tied for third in the same qualifying tournament here last year, split the point with fellow GM Nguyen Anh Dung of Vietnam in 26 moves of the Reti.

Laylo, the reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion, also halved the point with untitled Shanglei Lu of China.

GM John Paul Gomez was also held to a draw by GM Das Neelotpal of India .

In women’s play, Akiko Suede toppled WFM Khouloud Essa Al-Zarouni of UAE to post her first win after back-to-back losses.

Cristy Lamiel Bernales and Aices Salvador agreed to a draw in an all-Filipina showdown, while WIM Beverly Mendoza lost to WIM Kiran Moharty of India. (The Philippine Star)

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Elusive beaked whale stranded in Subic

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—A rarely seen species of whale was stranded yesterday at the shoreline of barangay Cawag in Subic, Zambales, the first time that such a stranding of an “elusive” deep-sea creature was documented in the Philippines.

The whale, a male specimen of the Blainville’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris), was seen circling the area for two days, then ended up dead at the seashore on Wednesday morning, witnesses said.

Residents of sitio Matangib, located near the Hanjin shipyard at the Redondo Peninsula here, said they tried to push back the whale to deeper waters, “but it kept coming back to the shallows.”

The stranding was documented by authorities from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Ecology Center, the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Ocean Adventure Marine Park.

Dr. Leo Suarez, a marine biologist at the Ocean Adventure, said this was the first time for biologists to document the beaching of a Blainville’s Beaked Whale in the country.

“This is certainly a rare sighting,” Suarez said. “I believe this is the first time that a Blainville’s Beaked Whale has stranded itself here in the Philippines.”

He added that the cause of the stranding was not known, as the whale species is known to inhabit waters from 1,600 to 3,000 feet deep.

Suarez and the team from Ocean Adventure conducted a necropsy of the animal to determine the cause of death. Thereafter, the carcass was chopped off for an on-shore burial in the area.

The whale measured 4.8 meters long­—a typical size of an adult male—and weighed about 500 kilograms, the biologists said.

It required almost 20 men to haul the animal to the shore where the examination was conducted.

According to the MarineBio Conservation Society, Blainville’s Beaked Whales are “deep divers” found in tropical and warm waters in all oceans.

Strandings of the dense-beaked whale have been reported off Nova Scotia, Iceland, the British Isles, Japan, Rio Grande do Sul, South Africa, Central Chile, Tasmania and New Zealand.

The species got its name from what is described to be a unique, remarkable feature—the “extremely dense bones in the rostrum, which have a higher density and mechanical stiffness than any other bone yet measured.”

While widely distributed, the animals are rarely sighted at sea “due to their long dive times, deep habitat, and unobtrusive surfacing behavior,” the web site of MarineBio said. (Henry Empeño, Business Mirror)

In Photo: Earth Day visitor Marine biologists measure the Blainville’s Beaked Whale that beached in Subic, Zambales, the first known stranding of the species in the Philippines. The rare visitor came just day before the global celebration of Earth Day.

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Wesley So gets off to hot Asian chess start

Wesley So started hot in the 9th Asian Continental Chess Championships Wednesday, posting the first victory of the 9-round tournament at the Subic Exhibition Convention Center here.

The 16-year-old So, the country’s highest-ranked player with an ELO of 2665, took just 16 moves and less than an hour to trounce Vietnamese International Master Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (ELO 2440) and grab the early lead in the 90-strong Open field.

So, who graduated from high school at the St. Francis of Assisi-Bacoor, recently, exploited a blunder by his rival, who had to resign under threat of losing two pawns.

According to So, who’ll skip college next year to concentrate on chess, he spent one month expanding his opening repertoire for this tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines as qualifier for the 2011 World Cup set in Russia.

Other early winners included third seed HM Ni Hua of China, who beat Australian IM Aleksandar; Chinese GM Li Chao, who subdued compatriot Wan Yunguo; Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi, who whipped Filipino National Master Emmanuel Senador; and Indian GM Abhijeet Gupta, who defeated China’s Wang Li.

Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping gave the go-signal for NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay to look for a foreign coach to guide So in his preparations for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November.

Angping said the PSC is willing to spend up to $3,000 a month for So’s preparation.(Philippine Daily Inquirer)

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Subic puts power plant on auction block

THE FIVE-year lease for a diesel power plant compound at the Subic free port has been put up for auction, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced yesterday.

The winning bidder will control not just the 116-megawatt plant but also the 10-hectare property that is suitable for residential or commercial development, the SBMA said in a published notice.

The lease and management of the power plant is being bidded out as intertwined contracts among SBMA, National Power Corp. (Napocor) and the former plant operator and developer Enron Power Corp. expired in March 2009, the free port authority said.

The plant was commissioned in 1994 through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement between Napocor and Enron, the SBMA said.

The facility sat on a property leased by the Napocor from the SBMA and was promptly turned over to the free port authority when both the lease and BOT deal lapsed last year.

“The SBMA wishes to lease out on an ‘as is, where is’ basis the land and facilities within the Subic Bay Power Plant compound...,” the state agency said.

It is the free port’s sole power plant and its output will be channeled to the national grid, SBMA utilities division head Ariel B. Napalan said in a telephone interview.

Both local and foreign firms and joint ventures are welcome to join the auction as long they have more than P200 million in authorized capital stock, the notice stated.

Mr. Napalan declined to elaborate on the minimum bid price and other requirements.

Interested firms will have until May 7 to obtain the terms of reference covering the bidding of the power plant compound at Causeway Extension of the economic zone, the SBMA said.

Proposals are due in early June, Mr. Napalan added.

The 10-hectare lot is being processed for reclassification into a mixed-use area from its currently utilities zoning to accommodate commercial and residential developments, the SBMA said.

The SBMA is overseeing the plant’s operation in the meantime. (Jessica Anne D. Hermosa, BusinessWorld)

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Government sees accelerating inflow of investments in the next 5 years

The investment promotion agencies foresee an accelerating investments inflow in the next five years from 10 percent growth this year to 20 percent by 2014 driven by the eight industry winners.

Based on the final draft of the Philippine Investment Promotion Plan, which was formulated by 11 government investment promotion agencies (IPAs), the industry growth drivers are agro-industry, BPO-IT, electronics-semiconductor, energy, logistics, mining, shipbuilding and tourism.

The IPAs that would work for the attainment of the growth targets include the Board of Investments, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Zamboanga Special Economic Zone, Aurora Special Economic Zone, Philippine Retirement Authority, Phividec Industrial Estate, BoI-Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and the Bases Conversion Development Authority.


The PIPP will be launched on Wednesday, April 21, by Trade and Industry Secretary Jesli A. Lapus and Japan International Cooperation Agency representative Norio Matsuda. JICA provided for the funding of the 5-year PIPP.

The PIPP has set out an investments growth target 10 percent in 2010 and 15 percent for 2011 to 2012 and 20 percent by 2013 to 2014.

This medium-term marketing plan of the country’s IPAs is expected to steer the Philippines through the tides of globalization and beef up capital inflows into the economy.

The PIPP will serve as the guiding document for all IPAs to synchronize strategies in investment promotion in order to achieve a world class brand image for the country.

Investments generated by the government’s IPAs in 2009 reached P315.28 billion from P473.25 billion in 2008.

The five-year PIPP has also prescribed for a targeted marketing of investment promotion activities.

In particular, the five-year PIPP has put emphasis on Japan being the country’s number one foreign investor.

The plan has identified Japan as an investor that is going to sustain its investments in the country.

The plan noted of Japan’s propensity for green and greenfield projects.

Based on the PIPP’s Qualitative Goal for Japan, the country’s biggest investor is expected to pour more investments in the motor vehicle sector where it is racing for the production of electric vehicles and also in steel manufacturing. (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, Manila Bulletin)

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Green forum for Subic businesses

Manila - Over 150 businessmen and residents of the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales participated in a day-long forum on green financing and carbon credit before the celebration of Earth Hour, the worldwide initiative that enjoined millions of people to turn off their lights for the environment on March 27.

Part of the Art+Environment Festival, the forum was held at the Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic Bay.

Sponsored by the British Embassy and organized by Greenergy Resources, Contemporary Art Philippines Magazine, and the Lighthouse Marina Resort, the Earth Day event engaged small and medium enterprises (SME), which comprise 96 percent of all registered businesses in the Philippines and employ 70 percent of the local workforce.

Businessmen and citizens participated in the forum (themed “SMEs: Leading the way to a low carbon pathway”), which promoted models for low carbon economy, sharing information on how SMEs can move toward green practices and mitigate the effects of a changing climate.

The first of its kind to be staged outside Metro Manila, the forum featured speakers from the British Embassy Manila, Climate Change Commission, the Department of Science and Technology, Phillip Morris, Aboitiz Power and more.

Focusing on low carbon economy, the event presented available technologies and financing options for SMEs, who would choose to employ green practices in their operations. The DOST presented how companies are able to save on energy just by adopting cleaner production programs that minimize waste.

Nestle served as an example of how going green makes good business sense as seen in the numerous awards the company has received. Korean-based FAWOO showed the benefits of switching to environment-friendly LED lights over CFL and incandescent versions.

Green financing

Landbank as a financing institution responded to the green revolution by helping shoulder the costs of SME programs that will address climate change. The Climate Change Commission also presented various carbon-financing schemes.

After the forum, a ribbon-cutting ceremony opened an art exhibit, another vehicle to raise awareness of the environment. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

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Study on Subic-Clark-Batangas logistics corridor completed

MANILA, Philippines - The pre-feasibility study leading to the drawing up of a master plan making the Subic-Clark-Batangas corridor into a logistics corridor that positions Luzon as an international transshipment point in Asia has been completed.

This was announced by National Competitiveness Council (NCC) private sector chairman Cesar Bautista.

Ambassador Bautista said the initial study lays down the term of reference and scope of a more detailed study whose main output is a master plan for a seamless intermodal logistics corridor across the three fastest growing regions in Luzon.

The master plan will take another one and a half year to complete, Bautista said.

“The Subic-Clark-Batangas region, despite its considerable potential for being the principal logistics hub in the country, has experienced very limited growth due to inefficient logistics operations. As such, an integrated logistics program aimed specifically at increasing trade volumes, agricultural production as well as the diversification of economic activities is needed. This now comes in the form of a Subic-Clark-Batangas Intermodal Logistics Corridor Master Plan,” The study pointed out.

It noted that President Arroyo first raised the idea in 2007 when she declared that Luzon should be developed as a major transshipment and logistics hub in Asia. Since then, several big-ticket infrastructure projects interconnecting the corridor have been completed including the upgrading of the south and north expressways, opening of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and other projects.

“It is also important to address major transport policy issues critical to the development of the corridor,” the study stressed.

The corridor provides specialized industries and processing activities in Subic and Clark Special Economic Zones, textile, garments and consumer electronics factories in the Calabarzon, prime agricultural production south and north of Manila and port related industries in Batangas.

The corridor now accounts for 80 percent of the national cargo throughput in the country and about half of yearly economic output.

In pushing hard for the master plan, Ambassador Bautista said that it is not enough that one announces it is building a new superhighway from Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to Tuguegarao, Cagayan or a bullet train from Manila to Laoag without taking into consideration if those projects will bring down costs of shipping goods.

The master plan was envisioned not only to address the high cost of shipping goods across Luzon but between the island and other ports in the country and in the Asian region.

The initial study suggested that building a logistics corridor will have to be pushed in stages, the first of which will be the building of a transport corridor. Second stage will be a multimodal corridor that integrates land, sea and air transportation plus storage and other support facilities then into a logistics and later, an economic corridor.

“The whole point is to develop the corridor as an alternative transshipment hub in Asia and to open up new economic activities towards the eastern seaboard of Luzon,” Bautista pointed out.

So far, he added, there have been so many plans and programs including unsolicited proposals on building roads and railway systems but these have not been integrated into a master plan designed to speed up economic growth in Luzon and the rest of the country. (Philexport News and Features )

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BI agents collar Korean for duping fellow countrymen of millions of pesos

Immigration authorities arrested a South Korean for defrauding 14 Korean businessmen of millions of pesos in fake land and condominium titles in Subic Freeport, Zambales.

Kim Tae Wan was arrested near the Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga by immigration agents based on a warrant of arrest issued by Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan.

The suspect gave himself up to Immigration intelligence agents Irene Bello and Rommel Linatok without a fight and readily submitted himself for an investigation.

According to BI executive director Eric Buhain, Kim managed to convinced Ji Hyun Byeon and 13 others to buy land and condominium properties inside Subic Bay Free Port zone.

Kim represented himself as the owner of Subic Daesung Corporation that also operates the Subic International Hotel inside the Free Port.

But Kim turned out to have subleased the condominium and pocketed the money paid by the 14 Koreans instead of turning the payment to the Daesung Corp.

Kim is now detained at the BI detention cell in Bicutan and will be deported soon. He was also included in the bureau’s blacklist for being an undesirable alien. (Conrado Ching, Daily Tribune)

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Subic, Clark best projects of Arroyo govt.

LAWMAKERS have complemented the top projects of the Arroyo administration, which include the development of Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone and Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zones.

According to Rep. Danilo Suarez of Quezon, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight, said the two freeport zones were able to attract foreign investors and generate employment ever since their conversion from military bases to bustling investment destinations.

The Quezon legislator stressed that Subic and Clark ecozones’ development was given impetus when it was identified as one of the agenda that shall be addressed by the Arroyo administration.

To facilitate this goal, the President created in 2006 through Executive Order 504 the Subic-Clark Alliance Development Council, a coordinative body to oversee the development of Subic and Clark. It has focused on establishing a single, contiguous and economic growth corridor providing world-class logistics infrastructure and services such as the multi-modal transport hub, favorable environment of investors and additional land for future expansion.

According to the plan, Subic and Clark will be developed as a world-class mega logistics hub that will provide a seamless delivery of goods, services, people and information to and from the production, manufacturing and trading centers of the country.

The hub will not only be a gateway for locators within the Subic and Clark, but will ultimately become the country’s main gateway to the world.

At its inception, the Subic-Clark development council concentrated primarily on the harmonization and improvement of the policies and programs governing the Subic and Clark Special Economic and Freeport Zones, following the rationale that ease of doing business will be a major factor in attracting the major players of the Asia Pacific Supply Chain to choose the two zones as their primary points of destination.

As of May 2009, the total investments in Subic reached $6.053 billion, more than double the $2.561 billion registered in 2004.

The Port of Subic Bay has two new container terminals with a combined capacity of 600,000 twenty-foot equivalent units annually.

In the meantime, Clark has successfully attracted investments worth P79.8 billion from P31.78 billion in 2004. In 2008, total exports were valued at $950 million, 7.51 percent higher than in 2007.

The report further stated that as of the first quarter of 2008, 48 new contracts were signed, with investment commitment valued at P1.43 billion. (Jomar Canlas, Manila Times)

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ARMM turns to Subic Bay for port conversion project

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has sought the assistance of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) as it prepares to establish a free port at Parang town in the province of Maguindanao.

A 20-man delegation headed by ARMM acting regional Governor Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong recently visited this premier free port to learn about the “Subic miracle” — the successful conversion of this former military base into a special economic zone.

“We were overwhelmed—in terms of the organization and the development,” said David Ali, executive director of the ARMM Official Development Assistance Office.

“Before we came here, we had zero knowledge on how to establish our own free port. We came here to gather information on how to start the process, and yet we now have some knowledge on long-term operations,” he added.

Ali said ARMM officials have agreed to make Subic the model for the Polloc port in Parang in terms of management and structure. This came after Adiong declared on March 15 the development of the port of Polloc as a free port, and of the host village of Polloc as a special economic zone.

SBMA officials led by Chairman Feliciano Salonga and Administrator Armand Arreza, meanwhile, were in full force in assisting the visitors—briefing the ARMM officials on the administrative and technical requirements in the operation and management of a free port, the creation and establishment of a one-stop shop center, as well as marketing strategies.

“Of course, we’ve had our ups and downs in running the Subic Bay Freeport, but then again, we managed to bounce back each time and regain our momentum,” Arreza told the ARMM officials.

“And I’m glad that people continue to look up to Subic whenever they need to hear some success story,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ali admitted some doubt whether the ARMM team would be able to adopt all that they learned in Subic, where ”enormous development” has taken place since its establishment in 1992.

“But we always keep in mind what Gov. Adiong tells us — if we don’t start to move, we will not accomplish anything,” said Ali. “Fortunately for us, we don’t have to fumble in the dark, because we have Subic as our template,” he added.

Ali said the ARMM free port project would basically focus on starting up economic activities in Polloc, and then marketing the area in both the national and the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Area) levels.

He also said that after their exposure trip, the members of the ARMM management and technical group will meet as a management committee to plot out activities for the project launch set tentatively on April 19.

Polloc is one of the 24 barangays in Parang, a first-calss municipality in Maguindanao. The area’s main access to trade is the Port of Polloc, which was built by the Korean firm Nam Kwang Construction, Ltd. In the 70’s through a P150-million funding from the Asian Development Bank.

The port of Polloc was then described by the Philippine Ports Authority as the “most modern facility outside Metro Manila” because it was equipped with a main wharf, lighter docks, transit sheds, and wide back-up areas fit for medium industries and processing plants.

The ARMM is among the country's top producers of fish and marine resources, particularly seaweed, which is used in manufacturing toothpaste, cosmetics and paints. It also has large mineral deposits, including copper and gold.

Before the ARMM delegation, several foreign groups have visited Subic to learn about its conversion process. These included groups from Panama, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and just recently, Brunei. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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So favorite in Subic chessfest

Grandmaster Wesley So will be one of the favorites when the 2010 Asian Individual Chess Championships finally comes off the wraps on April 20 at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center in Subic.

So, the country’s highest-rated player with an ELO of 2665 based on the FIDE quarterly rating April, will be seeking his first major international title this year and a second straight appearance in the World Chess Cup next year.

The 16-year-old Filipino champion, who was described as a “gold nugget” by the foreign chess press after beating former world championship candidates GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine (ELO 2739), and GM Gata Kamsky of the United States during the 2009 World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, will head the local challenge in the prestigious 10-day competition hosted by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) for the second straight year.

Also competing are World Cup veterans GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr., Darwin Laylo and Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre.

Among foreigners competing are GMs Ni Hua (ELO 2667), Zhou Jianchao (ELO 2650) and Li Chao ( ELO 2613) of China, Krishan Sasikiran (ELO 2686) and Pentala Harikrishna (ELO 2660) of India, Le Quang Liem (ELO 2689), Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (ELO 2642) and Dao Thien Hai (ELO 2523). (Manila Bulletin)

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PLDT, SBMA ready Subic’s emergence as ICT hub

Officials of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Corp. (PLDT) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) have formally sealed a partnership to put this free port at the frontline of the country’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

Subic Bay’s take on knowledge-based industries was recently boosted by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the SBMA, PLDT, and its subsidiary PLDT Subic Telecom (Subictel) at the PLDT main office in Makati City.

The MOU, which would pave the way for tripartite collaborative projects, was signed by SBMA administrator Armand Arreza and PLDT Subictel chairman & PLDT senior vice-president Ernesto Alberto, PLDT first vice-president Nerissa Ramos, and PLDT Subictel president Dennis Magbatoc.

Arreza said the MOU calls for the promotion of Subic Bay Freeport’s IT capabilities through the SBMA-PLDT-Subictel caravan project, which will boast of PLDT’s recent ICT investments here worth more than P40-million.

Under the said project, the P20-million Innovation Laboratory (Innolab) unveiled by Subictel in October 2009, will be an essential part of this free port’s investor tour program. It will serve as a one-stop showcase of Subic Bay’s ICT capability in terms of infrastructure, and also highlight the available and “futuristic” IT solutions of PLDT for various industries.

On SBMA’s part, Arreza announced that the agency would establish an ICT park on a 17-hectare property here to put to use PLDT’s “ready-to-use” telecoms solutions and ICT infrastructure. These would include the Next Generation Network (NGN) fiber optics cable connecting this free port to Manila and the entire Luzon grid.

“Capacity comes first before opportunity,” Arreza said during the MOU-signing ceremony. “They (PLDT), too, saw our vision for the Subic-Clark economic corridor, and they acted in accordance with that vision.”

Arreza also revealed that international names in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry have been prospecting for business opportunities in Subic.

“It’s only a matter of time before the Subic Bay Freeport becomes synonymous with BPO and IT-related services, like back-office outsourcing, software and games development, engineering design, and digital animation, among others,” said Arreza.

PLDT’s Alberto, meanwhile, reaffirmed his company’s belief in the potentials of Subic Bay as an ICT hub, adding that since its establishment here, PLDT has invested “quite tremendously in the Subic-Clark corridor especially in the past few years.”

He said Subic and Clark have been “fibered” with the NGN technology, which increased network coverage and enabled new and innovative services to emerge in the market.

Through the Subictel Innolab, the fifth of its kind in the country, the public is also able to access “revolutionary business solutions and the latest ICT trends,” Alberto added.

“The Subic-Clark corridor will be the more prominent, if not the most prominent economic corridor this country will ever see in the next five to ten years,” Alberto also said. This explains the group’s investment in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and their “aggressive” bidding for the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), he added.

He said the PLDT group also sees the entry of Texas Instruments and Samsung in the Subic-Clark corridor as encouraging developments in the ICT sector.

Alberto added that PLDT officials “would like to partner with Mr. Arreza and the SBMA team for globally-competitive industries in the areas of cutting-edge healthcare, retail and trade, tourism, logistics and in the maritime industry.”

“Subic, in my view, is the place to be in the Philippines,” Alberto declared. “And by building my second home in Subic two years ago, I have put my money where my mouth is,” he quipped. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO:
PLDT and SBMA officials seal an agreement to promote the Subic Bay Freeport as in ICT hub.

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Wellness haven in Subic now a prime destination

The newest top destination for those who wish to enjoy a relaxing and healthy Holy Week is located at Cubi Point—George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center (GDMWC).

A haven found only in Subic, Olongapo City, the wellness center has been gaining guests evidently because of its quiet presence and superior amenities.

The George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center is owned and operated by the George Dewey Medical College Inc., a pioneer in medical education with a stress on wellness.

Banking on cutting-edge technology and world-class education system, it has been in operation for five years.

The medical college offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and will soon be offering two additional courses—BS in Radiology and BS in Medical Technology. Other courses such as Dentistry, Ophthalmology, Physical Therapy and Medicine will be introduced in 2011.

President Gloria Arroyo, during the inauguration of the George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center, was among those who saw the potential and beauty that only this haven in Subic possesses.

This Holy Week, the wellness center will unveil its housing-development and residential projects.

According to Marabel Viernes, vice president for finance and human resources, the center is “the finest spot you will find in Subic.”

For one, she said, the center, all 12 hectares of it, sits on top of a hill right in the middle of a lush forest. It is also the only tertiary hospital in Subic, she added.

Guests and tourists, she said, could avail themselves of luxurious rooms during their stay.

“Here is where you will also find the warm, accommodating and efficient staff who will make sure that those who will visit us will have nothing but wonderful memories and experiences,” Viernes added.

The George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center also houses a spa, recreation area and beautiful chapel.

Supervised by the most qualified health and fitness experts, Viernes said, the gym of the wellness center boasts of the best equipment for physical fitness and weight management. The gym is accepting members.

Those who want to explore attractions near the center may try Zoobic Safari, Subic Bat Kingdom and Ocean Adventure. Or they can also try the night market.

“The best part is that we offer the most affordable room rates,” Viernes said. A room at the wellness center that is good for four persons goes for P1,300, she added.

Those who need more rooms can try the newly renovated and furnished 26-room condominium.

On the drawing board, according to Viernes, are a flower park, mini-sports complex and clubhouse, mini-market, coffee shop, convenience store, gift shop, business center, moviehouse and theme park. (Marylaine Louise L. Viernes, Manila Times)

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SBMA keen on developing wind energy project

In line with efforts of the national government to tap renewable energy sources in the locality, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now encouraging investors to build wind-turbine facilities in this free port.

SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga said representatives of a China-based company met with him last week and expressed interest in a wind farm project here.

The foreign investors were accompanied in Subic by Charles Chen, from the Manila-based PRA Marketing Services Corp., as well as officials of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC).

“I asked them to submit a proposal so we could ascertain whether the Subic Bay Freeport would be a feasible venue for the project,” Salonga said.

“This is a positive development which could only prove to be beneficial to the Subic community ultimately,” he added.

“Hopefully, we could develop Subic’s Redondo Peninsula as a source of alternative and renewable energy that we can even feed to the Luzon energy supply grid,” he said.

Redondo, which is the location of the shipbuilding facility operated by South Korean company Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Philippines, is composed of a chain of mountains that branch off from the backbone of the Zambales mountain ranges.

It faces the South China Sea and, hence, is expected to provide a good wind harvest.

“The wind blows over the peninsula all year round, and because the Subic Freeport has its own power generating system, it will be easy to connect the wind power system to the grid,” Salonga explained.

“Subic is really a good choice for this project,” he added.

Salonga said the Chinese company would have to conduct a one-year detailed study of wind velocity and volume in the area.

“Experts would also have to study the fluctuations, as information like these would be important in determining the size of the blades (for the windmills),” he said.

Salonga, said officials of the SBMA are excited about the potential of a wind farm in Subic because the project could help lower the cost of power in the free port.

“We’ve been a net power consumer for too long,” Salonga said. “So isn’t it nice if we become a power producer for a change?”

Should Subic produce excess energy from wind power, the surplus could also benefit communities near the Subic Freeport, Salonga added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Refurbished golf course to revive Subic airport

Subic Golf Course operator Hanafil Golf and Tour Inc. will revive the Subic Bay International Airport by bringing in more foreign golfers once the golfing facility is finished.

The company plans to resume its junket flights after golf course stakeholder Hanatour, South Korea’s largest tourism company, pledged to bring in tourists directly to Subic.

“We are planning to use the SBIA and a partner airline company with low cost fares to bring in more golfers from other countries. The golf course was designed to handle 180 golfers a day, and that number will expand once we add nine more holes in the next phase of the development,” Hanafil President and CEO Benjamin John Defensor III said.

Currently, the company has completed 40 percent of the reconstruction process for the course.

“That includes the reshaping of the greens and fairways of the first nine holes to make it flow better,” Defensor said.

“Current improvements are the eco-friendly irrigation system that uses recycled water, brand new nursery that can use salt water and the drainage system that was replaced to accommodate the volume of rainfall come this rainy season.”

“But these renovations are not just for new members; the company is also accommodating all previous members of the golf club as long as they update their accounts and coordinate with us and the SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority),” Defensor said.

An agreement was signed recently between the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the SBMA and Clark Development Corporation (CDC) that would allow visa-free entry to foreigners visiting the two free ports.

Under the agreement signed by Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan with SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza and CDC President Benigno Ricafort, officers and personnel of foreign locators in the two free ports may now enter and stay in the country without a visa for a period of 14 days.

The privilege, however, will only be extended to those arriving through the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) or the SBIA. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

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No more need for visas for locators at freeports

Foreign locators at the Subic Bay Freeport and at the Clark Economic Zone can now enjoy a visa-free entry to the Philippines.

An agreement signed recently between the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Clark Development Corporation (CDC) allows visa-free entry to foreign investors visiting the two free ports.

Under the agreement signed by BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan with SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza and CDC president Benigno Ricafort, officers and personnel of a foreign locator in the two freeports may now enter and stay in the country without a visa for a period of 14 days.

The privilege will only be extended to those arriving through the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) or the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA).

Arreza said the agreement will help attract more foreign investors to do business in Subic and Clark as well as send a signal to other foreign investors that the government is serious in courting more foreign investments that will create more jobs and improve the economy.

“More than the convenience that the agreement will provide foreign locators in Subic and Clark, the visa-free entry will encourage more investments from Taiwan – which is now one of the biggest in Subic – and invite other foreign investments to do business in the freeport zones,” Arreza said.

Libanan said the visa-free entry privilege for foreign locators in Subic and Clark is part of the BI’s ongoing thrust to attract more tourists and investors to the Philippines, aside from merely guarding against the entry of terrorists, transnational criminals and other undesirable aliens.

Aside from tightening the BI’s guard against the entry of undesirable aliens, Libanan introduced reforms, like cutting red tape and providing visa incentives to foreign investors to encourage them to visit and invest in the country.

The agreement provides that the foreign locator will vouch for their officers and personnel coming here and will notify the SBMA chairman or CDC president who will approve the grant of the visa-free entry privilege. (Jun Ramirez, Manila Bulletin)

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Enhanced security seen at SBMA housing areas

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be implementing enhanced security measures to better serve the fast-growing population of residents and visitors using housing complexes in the free port zone.

The move was in compliance with the instruction of SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza to maintain a high level of security in the zone and to safeguard properties of transients and residents.

Arreza also emphasized the need for enhanced security as the SBMA prepares for the peak summer season.

“We cannot afford to lose the credibility that makes the Subic Bay Freeport proud to be among the safest and most secure places in the country,” Arreza said. “So we have to upgrade our security system and implement better guidelines.

Arreza also noted that Subic continues to be a favorite tourist destination because of well-defined security and safety policies that are implemented by well-disciplined but courteous law enforcers.

Responding to Arreza’s order, retired Gen. Orlando Maddela, the head of the SBMA Law Enforcement Department (LED), announced the creation of new units to ensure full implementation of new and existing security policies in the housing areas.

“Most of these policies are already in place, but our LED Operations Group (LOG) is conducting a series of meetings with home owners to consult them on what else can be done to improve security,” Maddela said.

Major Vicente Tolentino, who heads the operations group, said that among the enhanced security measures to be implemented in the housing areas is the so-called Monitored Mobile Police Patrols program, whereby all security patrol-related activities are to be relayed to the department’s control center.

The LOG will also initiate "On-the-go" housing security coordinators who will be roving residential areas on 24/7 routines; posting of strict but courteous checkpoint sentry guards; and 100 percent security vehicle inspection.

Tolentino added that service vehicle drivers, as well as caretakers and residents, will be required to present job orders or identification cards before they are allowed to enter housing areas.

Housing area vehicle decals and stickers can be availed of at the Motor Vehicle Registration Office, while residents ID cards can be secured at the SBMA Office Services Department, formerly the Pass Processing Department.

Maddela likewise said that a “no loitering” policy shall be strictly implemented in housing areas, particularly during night time, and that even non-duty LED personnel will not be allowed to stay in the housing area without permission of the detachment.

The SBMA will also not tolerate illegal shanties and settlers in adjacent forest areas, Maddela said.

In line with the enhanced security measures, the SBMA urged residents and visitors to report any untoward event or suspicious activity to the SBMA-LED emergency hot lines, using 911 for land lines or 9111 for mobile phones.

The public may also directly call SBMA-LED detachments at 252-5346 (Kalayaan Area), 252-5347 (Binictican Area) and 252-5413 (Cubic Area). (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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NCC eyes Subic-Clark-Batangas corridor as international logistics hub

The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) has embarked on an ambitious project to convert the Subic-Clark-Batangas corridor into an international logistics hub in the country's bid to service the rapidly expanding intra-Asian trade and investments.

NCC has commissioned UP professor on urban and regional planning Hussein Lidasan to prepare the terms of reference (TOR) on which the masterplan will have to be based.

Under that agreement, NCC spelled out its vision of developing an inter-modal logistics system covering mega-Manila that will be integrated globally at competitive costs and quality.

The initiative was also designed to decongest Metro Manila by gradually shifting the cargo traffic from its ports to the new ports of Subic and Batangas.

As a prerequisite to making the detailed masterplan, the TOR will answer the questions, what needs to be done, what are the pressing issues and concerns that have to be looked at, what economic development concepts should be reviewed and evaluated that would really be appropriate for the corridor, what would give the private sector to actively participate in developing the corridor, and how would the development of the corridor's inter-modal logistics system be defined to be responsive to such development concepts.

After the TOR, a masterplan would be drawn up for the proposed Luzon integrated logistics hub that covers the economies of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga and Zambales in Central Luzon, and the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas stretch in southern Luzon. The proposed corridor already accounts for about half of the country's total output, said NCC.

The masterplan would cover cities and provinces along the corridor which would be later owned up and implemented by their local governments in tandem with the national government, strong involvement of public and private sectors, with the private sector coordinating activities leading to the realization of the plan.

The idea of making the Clark Special Economic Zone as the logistics hub in Asia was first proposed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The NCC's innovation was to include land, air and sea transport along the proposed logistics corridor to the rest of East and South Asia. (Edu H. Lopez, Manila Bulletin)

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Fisherfolk to build P2.3-M artificial reefs in Subic

Fishers in communities adjacent to this free port will be building artificial reefs worth about P2.3 million in Subic Bay to increase fish population in the area and boost their income.

Laureano Artagame, chairman of the Subic Bay Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils (SB-IFARMC), said the artificial reef project will be funded through the P4-million financial assistance recently given by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) as part of the authority’s commitment to sustainable development of the Subic Bay area.

The fund was coursed through SB-IFARMC and the Olongapo City-IFARMC, which were created under Republic Act 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

The two groups represent fisher-folk associations and communities in the Subic Bay area, including those in the municipality of Morong in Bataan, and the towns of Subic and San Antonio in Zambales.

“We will be using the bulk of the fund to build artificial reefs, so that we may increase local fish production,” said Artagame. “The artificial reefs are designed to replace former fishing grounds in Subic Bay, which have been taken over by commercial development and maritime projects.”

Artagame added that apart from the P2.3 million set aside for the artificial reefs, the fisher-beneficiaries will use P.7 million for the operation of the IFARMC; P.5 million for a scholarship program to benefit IFARMC members and their immediate families; and P.5 million for livelihood programs for IFARMC members and their families.

Meanwhile, SBMA officials said the authority granted the assistance “in fulfillment of the agency’s responsibility to communities affected by the development of the Subic Bay Free Port.”

“As we develop the bay—implementing in the process such projects like the Subic port modernization and the Hanjin shipyard—we have closed off some areas that were previously fishing grounds used by local fishermen,” said SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga. “This assistance is one way whereby the SBMA could contribute to the welfare of fisher folks in the Subic Bay area.”

According to SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, the P4-million assistance provided by the agency was taken from the Environmental Guarantee Fund, which was created as a condition for the issuance of permits for the Subic port development and Hanjin shipyard projects.

Arreza said that both projects affected local fishing communities whose fishing areas have somewhat dwindled due to the growing maritime trade, as well as the development of shorelines, foreshores and adjacent areas in the Subic Bay Free Port Zone.

He added that the SBMA forged an agreement with the SB-IFARMC in August 2009 for the provision of the P4-million assistance.

“As you can see, we’re not just concerned about attracting investors to the Subic Bay Free Port,” Arreza said. “The SBMA also has a very strong presence in corporate social responsibility, and this is just part of our program.” (Henry Empeño, Business Mirror)


PHOTO: IFARMC chairmen Laureano Artagame and Daniel Mejia (center) receive P4 million in SBMA assistance to local fisherfolk from SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (left) and SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga. The bulk of the fund will be used to build artificial reefs in Subic Bay.

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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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Fisher folks get P4-M assistance from SBMA

Fishermen in the Subic Bay area received a P4-million financial assistance from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Monday as part of the authority’s commitment to sustainable development of the Subic Bay area.

SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga and SBMA administrator Armand Arreza turned over the fund to Laureano Artagame and Daniel Mejia, the chairmen of the Subic Bay and Olongapo City Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils (IFARMC), respectively.

The two organizations represent all fisher folk associations and fisher folk communities in areas surrounding Subic Bay. These include fishermen in Morong, Bataan, Olongapo City, and the municipalities of Subic and San Antonio in Zambales.

According to Salonga, SBMA granted the assistance in fulfillment of the agency’s responsibility to communities affected by the development of the Subic Bay Freeport.

“As we develop the bay—implementing in the process such projects like the Subic port modernization and the Hanjin shipyard—we have closed off some areas that were previously fishing grounds used by local fishermen,” Salonga explained.

“This assistance is one way whereby the SBMA contributes to the welfare of fisher folks in the Subic Bay area,” he added.

Arreza said meanwhile that the SBMA and the Subic Bay IFARMC (SB-IFARMC) forged an agreement in August last year for the provision of assistance to local fishing communities whose fishing areas have somewhat dwindled due to the growing maritime trade, as well as the development of shorelines, foreshores and adjacent areas in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

“We’re not just concerned about attracting investors to the Subic Bay Freeport,” Arreza stressed. “The SBMA also has a very strong presence in corporate social responsibility, and this is just part of our program,” Arreza added.

Under the agreement, the SBMA committed a total of P4 million to be sourced from the Environmental Guarantee Fund (EGF), which was created as a condition for the issuance of permits for the Subic port development and Hanjin shipyard projects.

The P4-million assistance is broken down into four components: P2.3 million for the establishment of artificial reefs to take the place of former fishing areas; P.7 million for the operating expenses of the SB-IFARMC; P.5 million for a scholarship fund to deserving SB-IFARMC members and their immediate families; and P.5 million to fund livelihood programs for SB-IFARMC members and their families.

The SB-IFARMC was created under Republic Act No. 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (left) and SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga (right) ahnd over the P4-million assistance to IFARMC chairmen Laureano Artagame and Daniel Mejia.

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Zambales access to SCTEx pushed

Former public-works secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. has reiterated calls for the construction of an access road from Zambales province to the Subic-Clark- Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), saying the proposed connection is “imperative to help Zambales take off in terms of trade, tourism and economic development.”

Ebdane said in an interview with newsmen here during the launch of the fortnightly local newspaper Headline Zambales that a highway connecting to SCTEx “will revolutionize the pace of development in Zambales.”

“As the SCTEx has made the Subic Bay Free Port and the nearby city of Olongapo more accessible to tourists, traders and investors, so will the proposed SCTEx artery do wonders for Zambales,” said Ebdane, who is eyeing the Zambales governorship in the coming local elections.

The SCTEx access project was first broached by Zambales First District Rep. Mitos Magsaysay in a dialog with community leaders in Castillejos, Zambales, last week.

Magsaysay, whose political clan has allied with Ebdane for the May elections, revealed that the Magsaysay-Ebdane coalition is pushing for the construction of a road that would connect Castillejos to the SCTEx.

Castillejos, the second town in south Zambales after Olongapo City, is considered a pivotal location because it links the Zambales highway to the Hanjin shipyard in Subic’s Redondo Peninsula.

Magsaysay added that the proposed road will also benefit billion-dollar tourism-development projects in the area, which are funded by foreign investors.

Ebdane said the proposed Castillejos- SCTEx connection will most likely branch out from the Floridablanca segment in Pampanga and will be about 40 kilometers long.

“In a little more than 30 minutes, tourists could access Castillejos from SCTEx, and from here, could also visit other places in Zambales,” he said.

Ebdane also noted that the only route to Zambales for tourists from Manila often becomes congested during holidays and other peak seasons.

“An express lane must be made to make Zambales more accessible to foreign and local tourists,” he said. “Rather than going the usual route, which is through Olongapo, tourists could use the express lane to avoid traffic. That way, they would have more time to spend on the beautiful tourism attractions in the province.”

In the Castillejos dialog, the former DPWH head also acknowledged that roads and other public infrastructures are “essential to the modernization of rural areas in the province.” (Henry Empeño, Business Mirror)

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Subic Freeport eyes growing retirement market

The retirement-tourism industry in this free port is expected to take off this year, as government agencies and the business community here teamed up to come up with a more aggressive marketing program.

Eyeing the development of Subic Bay as a prime retirement facility, the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) signed a memorandum of agreement with the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) for more effective promotion in the world market.

The agreement was signed the other day by PRA chairman Edgar Aglipay, SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, and SBFCC president Danny Piano at the SBMA Board Room.

The three parties agreed to integrate their marketing and promotional activities, including information dissemination, public relations, special events, and other retiree-related tourism programs to maximize Subic’s market reach.

Each party also committed to act as an advocate for the design and development of new products and investment opportunities for foreign retirees and tourists, thereby enhancing retiree-related sites, facilities, and services through tourism planning and product development.

“Only through strong partnerships and consolidation of individual corporate goals into one, could the retirement industry in Subic match up with those in the neighboring countries of Asia,” Aglipay said.

Aglipay reiterated that the Philippines has almost all the advantages — climate, manpower, culture and services — to outmatch other Asian nations in the retirement business, especially since Filipinos are known worldwide for being highly efficient and professional.

Salonga, meanwhile, noted that the agreement “was very timely, since the number of foreign retirees seeking a safer and more comfortable place to live in is increasing.”

A large number of these retirees visiting Subic Bay have settled here for a time, he added.

Arreza said that the Subic Bay Freeport already has world-class retirement facilities, including the Subic Holiday Villas, which is described as a modern leisure and retirement village that can accommodate up to 500 retirees, plus their families.

Other similar facilities in Subic include the Subic Holiday Mansion, the Tropical Paradise Retirement Village, Subic Heights at the Upper Mau Area, Subic Bay Leisure and Resorts at the Boton Area, the Subic Executive Loft Condominium, and Poco A Poco at the Subic Commercial Park.

These world-class retirement communities in the Subic Bay area can accommodate retirees from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other foreign countries, Arreza added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO: Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman Feliciano Salonga and Philippine Retirement Authority Chairman Edgar Aglipay shake hands after signing an agreement to promote Subic Bay as a retirement destination. With them are (from left): Susan Dudley, of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, and SBFCC President Danny Piano.

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Kalaklan bridge to remain open during construction of new bridge

The Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge, which connects Subic Bay Freeport to Olongapo City and Zambales, will remain open until June 2010 while a new bridge is being constructed to replace it.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza said that the bridge will not be closed as originally planned, but will continue to be open to light vehicles and pedestrians, in response to appeals made by the city government and business groups in Olongapo City.

Arreza has directed the agency’s Engineering Department to ask the project contractor to install additional safety mechanisms and regularly conduct maintenance work on the existing bridge to ensure public safety.

“We do not mind spending more for this project if it means ensuring that public interest is served adequately,” Arreza said.

SBMA’s move is expected to avert a potential traffic disaster in Olongapo City, which will absorb all vehicular traffic from the Freeport to Zambales and vice versa once the existing bridge is closed.

SBMA engineers said an average of 2,500 light vehicles and some 300 pedestrians, mostly workers, pass through the Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge everyday.

The bridge construction project is part of the agency’s efforts to prepare necessary infrastructures for the eventual expansion of the Subic Bay Freeport into nearby areas like Olongapo.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Public Works Engr. Mar Sanqui said the project contractor is also expected to submit a new program schedule, citing the possibility of a delay in the project completion, which was originally targeted for January next year.

The SBMA announced last month the start of construction work on the new bridge and the closure of the existing bridge to vehicular and pedestrian traffic starting February 15 and Marc h 1, 2010 respectively.

Olongapo City officials and businessmen led by Mayor James “Bong” Gordon Jr. have made representations with the SBMA to consider other options, citing the huge traffic volume that the city will have to take during the year-long construction period and the adverse impact on the tourism industry in Olongapo and Zambales during its peak season in the summer months.

The Kalaklan Bridge, one of the existing four bridges linking this free port to nearby Olongapo City, will be replaced by a new two-lane concrete bridge with covered walkway and a security plaza. It is also the Freeport’s gateway to Zambales.

This bridge and the Main Gate Bridge that leads to Magsaysay Drive, the city’s main business district, were built by the U.S. Navy in the early ‘60s.

SBMA engineers noted last year that these bridges have been “structurally weakened”. The Main Gate Bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic while only pedestrians and light vehicles are allowed to pass the Kalaklan Bridge. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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SBMA cites investor-friendly policies behind 2009 growth

The investor-friendly environment promoted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has led to healthy business in this free port, and allowed companies here not only to survive the economic slowdown last year but also to post actual growth.

“This is the reason why Subic managed to stay afloat despite the recession,” SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said. “Together with the business community, we’ve been working hard at promoting good business by coming up with sound policies.”

Arreza said the SBMA’s investor-friendly policies “brought us to where the Freeport stands now,” adding that the agency posted a record seaport revenue of P472.85 million last year despite the recession, and approved 25 expansion projects by various investors that are worth a total of $23.7 million.

The SBMA official cited the connection between growth and sound guidelines during the Locators Congress held recently at the Global Terminals and Development, Inc. office here. The congress, which was organized by the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (SBFCCI) as an annual event, focused on business issues and concerns of business locators here.

Arreza said that aside from putting out investor-friendly policies, the SBMA also stressed transparency in doing business with everyone. “This makes every transaction easy and on time,” he added.

In keeping with the spirit of the congress, Arreza disclosed that the SBMA will now spread development efforts to communities in Olongapo, Zambales and Bataan, which are outside the controlled or fenced-in portion of the Subic Bay Freeport.

Arreza earlier explained that the SBMA’s expansion program was meant to address the limited commercial and industrial space in Subic’s controlled area, wherein a huge environmental preserve is located, as well as to create livelihood opportunities that would directly impact on the neighboring communities.

“We will now focus on developing significant infrastructure facilities in those areas in order to generate more investments outside the traditional boundaries of the Freeport,” Arreza said.

“But we shall need funds to build public infrastructure projects that will convince more investors to pour their money into the Subic Bay area,” he said.

At the same time, Arreza clarified concerns about the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA), the Kalaklan bridge construction, and the Ayala Land project.

in the case of the SBIA, Arreza disclosed that the SBMA is still evaluating its viability.

“There is no rush to close the airport,” he told Subic locators. “Actually, we are still marketing the airport and looking for other alternatives to make it useful.”

Arreza also assured the chamber that the 30 locators to be affected by the construction here of an Ayala Land mall would be given options to either relocate their businesses inside the mall, or move into a commercial building to be built nearby.

Ayala Land is expected to start construction of the mall in April this year, and to finish in 2012.

Arreza also briefed locators on the scheduled closure of the Kalaklan bridge starting March 1, to pave the way for the construction of a P200-million new bridge and security plaza. Arreza earlier explained that the construction project would have to go on as scheduled, lest local businesses would lose out during both the peak tourism season this Christmas and in summer next year. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Durano exhorts M.I.C.E. players: ‘Learn from Subic experience’

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano has cited Subic Bay’s rise from the ashes of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption as an example of how stakeholders in the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions/events (M.I.C.E.) industry could tap into the $300-billion global M.I.C.E. market.

“Assess the situation and formulate appropriate strategies,” Durano exhorted participants in the Philippine M.I.C.E. Conference 2010, an international forum that opened on Friday at Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) here.

“There is always an opportunity that comes with change,” added Durano, recounting how Subic Bay transformed itself from a wasteland into a bustling free port, and how it is now making a name as host to local and international events.

More than 300 representatives from various sectors of the Philippine M.I.C.E. industry arrived here as early as Thursday evening for the four-day event that ends on Monday.

Durano said M.I.C.E. players can only respond two ways to the challenges faced by the industry: “to be like an immovable object, which eventually is toppled by the wind, or a kite that soars higher as the wind gets stronger.”

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza, who welcomed the conference delegates, meanwhile, said that Subic has reaped much benefits after the Subic agency decided to invest in the M.I.C.E. industry.

He said this decision gave rise to the 12,000-square meter SBECC, which now boasts of having one of the best convention facilities in the country today.

The SBECC, which was formerly the shell of an abandoned computer parts factory and warehouse, and refurbished by the SBMA at the cost of P350 million, has poured from $10 million to $12 million in income to the local economy since it first opened for the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress in 2007, Arreza said.

“Subic Bay as a major M.I.C.E. destination has always been a dream of mine ever since I stepped in here as administrator four years ago,” said Arreza, a former undersecretary at the Department of Tourism.

He added that aside from drawing participants to conventions, most of whom also visit various tourism facilities in the locality during the conventions, SBECC has “introduced” Subic to potential investors such as Nestle, Coca-Cola and Phillip Morris, companies that soon decided to open facilities in Subic after holding conferences at the local convention venue.

“There is a tremendous potential in M.I.C.E., and I urge everyone to get the most out of it,” Arreza also told conference delegates, who came from as far as as Iloilo, Davao, Cebu, Palawan, Bohol, Bacolod, Pampanga, Aklan, and Camarines Sur.

The four-day M.I.C.E. conference, which brought together national industry associations, international affiliates and business networks within the tourism industry, featured a series of presentations by international experts in the tourism industry and media.

The various topics shared a common theme: how local players can tap into the growing M.I.C.E. market. Among the speakers in the conference are Pacific Asia Travel Association chief executive Gregory Duffel, World Tourism Organization consultant and former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, Web in Travel producer and SHY Ventures editor-at-large Yeoh Siew Hoon, International Congress and Convention Association Chief executive Martin Shirk of The Netherlands, Malaysia-based Asian Overland Services group managing director Anthony Wong, UK-based Regent Exhibitions managing director Paul Flackett, and Travel Impact Newswire executive editor Imtiaz Muqbil.

M.I.C.E.Con 2010 is the result of a historic tie-up among the Philippine Asian M.I.C.E. Forum, which is spearheaded by the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, and the Philippine Incentive Marketing Conference of the Department of Tourism, the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp., and the Movement of Incentive Travel Executives. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTOS:
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza welcomes Tourism Secretary Ace Durano to the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center, where the four-day Philippine MICE Conference 2010 is held.

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Stakeholders sign commitment to protect Subic Bay

Government agencies, private organizations and local stakeholders have signed a “Declaration of Commitment” to protect Subic Bay after the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) urged a joint conservation effort involving various sectors of the community here.

The declaration was signed as an initial undertaking that resulted from the recent Subic Bay Water Summit, a two-day conference held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) where multi-sector representatives discussed strategies for the conservation of local water resources and the protection of marine ecosystems, which could be applied to Subic Bay.

The SBMA, through its Ecology Center, spearheaded the summit to help arrest the growing degradation of Subic Bay, which is considered as the economic lifeblood of the Subic free port and the nearby communities, said SBMA administrator Armand Arreza.

According to the declaration, the conservation of marine resources and the protection of rivers and coastal areas in Olongapo, Zambales and Bataan, “are indispensable to the continued social and economic well-being of those who live near or otherwise depend on the Bay, as well as to the sustainability of the life itself of the Bay.”

It also noted that pollution is the most serious threat to the water quality of Subic Bay. While the bay is naturally endowed with a deep harbor and a diverse yet fragile ecosystem, it is “now being endangered by various human and development activities in the uplands, the surrounding communities and within the coastal areas,” the declaration stated.

With this, the summit participants resolved “to renew and reinforce our efforts toward the sustainable development and management of our local water resources in a manner that is technically and legally feasible, fundable and effective.”

During the summit, Dr. Hoanh Hoang Nguyen, a soil and water specialist from Vietnam, identified at least 42 watersheds in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, of which 27 are drained by rivers directly into Subic Bay.

There is therefore “a need to control or reduce the sources of the pollutions that drain into the bay and the conversion of forestlands into cultivated lands or grasslands by informal settlers,” Nguyen urged in his presentation entitle “Total Catchment Approach to Land and Water Use Planning.”

Nguyen added that six land and water use issues have to be addressed immediately: conversion of forest land into dwelling, unregulated use of pesticides and fertilizers, annual grassland burning, livelihood from natural resources, fishponds and fish cages, and commercial and industrial activities inside core protection areas.

On the same occasion, Marikina City mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando shared her community’s experiences on how residents made their city a “Little Singapore.

Tackling the topic “Sustainable City Planning: Principles and Practices,” Fernando said that a lot of people are now taking the environment seriously. “Even the squatters along the Marikina river understood and volunteered to relocate to an area provided by the government,” she said.

Fernando said that after the clearing operation, the city developed the riverside areas into picnic and leisure parks. “The dying river is now regularly cleaned. And not long from now, we will put fingerlings into the river to return its life,” Fernando added.

Arreza said the SBMA organized the water summit to come up with a common action plan to effectively protect the Subic Bay and the valued water resources in the locality.

The summit also provided a venue for the participants to identify problems, hear and discuss recommendations from the experts, and learn from the experience of leaders in resource protection and conservation.

Among those who signed the declaration of commitment were Olongapo City mayor James Gordon, Jr.; former Zambales vice governor Saturnino Bactad, who represented Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso; Pastolan Aeta village chieftain Conrado Frenilla; and Restituto del Rosario, a Gawad-Saka national awardee from Morong, Bataan.

Representatives from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 3rd Regional PNP Maritime Office, Philippine Coast Guard, Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Subic Bay Resorts Association, and Subic Water and Sewerage Co., Inc. also attended the summit. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

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Stakeholders intensify efforts to protect Subic Bay

Stakeholder groups in the Subic Bay area gave an overwhelming response to calls from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to help arrest the degradation of Subic Bay by joining resource conservation and protection projects initiated by the agency.

With renewed passion that stemmed from the recently-concluded Subic Bay Water Summit, more than 500 representatives of community groups in the free port area demonstrated their affection for Subic Bay through the “Save My Bay” beach cleanup held here on Saturday.

“This is a clear demonstration that the private sector, the academe, and the government understand the value of this precious water resource,” said SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga, whose agency initiated the water summit on January 28-29 to assess the condition of Subic Bay and lay the groundwork for its conservation.

Salonga said that Subic Bay is facing threats from the rapid development around it, so that the formulation of a concrete framework and action plan for its preservation has been deemed urgent.

“The SBMA cannot do this on its own,” Salonga said in his appeal to the clean-up participants. “Subic Bay is vast! The areas surrounding the bay— the Subic Freeport, Olongapo City, the town of Subic, Zambales and parts of Bataan—all benefit from its waters, so protecting and conserving it is a common responsibility.”

Salonga added that the two-day Subic Bay Water Summit clearly pointed out the need for joint conservation efforts, as the different groups that impact the bay signed a commitment to unite for the cause to save Subic Bay.

“We should not wait for dismal conditions like those in the Pasig River to appear, before we formulate steps to save our common resource,” he said.

Salonga proudly noted that the concern for Subic Bay was not limited to residents in the greater Subic Bay area.

Miss Earth beauties traveled all the way from Manila to demonstrate their support, along with members of Rotary District 3780 based in Cubao West, Quezon City, which organized the event along with the SBMA, The Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel here, and the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians, Philippine Fleet.

“They see how the SBMA cares for its natural resources, so it is easy to generate support,” Salonga also noted.

Jun Avecilla, president of The Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel, who was among the organizers of the event, said they are “committed to preserving the bay.”

“Subic Bay is an asset, and our group will continue to conduct activities that will improve the condition of this water resource,” said Avecilla, who is also president of Rotary District 3780 and commodore of the local chapter of the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO:
Stakeholders in the Subic Bay area, along with guest conservationists, clean up a stretch of beach along the famous Waterfront Road in the Subic Bay Freeport, as part of community efforts to arrest the degradation of the bay’s water quality.

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