SBMA extends grace period for rents, business fees

Business locators in this Freeport received yet another relief from the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown when the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) extended the suspension of rentals and other payments due since the start of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA board of directors passed a resolution on June 30 that gave a 119-day grace period for the collection of all due accounts, thereby moving the payment date for such collectibles to October 28.

The extended suspension period covered the March to September 2020 billings for lease rentals, common use services area fees, port charges, garbage collection fees, sublease shares, and gross revenue shares.

Eisma said the measure took off from Memorandum Circular 20-29 of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which provided for a minimum 30-day grace period for the cumulative amount of residential and commercial rents that fell due during the quarantine.

“But to better assist the businesses here in Subic, the SBMA opted for a longer time when payments could be deferred to give the local businesses enough time to recover,” Eisma explained on Tuesday.

“This is actually the third extension we granted since the ECQ was imposed last March,” Eisma pointed out. “There is really a need to cushion the impact of the lockdown and provide economic relief to Subic stakeholders in support of RA 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” she added.

Under the approved measure, the SBMA management also allowed amortized payments of all the unpaid billings from March to September 2020 in six monthly installments, or from October 2020 to March 2021.

Said billings will not earn any interest or penalty until March next year if the installment is completed, Eisma added.

Those who will benefit from the payment grace period include business locators leasing lands, buildings and other infrastructure from the SBMA, and residents paying lease on a monthly basis.

Eisma added that while sub-lessees are not covered by the suspension because only sub-lessors have contracts with the SBMA, the latter are encouraged to extend the same benefit to their tenants.

The SBMA official also clarified, however, that the regular policy on credit and collection applies to billings issued prior to the March ECQ, although interest and other charges are waived for such billings for the period July 1 to October 27, 2020.

Interests and other penalties will also be applied to installments that were not paid on time, and all unpaid bills by the end of the October 27 grace period will start earning interests, charges, and penalties the following day, Eisma added.

According to SBMA deputy administrator for finance Dea Sanqui, those who want to avail of the six-month installment scheme would have to apply by filling out a pro-forma promissory letter addressed to the SBMA chairman and administrator not later than September 30, 2020.

Companies availing of the installment scheme should attach a Secretary’s Certificate authorizing the signatory of the promissory note. Application forms may be obtained by sending an email to accounting@sbma.com, treasury@sbma.com, or oda.finance@sbma.com or from the account offices assigned to companies registered in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Sanqui said the SBMA Treasury Department will compute and determine the schedule of the six monthly installments and will notify the applicants before payment date. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma addresses business concerns during a meeting with representatives of Subic Bay Freeport locators at the start of the ECQ in March. (MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Freeport Covid-19 testing center now open to public

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO:

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

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Covid-19 testing center opens in Subic Bay Freeport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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SBMA grants another 30-day extension for business permits

Another 30-day extension has been granted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to business locators here whose company registration had expired since the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March.

According to SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Kenneth Lemuel Rementilla, the SBMA will extend the validity of the Certificate of Registration (CR) and Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption (CRTE) until July 13 to give business locators enough time to renew their permits.

The extension has been approved by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma upon the recommendation of Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment Renato W. Lee.

Rementilla said the latest extension from the SBMA effectively granted a 120-day validity extension for business registrations since the Subic Bay Freeport operated under quarantine rules starting March 17.

He said that during a referendum on March 20, the SBMA board of directors initially approved to grant a 30-day reprieve to Subic Bay Freeport enterprises whose registration would have expired within the ECQ period, or from March 17 to May 13, as well as to those whose CR or CRTE expired prior to the ECQ but had already applied for renewal before March 17.

This extension also applied to sub-lessees whose sublease would have expired during the said ECQ period, provided that no protest was received from the sub-lessor during the extended period, Rementilla added.

Following the initial extension, Chairman Eisma, who was authorized by the SBMA board to further extend the validity as needed and pursuant to national government directives, first granted an extension until June 13.

“In view of the continuing community quarantine imposed in the Subic Bay Freeport, Chairman Eisma further extended the validity of the CRs and CRTEs of Subic Bay Freeport locators until July 13, 2020,” Rementilla said.

Prior to this, the SBMA also further suspended the collection of penalties and other fees from business locators and residents until the end of June to help ease economic difficulties during the pandemic.

The extension covered penalties on late payment of billings, fees on deferment of deposit for maturing post-dated checks, and due dates covering payment schemes with deed of undertaking, which were all initially suspended from March to May 2020.

The SBMA had similarly granted a validity extension for the IDs and access passes of SBF workers until June 30 and allowed the renewal until July 31 of vehicle decals with one-year validity issued in 2019. (MPD-SBMA)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO:

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

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

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Subic firms retrench workers due to Covid-19 losses

At least 20 companies in this Freeport have implemented retrenchment measures that affected workers because of financial difficulties brought about by the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

A report from the Labor Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) indicated that the affected companies applied cost-cutting measures like forced leave, compressed workweek schedules, or outright termination of workers since February when the Covid-19 outbreak began to hurt business activities worldwide.

The report showed that as of June 2, a total of 2,435 workers underwent forced leave while 124 others were bumped off by compressed workweek schedules because of low demand for company products, or due to lack of materials and supplies for production.

On the other hand, around 700 workers have been terminated from employment since mid-February due to financial losses suffered by their companies.

The companies with most number of terminated employees were computer device manufacturer Wistron Infocomm (Philippines) Corp., with 551 affected workers; theme park operator Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc., with 110; and importer Simon & Stanley International Trading & Development Co., with 74.

Wistron also placed hundreds of workers on forced leave in February and March before finally separating 551 employees last April.

Meanwhile, ship repair firm Subic Drydock Corporation (SDC) is scheduled to separate 52 employees on June 25 after implementing mandatory leave for 149 workers on May 1 to 15, the SBMA report showed.

Subic Drydock administrative manager Diana Ross Mazo said in a statement that the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) last March “forced the business to shut down for two months without revenue.”

Mazo said that despite the cancellation of project bookings, the SDC has recalled back to work 40 percent of its employees as the company reopened in a staggered fashion starting May 18.

“Over the next few weeks, SDC will gradually increase capacity in support of the ‘new norm’. However, based on careful review of our operation, we need to reduce manpower by separating some of our employees effective June 25,” she added.

Mazo said the company will abide by laws and regulations regarding the separation of workers and will provide the applicable 13th month and service incentive leave pay, as well as half month pay per year of service. Payment for the affected employees will be given in two separate checks: one dated June 26 and the other dated July 26, she added.

Mazo also said that SDC officials, along with representatives from the SBMA Labor Department and the Department of Labor and Employment’s satellite office in Olongapo City, met with the affected workers in six batches until June11 to process the termination.

SBMA Labor Department manager Melvin Varias said the SBMA Labor Department is closely monitoring the implementation by Subic companies of their retrenchment measures to ensure compliance with labor laws.

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, various locators in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone employed a total of 138,940 workers, with close to 70 percent in the services sector and more than 15 percent in manufacturing, Varias said.

The terminated workers comprise about 0.6 percent of this total. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Computer device manufacturer Wistron Infocomm (Philippines) Corp. is among Subic locators that have retrenched workers due to financial difficulties brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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SBMA extends suspension of business fines, fees

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has further suspended the collection of penalties and other fees from Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) business locators and residents to help ease economic difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a memorandum issued last Friday, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency has extended the suspension of penalty payments until the end of June to further assist companies and other stakeholders in recovering from the lockdown.

The extension covered penalties on late payment of billings, fees on deferment of deposit for maturing post-dated checks, and due dates covering payment schemes with deed of undertaking, which were all initially suspended from March to May 2020.

“Following the imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning March 16, we have ordered the majority of Subic locators to stop their day-to-day operations and the residents to stay at home,” Eisma noted.

“Given the status that we are right now where some companies are still closed or operating on scaled-down capacity, we find it necessary to further assist our locators and residents by suspending the collection of these fees until June 30,” she added.

Prior to this, the SBMA board of directors approved the suspension of penalties and other fees as economic relief assistance to companies and other payers in support of RA 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

The measures ratified by the SBMA board by way of referendum were the following: Certification No. 20-087, which suspended the imposition of penalty on late payment of billings from March to May 2020; Certification No. 20-088, which suspended fees on deferment of deposit of the maturing post-dated checks of locators and residents with written request for deferment from March to May 2020; and Certification No. 20-089, which extended March to May 2020 due dates covering payment scheme agreements with deed of undertaking.

Eisma said the same resolutions authorized the SBMA chairman and administrator to extend the said measures for another 30 days, as needed.

“Taking note that the SBF further complied with the extension of the ECQ from April 16 to May 15, the modified ECQ from May 16 to 31, and the general community quarantine (GCQ) from June 1 to 15, local businesses really deserve some boost for them to recover,” she added.

Eisma also pointed out that the SBMA had extended the validity of expired IDs and access passes for SBF workers until June 30 and allowed the renewal until July 31 of vehicle decals with one-year validity issued last 2019.

The SBMA announced earlier that close to 900 companies are now operating in the Subic Bay Freeport under GCQ rules, which is about half of all the registered enterprises in the Freeport.

Under the IATF guidelines, some companies were allowed to reopen at either 100% operational capacity; 50% up to full operational capacity; or 50% work-on-site arrangements, work-from-home, and other alternative work arrangement. Still, others, mostly from the leisure sector, were not yet allowed to operate.

Eisma said the SBMA is expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines. (MPD-SBMA)

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50% of Subic Freeport firms now operational

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has approved the operation of close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1. 

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency lately gave the green light to 14 companies under GCQ rules, thus bringing the total number of open businesses here to 868. 

Most of those allowed to operate under various levels of quarantine are manufacturers of export products, producers and suppliers of food and medicine, those involved in logistics operation, and utility operators, Eisma added. 

Prior to this, the SBMA allowed 568 firms to remain open when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) took effect on March 16, and then approved the reopening of 286 more companies after Subic transitioned to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on May 16. 

“The total number of locators that are now allowed to operate is just half of the 1,648 enterprises registered in Subic, but we are expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines,” Eisma said.  

“But we have to remind everybody that we don’t allow companies to just open—even if they are qualified to open under Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines—without first passing compliance assessment by the SBMA,” the Subic Freeport chief added. 

Eisma explained the assessment entails an ocular inspection by SBMA health and safety officials, as well as the Incident Management Team, which coordinates the agency’s Covid-19 response program, and is based on guidelines on workplace prevention and control of Covid-19 issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). 

Among the requirements for submission is the company’s Personnel Deployment Plan (PDP), which takes into consideration social distancing in the workplace. 

Meanwhile, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Kenneth Rementilla said that IATF guidelines categorized industries into four groups: 100% or full operational capacity; 50% up to full operational capacity; 50% work-on-site arrangements, work-from-home, and other alternative work arrangement; and not allowed to operate. 

All applications for reopening by Freeport companies is checked against the SBMA Business and Investment Group’s consolidated list of locators that listed the firms under the four categories, Rementilla added. 

The industries that broadly fall under Category I, which allowed full operational capacity, are: agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; manufacturing and processing plants; hospitals, medical clinics, and health clinics; retail establishments; laundry shops; food preparation establishments and water-refilling stations; logistics service providers; delivery services; power, energy, water, information technology and telecommunications supplies and facilities; electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply services.

Also allowed for full operation are those engaged in water collection, treatment and supply; waste collection, treatment and disposal activities, and materials recovery; sewerage, pest control, garbage collection and disposal, sewer maintenance and treatment; repair and installation of machinery and equipment; real estate activities; telecommunications; energy companies, and contractors and service providers; gasoline stations; construction work accredited by the Department of Public Works and Highways; manufacturing companies and supplies of equipment or products necessary to perform construction works; and media establishments. 

Meanwhile, those in Category IV which are not allowed to operate include: gyms, fitness studios and sports facilities; entertainment and amusement industries; libraries, museums, and other cultural centers; tourist destinations; travel agencies, tour operators, reservation service; gambling and betting stations; personal care services; and any other leisure establishments that promote mass gathering. 

Under GCQ, the SBMA relaxed access to the Freeport as more business locators resumed operation, but Chairman Eisma said strict health and safety measures against the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will remain in force. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Bird's-eye view of SBFZ's port and industrial areas. Close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services are now operating in the Freeport, following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1. (MPD-SBMA)

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Firm tampering with product expiry faces cancellation of permit

A company found to be tampering with the expiration dates of food products kept in its warehouse here is facing revocation of its permit to operate, and may eventually lose its certificate of registration as a Freeport enterprise.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said she has ordered the suspension of the certificate of registration and tax exemption (CRTE) of Phil-Em Enterprise Incorporated after the firm’s employees were caught red-handed in a raid by law enforcers last Monday.

“It saddens me to know that some unscrupulous people are taking advantage of others especially in this time of a pandemic,” Eisma said.

She said that the consent to sublease given to Phil-Em Enterprise for the use of a warehouse at the Global Industrial Park here may also be withdrawn if warranted.

“We will not tolerate any activity that violates the law and besmirches the solid reputation of the Subic Bay Freeport as the leading economic center in the part of the country,” Eisma added.

According to a report from the SBMA Intelligence and Investigation Office (SBMA-IIO), elements of the National Bureau of Investigation and the SBMA-IIO raided the Phil-Em warehouse early Monday on the strength of a search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City.

During the operation, law enforcement agents caught Phil-Em employees in the act of erasing the expiry dates on packs of Clover Chips and replacing the same with new dates using printing machines, said SBMA-IIO officer in charge Rodel del Rosario.

Subsequently, the operatives confiscated four Citronex printers with conveyors, 150 reams of label stickers, 50 reams of various printed label stickers, and two cans of eraser fluid.

The agents also seized several boxes of food items like Clover Chips, Ligo sardines, Nissin Cup Noodles, Century Tuna, Milo energy Drink, Sky Flakes crackers, Star margarine, Magnolia cheese, Royal and Fiesta pasta, Lily’s peanut butter, and food seasoning.

Phil-Em owner Philip Velasco was arrested along with employees during the raid, Del Rosario also reported. They were brought to the NBI office in Olongapo for further investigation.

Velasco’s business partner Amanda Pathak, who was also named in the search warrant, will also be charged by the NBI, said Del Rosario.

The suspects will be charged with violation of RA 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines, RA 9711 of the Food and Drugs Administration Act of 2009, and RA 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA frontliners negative in rapid antibody tests

Close to a thousand frontline workers of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) tested negative in a rapid antibody test undertaken here on Saturday under a mass testing project sponsored by a business locator here in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the result of the medical examination using rapid test kits (RTKs) for Covid-19 “was a huge relief to the SBMA workers who have been risking their health in keeping the Subic Bay Freeport safe and secure since the start of the quarantine.”

“All the 910 SBMA workers, mostly frontliners, who subjected themselves to the rapid test came out okay, and this is a huge relief to everybody in the agency as well as the Subic Freeport community,” Eisma said.

“They have been working with all these health hazards for almost three months now and still face a few more weeks of risks, so we are glad that they can continue their work with confidence that they have remained clean,” she added.

Those who were tested were comprised mostly of health workers, police and security personnel, firemen and sanitation technicians, maintenance workers, as well as some employees doing administrative work during the quarantine period.

SBMA employees with health risks and comorbidities also received priority in testing, Eisma also said.

“We are glad that there is this opportunity to test our frontliners now because our polymerase chain reaction (PCR) mass testing project with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is not yet operational,” Eisma explained.

She said all the machines and equipment at the PRC molecular laboratory in Subic’s naval magazine area, as well as the swabbing centers the SBMA has put up near the Main Gate, are ready.

However, there is still the need for the medical technicians who will man the facilities to be trained under the supervision of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

According to Ronnie Yambao, SBMA deputy administrator for health and safety, the SBMA launched the antibody testing activity in cooperation with Premium Technical Training and Facilities Inc. (PTTFI), a Freeport locator, at the badminton court of the Subic Bay Sports Complex.

“It’s actually a CSR (corporate social responsibility) project of Premium Technical that they sponsored the rapid tests for SBMA frontliners in exchange for their free use of the badminton court as venue for testing of their own employees,” Yambao said.

Rapid testing can cost as high as P1,650, but still inexpensive compared to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that cost from P3,500 to as much as P9,000 when administered in private hospitals.

Yambao said that according to the Department of Health’s algorithm, “if the result was IgM reactive but IgG non-reactive, we isolate for 14 days then repeat the test. If within the 14 days the person tested develops symptoms, then we will go for admission.”

“According to our health authorities here, test validation is essential. That is why if any SBMA employee gets a positive result from the rapid test, we would automatically go for a PCR test,” he added.

Yambao also said the SBMA has adopted the DOH T3 strategy, which is to test, trace and treat persons suspected of having been infected with Covid-19. (MPD-SBMA)   

PHOTOS: 

[1] An SBMA frontline worker undergoes rapid antibody testing on Saturday at the Subic Bay Sports Complex under the agency’s program to test, trace and treat high-risk workers. 

[2] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma checks on the implementation of a rapid testing program for SBMA frontline workers on Saturday at the Subic Bay Sports Complex.

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PN’s first missile-capable warship arrives in Subic

The Philippine Navy greatly boosted its current fleet with the low-key arrival of its first missile capable frigate, to be named BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), in Subic, Zambales, on Saturday.

From a five-day maiden voyage in Ulsan, South Korea, the frigate was accorded the traditional passing honors with BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS17) and three multipurpose assault craft (MPACs).

The event was documented during a fly-by of two anti-submarine helicopters, the Agusta Westland (AW) 159, and AW109. Prior to this, a meeting procedure was held between the frigate and BRP Andres Bonifacio with AW109 in the vicinity of Sta. Cruz, Zambales, before it was finally escorted to its designated anchorage area.

While at anchor, the sailing crew will undergo two-week quarantine in adherence to strict health protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID19). The Technical Inspection and Acceptance of the frigate will commence after the quarantine period.

Breakthrough in Navy’s transformation 

The arrival of the country’s first missile-capable frigate is a “testament” to the government’s resolve to modernize the military as well as a “breakthrough” in the Philippine Navy’s transformation journey, Malacañang said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque affirmed that the government remains committed in building a strong and credible maritime force to protect the country’s seas from threats.

The 2,600-ton ship, named after the country’s national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, is the latest addition in the Philippine Navy’s fleet that can fire guided missiles and torpedoes.

“We are pleased to announce the historic arrival to the Philippines of BRP Jose Rizal, our country’s first ever guided-missile frigate. The arrival of the country’s most advanced warship, delivered during this administration, is a testament to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s commitment to modernize our armed forces,” Roque said.

“This forms part of the national leadership’s initiative to enhance the country’s defense capabilities to secure our seas against current threats,” he added.

Roque said they consider the arival of the new ship “a breakthrough in the Philippine Navy’s transformation journey in our goal of building a strong and credible maritime force.”

BRP Jose Rizal 

The frigate will tentatively be commissioned into service on June 19, Rizal’s birthday. The 351 by 46-feet warship weighs 2,600 tons.

It is capable of “fighting the four dimensions of warfare” namely anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations, and is equipped with surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, torpedoes, and launchers.

It will also be equipped with a Hanwha Systems’ Naval Shield combat management system (CMS), regarded as the “brain” of military warship, which integrates all shipboard sensors and weapons.

This means that the ships will be able to detect and track air, surface and sub-surface targets. The same type of CMS was used by the Korean, Malaysian and Indonesian navies.

The frigate is the lead ship of its class and was built together with its sister ship, BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), which is set to be delivered in September this year The two missile frigates are part of an ₱18-billion contract between the Philippines and South Korea through shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in October 2016.

Each frigate costs ₱8 billion, with some ₱2 billion allotted for their systems and munition. (Martin Sadongdong and Genalyn Kabiling, Manila Bulletin)  

READ MORE --> https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/24/pns-first-missile-capable-warship-arrives-at-subic/

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SBMA shifts to modified ECQ status

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be allowing more business operations in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) but will retain border controls and restrictions on non-essential activities as it joins neighboring communities in implementing modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of this month.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency will abide by the May 15, 2020 resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) which placed transitioning high-risk areas under MECQ from May 16 to May 31.

 “This shift to MECQ will definitely not involve any major relaxation of our existing quarantine rules. We still have to wear mask, do disinfection, practice social distancing and observe curfew hours,” Eisma stressed. “The only significant difference is that we’d be allowing more business operations so that the local economy may start its rebound,” she added.

According to the IATF’s Resolution No. 37, the MECQ areas included the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija, as well as Angeles City. These places were previously classified as moderate-risk areas and qualified for general community quarantine (GCQ).

However, Bataan, Zambales and Bulacan had filed for extension of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), while Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Angeles City filed for modified ECQ.

Eisma said the SBMA had similarly appealed to the IATF-EID as early as April 28 to extend ECQ status over the Subic Bay Freeport due to the lack of adequate health facilities needed to contain a possible surge in Covid-19 cases in the greater Subic Bay area.

“Despite having a daytime population of around 155,000 people, the SBFZ has only one functioning hospital with only 8 ICU beds and 13 hospital rooms,” Eisma pointed out.

She also stressed that while the SBMA has put up Community Isolation Units composed of 32 beds and 45 rooms, the same are not yet fully operational. Moreover, only a small portion of the local population has been tested for Covid-19 infection, Eisma added.

The SBMA chief said that pending a separate quarantine classification by the IATF for the Subic Bay Freeport, the SBMA will adopt the MECQ status placed over Bataan and Zambales, since 65.25% of the total land area of the Freeport is located in Bataan and 24.48% is located in Zambales.

“As of now, the SBMA has started issuing guidelines and protocols to various Freeport stakeholders so that we can effectively transition from ECQ to MECQ,” Eisma added. 

The Subic Bay Freeport Zone had so far remained free of Covid-19 infection, but the SBMA has prepared care and isolation facilities open to residents of nearby communities in case of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Eisma has also urged neighboring local government units to join a mass testing program to be implemented jointly by the Philippine Red Cross and the SBMA to detect Covid-19 infections in the locality.

The adjoining province of Bataan and Zambales have so far reported a total of 22 and 119 confirmed Covid-19 cases, respectively, while nearby Olongapo City, which has opted to remain under GCQ, has tallied 12 positive cases as of May 15.

Both Zambales and Bataan had earlier opted for an extension of ECQ, citing the continuing local transmission and the possibility of a second wave of Covid-19 infection in their areas. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, shown here inspecting a swabbing center, has opted to retain quarantine controls and health measures in the Subic Bay Freeport, which is a major economic center in Central Luzon

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LGUs urged to join SBMA-Red Cross mass testing program

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has urged local government units (LGUs) adjacent to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) to join its mass testing program to detect new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections in the locality.

In a letter sent to LGU executives on Tuesday, April 28, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency has partnered with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to provide Covid-19 mass testing services at minimal cost to residents and stakeholders of SBFZ and its surrounding communities.

The letter was sent to the eight LGUs contiguous to the SBFZ: Olongapo City; Subic, Castillejos, San Marcelino and San Antonio in Zambales; and Morong, Hermosa and Dinalupihan in Bataan.

Eisma said the SBMA-PRC mass testing program will be open to the public, although priority will be given to suspected and probable Covid-19 cases, as well as frontliners in the SBFZ, SBMA employees, and SBFZ residents.

“In this regard, SBMA is offering to partner with (LGUs) for the Covid-19 mass testing of (their) constituents at a cost of P3,500 per test, inclusive of test kits,” Eisma said. Similar polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests cost from P8,000 to P9,000 when administered at private hospitals in Manila, it was learned.

Eisma said that for this project, the SBMA has retrofitted two buildings at the Subic Bay Freeport main gate to house at least six telephone booth-type swabbing centers where trained health workers will take swab samples from patients. The collected samples will then be validated and taken to the PRC Molecular Laboratory at Subic’s Naval Magazine Area for testing.

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

The mass testing project here is the brainchild of Senator Richard Gordon, who is chairman of Philippine Red Cross. Gordon had designated Subic and the nearby Clark Freeport as PRC Covid-19 testing centers for the Central Luzon region.

Gordon had earlier stressed the exclusive use of the PCR testing method because it is more reliable and accurate than the rapid testing method, which still requires a confirmatory test.

In her letter to LGUs, Eisma said that while the PRC will require an advance of P5 million that would cover an initial 1,420 tests, the LGUs can recoup their expenses, as the same will be covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. in line with Philhealth Circular No. 2020-10.

She added that the SBMA is willing to explore a scheme whereby LGUs could advance the cost required by PRC from the 2% LGU shares to be collected by the SBMA from taxes paid by Subic Freeport locators. The SBMA has been releasing LGU shares twice a year since 2011, with an average release of P116.68 million each semester for the eight communities adjacent to the Subic Bay Freeport.

Eisma said the SBMA won’t impose any fee on top of the P3,500 cost that the Red Cross will charge to defray the costs of equipment, manpower and supplies needed for the mass testing program.

She added that at the moment, applications for Covid-19 mass testing will be screened through the Red Cross hotline 1158, although the SBMA may put up a similar hotline to help hasten processing.

Under Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, which declared a state of national emergency in face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippine Red Cross was identified as the primary humanitarian agency that is auxiliary to the government in the fight against the virus outbreak.

Eisma said the SBMA-PRC Covid-19 mass testing program will help authorities in the Greater Subic Bay-Bataan-Olongapo-Zambales area “get accurate data on the exact prevalence of Covid-19, and identify with specificity the individuals that we must treat and isolate, and the areas we have to more intensely quarantine.”

“In the same manner, this accurate and exact data will help us decide on whether we can safely ease up restrictions and implement the ‘new normal’ guidelines and protocols in order to get our local economy running again,” Eisma added. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

Workers prepare the SBMA swabbing centers at the Subic Bay Freeport main gate for the Covid-19 mass testing program in the greater Subic Bay area

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Worker found dead in barracks

A man who worked as maintenance staff at the Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal here was found dead beside his bed at the company barracks on Friday.

Jimmy Gonzaga Ocaña Jr., 40 years old, was found lifeless by his co-workers around 5:45 a.m. on May 1, according to initial reports by the Intelligence and Investigation Office (IIO) of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The victim was a resident of Marikina City, who worked for the company operating a grain terminal at the Cubi Point here.

Ocaña was staying in the barracks, as he was caught in the lockdown under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and could not go back to his hometown, it was learned.

The SBMA has required companies authorized to operate under the ECQ to provide accommodations inside the Freeport for their workers.

The SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD), meanwhile, ruled out that it was Covid-19 related since he did not show any symptom like fever or cough, and had no history of travel or exposure.

Ocaña had reportedly consulted a doctor about some pain in his leg, and was prescribed some pain killer before being sent home.

Co-workers said he again complained about leg pain while having dinner Thursday night and later asked for help in going up the short flight of stairs to their barracks.

They added that when they woke up the next day, they saw Ocaña lying face down beside his bed. When they tried to wake him up, the victim was no longer responding.

His co-workers then called the attention of company officials who called the SBMA Law Enforcement Department for help.

Personnel from the SBMA PHSD also arrived and checked on the victim, but the attending physician declared that Ocaña was already dead.

The Philippine National Police in Morong, Bataan has said there was no apparent foul play in the death of the victim. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

The workers’ barracks is cordoned off during an investigation into Ocaña’s death

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Ocean Adventure launches donation drive to keep animals alive

Ocean Adventure, the biggest tourism operator in this Freeport, is launching a donation drive to keep its animals alive and well amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period.

Robert Ianne Gonzaga, president and chief executive officer of Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium Inc. (SBMEI), operator of Ocean Adventure, Adventure Beach Waterpark and Camayan Resort Hotel here, said in a statement Tuesday that the fund drive for the animals is an unprecedented but necessary step for them to do.

Gonzaga said that since the implementation of ECQ last March, their revenues have gone down to zero and will remain so for the short-term while the costs and expenses remain high due to the caring and feeding of animals and maintenance of the facilities.

“We rely only on our revenues to deliver the best of care for our animals and to ensure that they are in a safe and secure environment, with expert support available from our vets and caretakers," he said.

Ocean Adventure, which is responsible for attracting hundreds of thousands of guests and visitors to Subic Freeport every year, has been grappling with the negative impacts of the lockdown.

Last month, it retrenched more than 200 of its employees and placed the remaining 300 on forced leave.

"The disruption this pandemic has caused is unprecedented and likely to last for quite some time into the future, even after the quarantine is lifted. Our attendance numbers started plummeting in late January as concern for Covid-19 began to spread, and it got worse in February, which forced us to retrench workers in March -- days before the entire Luzon was put under lockdown. Now, all our businesses have shut down, aside from the hotel which is operating with a skeletal force. There is a lot of pain being felt across the entire tourism industry,” Gonzaga said.

SBMA chairman and administrator Wilma Eisma had earlier required manufacturing firms which continue to operate according to the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to house their employees inside the Subic Freeport.

This enabled some hotels here to remain operational with a skeletal crew, catering to guests in essential industries -- the only source of income for the duration of the lockdown.

In a statement posted on its official website, the SBMEI said the donations that the fund drive will generate will be used to purchase animal food, medicine, and vitamins, help support the animal caretakers, divers and volunteers who maintain their enclosures, veterinarians and lab technicians who provide for the health care of the animals, and pay for utilities for pumps, freezers and other equipment for the care of the animals.

"We currently have enough food for our animals to last to the beginning of June, however, since we do not expect to generate any revenue anytime soon, we are trying to raise funds to feed and support our animals for the rest of the year 2020,” Gonzaga said.

“The path to recovery is going to be long and hard, not just for our company but for everyone else in the tourism industry. That said, our animals at Ocean Adventure cannot make it through without external support in the months ahead. But we believe that with your help, nothing is impossible,” he added. (Mahatma Datu,PNA)

PHOTO:

Dolphins and their trainer at the Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay Freeport.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1101329

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Covid-19 mass testing in Subic Freeport begins early May

A mass testing program to detect new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections in the greater Subic Bay Freeport area is expected to begin here early next month under a partnership between the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the PRC is putting up a laboratory at the Naval Magazine area in this Freeport and expects to receive testing equipment by April 29 and accreditation by the Department of Health (DOH) thereafter.

“Under this schedule we expect to begin mass testing here in the first week of May at the earliest,” Eisma said.

On Sunday, Eisma and PRC Secretary General Elizabeth Zavalla inspected the PRC Molecular Laboratory at the Naval Magazine area here, a project approved by PRC Chairman and Senator Richard Gordon at the behest of the SBMA chief.

According to Zavalla, the equipment for the state of the art laboratory will include an automated RNA extraction machine that can run 90 samples per hour, as well as two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines that can each process 1,000 samples a day for a daily turnout of 2,000 tests.

Zavalla said the Red Cross is only using the PCR testing method because it is more reliable and accurate.

She added that the DOH’s Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM, the government’s lead agency in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, would have to inspect the facility prior to operation.

Eisma said the mass testing program will be open to the public, but suspected and probable cases (previously known respectively as persons under monitoring, or PUMs, and persons under investigation, or PUIs) will be the priority.

“Frontline workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, SBMA employees, as well as Freeport residents will also be prioritized, but we will also reach out to local government units (LGUs) in the neighboring communities of Olongapo City, Zambales and Bataan so that their constituents can benefit from the program,” she added.

Eisma also pointed out that the SBMA is working out a scheme with the PRC so that the public can also use the Red Cross hotline 1158 in making appointments for testing.

To facilitate the mass testing program, the SBMA will put up swabbing centers at Freeport main gate area for the collection of samples for testing.

“Once the samples are collected, these will be validated and sent to the Red Cross laboratory for testing, and the results could be obtained in about two days,” Eisma said.

The SBMA pushed for the mass testing program the other week as the call for mass testing resounded widely.
Eisma said earlier that mass testing would provide “a good reading of the prevalence of the outbreak with the end-view of safely lifting the ECQ in order to get the Subic businesses running again.”

“If we don’t undertake mass-testing, we’d be fighting Covid-19 blindly. We have to get a better grasp of the situation so that we can act accordingly,” Eisma added.

The SBMA has been initiating solutions to protect the local community from the virus threat. Aside from the mass testing program, the Subic agency also established two care and isolation facilities at the Subic Gym and the former Leciel Hotel for use in case of a surge in Covid-19 cases. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] The Philippine Red Cross Molecular Laboratory will house the equipment for Covid-19 mass testing in the Subic Bay Freeport.

[2] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and PRC Secretary-General Elizabeth Zavalla inspect the Philippine Red Cross Molecular Laboratory in the Subic Bay Freeport on Sunday.

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Subic firm ramps up production of ventilator parts

A Japanese company in this premier free port zone is trying to cope with great demand for cooling fans used in mechanical ventilators, which are critical medical equipment used in caring for patients infected by the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Sanyo Denki Philippines, Inc. (SDPI), a locator at the Subic Techno Park (STEP) here, also used to manufacture uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units, servo amplifiers and stepping motors, but has now devoted its operations to producing cooling fans, said company president Koichi Uchibori.

Uchibori and SDPI design manager Ted Yamazaki, who met with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma on Monday when the SBMA official visited the company’s factory, said there is growing demand for cooling fans these days because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yamazaki said that the company’s cooling fans are used by companies like Siemens, Inogen and Hitachi for various medical equipment, including mechanical ventilators that move breathable air into and out of the lungs of patients who are physically unable to breathe.

But due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) rules that required export-oriented businesses to house their staff within the Freeport zone, Uchibori said that company operations have been drastically reduced to 10 percent of the previous capacity.

“The number of cooling fans we produced monthly used to reach 80,000, but we can only produce from 6,000 to 10,000 units now,” Uchibori lamented.

As of last February when the ECQ was not yet in place, Sanyo Denki had a total of 4,273 as workers, including those under contract with manpower services. Uchibori said the company now operates with only 600 workers who are housed in various hotels inside the Subic Bay Freeport.

“It is expensive keeping them in hotels, and also paying them double,” Uchibori noted. “Still we are ready to take in more, but the problem now is where to house them,” he added.

Uchibori also said that despite the huge overhead for the company’s current operations, SDPI is not charging their customers any extra amount for their in-demand products.

Aside from ventilators, the firm’s cooling fans are also used in X-ray and MRI machines, virus DNA analyzers, blood analyzers, and portable oxygen concentrators.

With this, Chairman Eisma assured Sanyo Denki officials that the SBMA will help in easing up the supply chain for the company because of its vital role in the fight against Covid-19.

She also expressed gratitude to the company and its workers for continuing to produce the vital components needed for ventilators and other medical equipment.

“We will help you find ways so that shipment of your raw materials won’t be delayed, and so that you can employ more workers to step up production of this very important product,” Eisma told Uchibori and Yamazaki.

“Subic salutes you for your important role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” she added. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

Workers inspect component parts before installation in cooling fans produced by Subic firm Sanyo Denki for various medical equipment like ventilators and virus DNA analyzers.

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SBMA eyeing Covid-19 mass-testing facility

After putting up two care and isolation facilities to help protect the local community from the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) now seeks to establish here a mass-testing facility that can carry out up to 2,000 tests a day.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency will implement the mass-testing project in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) “so that we can get a good grasp of the situation and act accordingly.”

“The testing will be open to the public, although the suspected and probable cases (previously known respectively as persons under monitoring, or PUMs, and persons under investigation, or PUIs) will be the priority,” Eisma said.

“We shall also coordinate with PhilHealth for the mechanics because they’re supposed to provide free coverage for indigent patients, but others would have to pay at cost,” she added.

Under the plan, the SBMA will put up at least two telephone booth-type swabbing centers at the Subic Bay Freeport main gate, where health workers will collect swab samples from patients.

“Once the samples are collected, these will be validated and sent to the Red Cross logistics and training center at the Naval Magazine area for testing,” Eisma said.

She added that the PRC testing facility is now being built to house testing equipment that include an automated RNA extraction machine that can run 90 samples per hour, as well as two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines that can complete up to a combined total of 2,000 tests a day.

Senator Richard Gordon, who is chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said the PRC is using polymerase chain reaction-based test kits to ensure accuracy.

The SBMA sounded out this plan as public clamor for mass-testing resonated widely, with experts saying that it could further optimize the government’s quarantine strategy and prevent further loss of lives.

Locally, Eisma said that mass-testing would also help the government and the Freeport authority in particular, “to get a good reading of the prevalence of the outbreak with the end-view of safely lifting the ECQ in order to get the Subic businesses running again.”

“If we don’t undertake mass-testing, we’d be fighting Covid-19 blindly. We have to get a better grasp of the situation so that we can act accordingly,” Eisma added.

The SBMA has been initiating solutions to the growing health risks that the local community faced because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Before this, the Subic agency established two care and isolation facilities at the Subic Gym and the former Leciel Hotel using its own funds and some donations from private companies, civic organizations and concerned individuals.

These facilities will be used in the event that positive cases exceeded the capacity at the Baypointe Hospital in the Subic Freeport, which has admitted patients from Zambales, Olongapo City and Bataan.

As of April 18, Zambales has reported nine confirmed cases of Covid-19 with two recoveries, while Olongapo listed nine cases with one recovery, and Bataan province 80 cases with 15 recoveries. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

Two Covid-19 swabbing booths are being prepared for the mass-testing program of the SBMA. The booths have glass partitions to separate the health worker who will take swab samples from the patient who will stay outside the booth.

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Subic Freeport ‘surge’ facilities ready next week

Two care and isolation facilities being prepared by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for use in case of a surge in new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases will be ready here by next week.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said on Wednesday that the two facilities—the former Leciel Hotel and the Subic gymnasium here—will be properly equipped this weekend with equipment and supplies provided by corporate and individual donors.

“We now have two facilities ready in case of a surge in Covid-19 patients, and I thank the companies and individuals in Subic for their support of this SBMA initiative and their concern for the welfare of the community in general,” Eisma said.

“The SBMA provided the two locations and some basic equipment, and now various companies and stakeholder groups are pitching in with personal protection equipment (PPE), supplies, even food and transport services so that our frontliners can do their job,” she added.

Eisma on Wednesday received from PMFTC Inc. a total of 50 collapsible hospital beds, which are the latest of the major donations received by the SBMA. These will be installed at the converted Subic gym.

Eisma also said that the SBMA management is requesting the agency’s Board of Directors to approve the hiring of 34 medical personnel on a project contract basis, “so that we can fully utilize these two care and isolation facilities.”

The Subic gym, which now houses 32 isolation tents, as well as work and rest quarters for medical care personnel, was inspected also on Wednesday by medical personnel from Baypointe Hospital and Medical Center, where most local Covid-19 cases are admitted.

Dr. Erlinda Alconga, an expert in tropical and infectious diseases who runs the Coviod-19 unit at Baypointe, said the Leciel Hotel facility, which is just two blocks away from the hospital, would be an ideal place to house additional Covid-19 patients coming in from nearby areas.

“In case of a surge in the number of patients received at Baypointe, all positive patients will be moved to the Subic gym while the Leciel facility would be used to monitor cases of PUI (person under investigation),” she said.

Eisma also told Alconga and other Baypointe staff that the SBMA is now arranging living quarters for nurses and other medical staff at the Leciel facility, which will be ready for occupancy this Friday.

The SBMA chief also assured the Baypointe medical team that the SBMA would provide for all the needs of health workers who would be assigned to the two SBMA isolation facilities.

“SBMA will be here with you because the Subic Bay Freeport cannot turn its back and will not turn its back to its neighbors in Zambales and Olongapo and other areas. Laban nating lahat ito,” Eisma said.

Meanwhile, the SBMA acknowledged donors of materials for its care and isolation facilities. These include the International Recreation Corp. (IREC); National Bookstore; Tong Lung (Phils) Metal Industry; JC Salas Builders and Design Services Inc.; DML Subic Freeport Corp.; and Polarmarine, Inc.

The SBMA also thanked donors of supplies, equipment and services like: Apollo Subic Int’l Trading; Coldwater Creek and Marketing; Datian Subic Shoes; EPEE Corp.; Fashion Institute of Subic; GrainPro Philippines Inc.; HHIC-Phil Inc. (Mr. Nack Young Kim); Juken Sangyo; Lino Khan Trading; M Bernardino Culinary Institute; Oscar Santos; MSK Group of Companies; Nichol Bento; PacTec Subic Inc.; Philippines Easpal; and Royal Duty free Shops.

Other donors are: Sakura Restaurant; SBMA EWMPC; Seafood By The Bay; Skipper Pineda; Subic Auto Trucks & Machinery, Ltd.; Subic Bay Freeport Grains Terminal; Subic Bay Multi-purpose Cooperative; Subic Boardwalk Inc.; Subic Line Foods (Chowking Petron); Sweet Finale; Tele Empire Inc.; Tong Lung (Phils) Metal Industry; United Auctioneers Inc.; Upsilon Sigma Phi; Asian Dragon; Econest Waste Management Corp.; Ekxinum Inc.; Great Empire Gaming & amusement Corp.; International Freeport Exchange Trader Inc.-Subic; Northfolk Int’l Technology Inc.; and the Subic Korean community. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma (right) discusses facility requirements with infectious diseases expert Dr. Erlinda Alconga and other Baypointe Hospital medical staff during an inspection of the SBMA care and isolation facility at the Subic gym on Wednesday.

[2] SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma (left) discusses facility requirements with Dr. Erlinda Alconga, tropical and infectious diseases expert, and other Baypointe medical staff during an inspection of the SBMA care and isolation facility at the Subic gym on Wednesday.

[3] Dr. Erlinda Alconga, tropical and infectious diseases expert at Baypointe Hospital in the Subic Bay Freeport (right), gestures as she discusses health protocols with SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma (second from left) during an inspection of the SBMA care and isolation facility at the Subic gym on Wednesday.

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Subic chapel masses go live streaming for Holy Week

In face of quarantine rules that prohibit mass gatherings to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus (Covid-19), masses and other religious activities at the San Roque Chapel here will be streamed live on the Internet during the Holy Week.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma said the first live streaming, which involved the simultaneous recording and broadcasting of the event in real time, covered the Palm Sunday mass celebrated at 9:00 a.m. today, April 5, by Fr. Audie Mozo Jr.

It was simultaneously broadcast live on the facebook pages of 89.5 Subic Bay Radio, an FM channel operated by the SBMA, and FUNtastic Subic Bay, the agency’s official tourism page, Eisma said.

The online broadcast of the holy mass here was the response of the SBMA and St. Columban Parish to the directive of Bishop Bartolome Santos, Jr. of the Diocese of Iba that “all celebrations shall be done on live stream so that people can virtually participate.”

The directive, dated the March 21, also indicated that the religious activities were to be programmed “so that we make our celebrations in the diocese simultaneously.”

To make the live streaming of religious activities here possible, Eisma said the SBMA Tourism Department consulted with Fr. Mozo, the parish priest of the Columban Church in Olongapo City, and came up with the following schedule for the San Roque Chapel:

• April 5 and 12: Sunday masses — live streaming at 9:00 AM;
• April 9: Evening mass of the Lord’s Supper — live streaming at 5:00 PM; and
• April 11: Easter vigil mass — live streaming at 7:00 PM.

Meanwhile, the directive from the Diocese of Iba also indicated that the processions on Holy Thursday and Good Friday may be undertaken with the public observing social distancing.

“After the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, without the faithful, the presider rides a pick up vehicle as he carries a Crucifix and goes to all the streets of the parish (and) people with lighted candles shall wait in front of their homes to venerate the Cross by kneeling down,” the directive said.

It added that because of the enforced curfew hours, the traditional “Salubong” will be omitted this year and may transferred to one of the Sundays of May.

Bishop Santos also said that the Chrism mass will be celebrated on April 30, Thursday, “to give our people the chance to participate in this joyful gathering.” He said the Vatican has given bishops the authority to change the date of the Chrism mass to a more suitable schedule. (MPD/SBMA)

PHOTO:

Schedule of Holy Week masses at the San Roque Chapel to be streamed live over SBMA's social media accounts.

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SBMA seeks help in tracing contacts of Subic PUI

Authorities in this Freeport on Tuesday (March 31) said they are reaching out for help in tracing the contacts of a government diver here who recently tested positive for the new coronavirus (Covid-19) infection.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency will seek assistance from officials of Olongapo City and other areas where the patient had recently traveled in order to avert further virus transmission among his contacts.

“We are in a bind here because while the PUI (person under investigation) is a crew member of one of the NAMRIA ships berthed in Subic Bay, we have learned that he has relatives and a family in two Olongapo barangays and that he has visited them recently,” Eisma said.

“What also compounds the problem is that in the intervening period between his confinement and possible date of infection, he had travelled to Mindoro via Manila and Batangas to visit his family and friends there,” Eisma added.

According to information gathered by the SBMA Incident Management Team (IMT), the PUI is a crewmember of one of the four survey ships of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) berthed in Subic Bay. The agency is under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The patient first complained of fever and body pains on March 10, after cleaning the ship’s hull with fellow divers near Grande Island.

Thereafter he consulted doctors at Baypointe Hospital on March 12, and again on March 13. In the afternoon of March 13, he picked up his sister in Olongapo and, with her, consulted again at St. Jude’s Hospital in the City.

In the next two days he stayed on his ship, the hydrographer BRP Palma, which was docked at Subic’s Bravo Wharf.

On March 16, he consulted doctors at the Our Lady of Lourdes International Medical Center in Olongapo but denied history of travel and, thus, was admitted on suspicion that he had dengue fever.

When dengue tests proved negative the following day, he finally admitted travel but denied going out of his vehicle. Swab samples taken on March 21 yielded positive results of Covid-19 infection on March 29.

According to the PUI’s ship commander, his subordinate has been regularly taking “ship liberties” during evenings ever since their ship returned to Subic in December last year until March 7. But he denied knowing his subordinate’s whereabouts during those nights out because the latter did not sleep on the ship.

It was also ascertained that before he fell ill, the PUI travelled to Mindoro on March 6, stayed with friends and family in Mindoro on March 7 and 8, then went back to his ship in Subic on March 9.

Eisma said that while personal information about PUIs are normally withheld for privacy reasons, this particular case needs the attention of concerned agencies and local government units because it could potentially increase local virus transmission.

“There should not be any quarrel about whether to classify the PUI as a resident of the Subic Bay Freeport or Olongapo City, or even of Mindoro because that doesn’t matter at all,” Eisma said. “What matters is that we know he has been in all these areas and we might have an outbreak in our hands if we don’t act immediately to identify his contacts.”

Eisma said that the PUI has been described as in stable condition, has good appetite, and took phone calls from the SBMA-IMT for pertinent information.

Meanwhile, his ship was quarantined on March 16 and was eventually brought to anchorage farther out on the bay on March 29. His fellow crewmembers aboard BRP Palma are currently in stable condition and do not show any symptom, Eisma added. (MPD-SBMA)

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