SBMA to save P12.5-M this year as it goes virtually paperless

Here’s one good news for the environment: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has embraced a new culture of a virtually paperless office. And it saves big money, too. According to Marlo Zerrudo, officer in charge of the SBMA Information Technology Department, the Subic agency has introduced an in-house document management system that facilitates digital archiving and retrieval of office documents and forms. Dubbed as the Structured Archive and Retrieval System (SARS), which was jointly developed by Ed Michael Cruz and Jan Aries Gomez...

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SBMA task force to market Subic port

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) says it will create a task force specifically to market the facilities of the freeport to possible locators and port users. The task force, the composition of which is yet to be determined, will have to make its own strategy outside of the measures being undertaken by the private operators of SBMA’s New Container Terminal (NCT) 1 and 2. SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia, in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Subic Bay Maritime Conference and Exhibit recently, said that the task force is needed to...

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TO DRIVE GROWTH: Private sector pushes Subic port

The private sector is calling for better utilization of the Subic Bay Port to enhance growth of the local shipping industry and economy of Central Luzon that is served by the freeport. Ramon T. de Leon, chairman of the Pac-Atlantic Group, said during the recently concluded shipping industry conference in Subic that the private sector wants to improve utilization of the economic zone’s port not only to increase revenues but also to enhance its business potential. De Leon said better utilization of the port’s facilities will bring more opportunities...

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Another US sub docks in Subic; US spy plane joins coastal drill

Amid concerns over the frequent visits of United States naval assets in the country, another US submarine will dock today in Subic Bay for supposed routine port and goodwill visit, while a US Navy surveillance plane yesterday joined local security forces in an exercise aimed at safeguarding coastal areas in the strife-torn Mindanao. In an advisory, the US Embassy in Manila announced the arrival of USS Hawaii (SSN-776), a Virginia class submarine, on Subic Bay, Zambales, where another US Navy asset, USS Frank Cable, an LY Spear class submarine...

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Perpetual dominates NCAA beach volleyball in Subic Freeport

The University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) dominated the 84th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) beach volleyball events held here by winning two of the three championship bouts on September 2. UPHSD won the senior women’s title for the fourth straight time, as Norie Jane Diaz and April Anne Sartin defeated San Sebastian College’s Czarina Karen Berbano and Gretchen Soltones in two sets, 21-16 and 23-21. Meanwhile, Jay...

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LGUs get P57.4-million tax share from SBMA

Seven municipalities and a city adjacent to this premier free port received a total of P57.4 million in revenue shares as their portion in the taxes paid by Subic Bay Freeport-registered enterprises in the first half of this year. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the shares given to local government units (LGUs) are intended to augment local resources and enable stakeholder communities to benefit from Freeport businesses by augmenting the funds of nearby LGUs for development projects in health, education,...

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US Navy submarine tender arrives in Subic Bay

An American warship that provides at-sea support to the US Navy’s attack submarines in the Pacific region arrived here on Monday, coinciding with the start of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 11-day swing of Southeast Asia to push for regional unity in face of increasing Chinese aggressiveness in the area. According to a statement from the United States Embassy in Manila, the USS Frank Cable (AS-40) docked in this free port “for a routine...

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Another SBMA employee to receive Pagasa Award

A community relations officer of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who initiated several community development projects for fisher folk in the Subic Bay area, will be conferred the Pagasa Award in Malacañang this month. SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia proudly announced on Thursday that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has chosen SBMA employee Marilou Dungog as one of this year’s recipients of the Pagasa Award, which is given for outstanding...

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PNoy: ‘Philippines and Subic now open for business’

The Philippines, especially Subic, is now open for business, as the country begins to reap the fruits of good governance, according to President Benigno Aquino II. In a speech delivered by Maritime Industry Authority deputy administrator Nicasio Conti on behalf of the chief executive during the recent Subic Bay Maritime Conference and Exhibit here, President Aquino said that the country’s efforts in regaining the national dignity and the confidence of the world send a clear message that the Philippines is ready. “From weeding out corruption and...

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Passenger/cargo hub plans for Subic, Clark

Subic and Clark are poised for greater growth as over P100 billion worth of existing infrastructure and road projects and those still in the pipeline are designed to turn the two freeports into world-class passenger and cargo hubs. “The most relevant goal is to create a world-class passenger mobility and cargo distribution network,” Arsenio M. Balisacan, secretary of Socioeconomic Planning and NEDA director-general, said at the recently held Subic Bay Maritime Conference and Exhibit 2012. Balisacan said the Aquino administration envisions Subic...

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PHL, South Korea sign OSH agreement

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has signed an agreement with South Korea that seeks to ensure the safety and health of Filipino workers employed by Korean industrial companies in the country. The signing of the accord was seen as an offshoot of a series of industrial-related accidents involving Filipino workers employed by the Hanjin industrial shipyard at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone that led to the deaths of several workers. The agreement with the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency signed on August 25 seeks to improve the occupational...

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PH-Made Vessel Delivered To London

A bulk-carrier vessel worth $60 million was delivered by Korean shipbuilding company Hanjin Heavy Industry and Construction Co., Ltd.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) to a British-Australian client during its naming ceremony held inside its facility in Redondo Peninsula in Subic Bay Freeport, Zambales. The “M/V RTM Cartier”, named after a French explorer and the second vessel purchased by Rio Tinto Shipping Ltd., measures 299.9 meters and weighs in 204,000 deadweight metric tons. On the ship’s send-off to its homeport is London in the United Kingdom (UK),...

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Subic Bay maritime confab ‘hugely successful’

The first Subic Bay Maritime Conference and Exhibit opened on Thursday to raves and tumultuous applause, as more than 500 shippers and shipping line operators attended the launch at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) here. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the event drew executives from various shipping and logistics companies from as far as South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia...

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Subic stages 1st NCAA beach volley match

MANILA - The NCAA resumes its outreach program in Season 88 as it holds its first out-of-town beach volley tournament in Subic Bay, Zambales this Sunday. NCAA Management Committee chair Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, of host Letran and tournament host Paul Supan of Letran have already made the out-of-town game official by signing a Memorandum of Agreement with Subic Bay deputy administrator Raul Marcelo recently. The Subic joust comes on the heels of the NCAA’s successful hosting of its first out-of-town basketball tournament in Sta. Cruz, Laguna last month. A...

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Subic Freeport celebrates San Roque feast day Disney-style

People dressed as cartoon characters from popular animated films swarmed the Harbor Point Mall here on Thursday as the entire Subic Freeport community led by the Subic Bay Freeport Authority (SBMA) celebrated the feast day of San Roque, Subic Bay’s patron saint. With the theme, “It’s More Fun-tasy in Subic @ Harbor Point”, this year’s edition of the annual San Roque Street Dance Competition required participating schools, business locators, and...

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SBMA signs MOU with Korea’s “Silicon Valley”

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Daejeon TechnoPark, one of South Korea’s leading technological institutions, in the metropolitan city of Daejeon. Known as the “Silicon Valley” of South Korea, Daejeon Technopark is the second biggest center of Administration and Science and Technology, and plays a key role in Korea’s domestic economic development. SBMA chairman and administrator Roberto...

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SBMA teams join rescue and relief operations in flood areas

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Fire and Rescue team once again braved torrential rains and rising floodwaters to do what it does best – saving lives and rescuing people from danger and calamity. Responding to calls for assistance, this time from the onslaught of “habagat”, or the southwest monsoon, SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno deployed the first Fire and Rescue team to the flood-stricken area of Orion, Bataan, as early as Monday (August 6) night. “From then on, there was no rest for everyone, as four other teams were dispatched on the...

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Images Of The August 7 Flood Aftermath

A resident of flood-stricken Olongapo City with some of his "salvaged" possessions. A local shoe store getting right back to business. Even the City Hall was not spared Rizal Triangle covered court Can you tell this is a basketball court? Wall toppled by the floods' strong current How terrible is the mud left by the flood? Images of people getting right back on track. Flood water as mud remover. Fleet of vehicles parked...

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SC stops Subic coal power plant project

The Supreme Court has issued a Writ of Kalikasan against the planned 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant of Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. at the Subic Bay Freeport. The high court in a July 31 ruling restrained the company from proceeding with the construction of the coal power plant after Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño complained against the expansion of the power plant complex from its original capacity of 300 MW. RP Energy is a joint venture among Meralco PowerGen Corp., a unit of Manila Electric Co., and Therma Power Inc. of the Aboitiz Group...

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Amira C. Foods airs side

AMIRA C. Foods, DMCC, which was recently tagged in news reports in connection with the reported shipment of Indian rice allegedly smuggled into Philippine territory through the Subic Bay Freeport, yesterday broke its silence on the issue. In a press statement issued by its legal counsels from the Ongkiko Mahit Custodio and Acorda Law Offices, the Amira C Foods said it is a company duly established and existing for more than 50 years, with international presence as a seller of rice products in at least 40 countries, has a reputation to uphold...

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Subic exec denies role as broker in rice fiasco

The deputy administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority on Thursday denied that he acted as a go-between for an Indian company accused of smuggling 420,000 bags of rice into the country and a consignee based in the free port. Stefani Saño said that, contrary to the testimony given at the Senate Wednesday, he did not broker a meeting between Amira C Foods International of India and Metro Eastern Trading Corp., a Subic Bay tenant. In a statement submitted to the office of SBMA chairman and administrator Roberto V. Garcia, Saño said that,...

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Rescued Koreans safe in Subic, but their barges still unlocated

The seven Korean nationals rescued off the coast of Zambales on Thursday are now safe and sound in this free port, but the barges they have been towing when they nearly sank due to heavy rains and strong winds are not yet located as of press time. A top official of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the rescued Koreans remain aboard the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP EDSA II which has docked here after the rescue. They were identified...

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Subic hosts 109th SEIPI general assembly

Some 215 representatives from 83 companies in the semiconductor and electronics sector trooped here last Friday for the 109th general membership meeting of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) at the Subic Bay Yacht Club. Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas and Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia de Lima graced the event that brought the SEIPI general...

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SBMA, BOC deny ‘turf war’, vow close cooperation vs. rice smuggling

Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) yesterday dispelled reports of a “turf war” in connection with the seizure of some P420-million worth of imported rice here, and vowed to work close together to curb attempts to smuggle rice through this free port. In a joint press conference at the SBMA office here, SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia and Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon said the two agencies...

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SBMA grants long-term lease to specialty school

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently signed an agreement with the Quiz Bee Early Learning Center, giving it bigger facilities to address the school’s rapid growth. The Quiz Bee Early Learning Center is run by the Quiz Bee Foundation, which is the proponent of the annual National Quiz Bee, a prestigious scholastic competition participated in by some of the brightest students in the country. The SBMA agreed to give long-term leasehold rights to Bldg. 1154, located on Palm Street at the Gateway Park here, to provide more room to...

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SBMA woos call centers to Subic’s ICT Hub

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now enticing call centers to locate in this free port, trumpeting its superb facilities for business process outsourcing (BPO) operations. In an assembly meeting of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia expressed optimism that Subic Bay will become the next place to be for information and communication technology (ICT) businesses in the country. The SBMA official, who was invited by...

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Hanjin breaks ground for P1.2-B housing project for workers

Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Ltd., (HHIC)-Philippines Inc., which operates the world's fourth shipbuilding facility in this free port, marked another milestone in its corporate social responsibility program by breaking ground on Wednesday for a P1.2-billion housing project for its workers. In a ceremony held at the project site, HHIC President Jin Kyu Ahn said the project will rise on a 30-hectare area in Barangay Nagbunga, Castillejos, Zambales, which the company has bought and donated to the housing project. The Subic Bay Metropolitan...

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SBMA lauds BOC’s seizure of P43-M smuggled rice

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) lauded the Bureau of Customs (BOC) following the recent seizure of smuggled rice worth about P43 million at the Port of Subic. SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia also commended the efforts of both agencies, the BOC and the SBMA, whose joint inspection of 90 units of 40-footer container vans, which supposedly contained construction materials and gypsum boards, led to the discovery of 45,000 bags of rice from Vietnam. In accordance with a memorandum of agreement between SBMA and BOC, the two agencies decided...

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Subic stages biggest-ever duathlon event

MANILA - More than 600 duathletes from around Asia are seeing action in the continent’s biggest duathlon event, the Subic Bay Asian Duathlon Championships (ADC) presented by Century Tuna on Nov. 25. Organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the event highlights top continental honors for run-bike-run competitors at stake with the Elite, Under-23, Junior Elite and Youth (13-15) categories. ASTC’s Balwant Singh Kler confirmed that the ADC will serve as an official...

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