SBMA to implement stricter measures on environmentally sensitive projects

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be implementing stricter measures and standards to further safeguard the natural environment of the Subic Bay Freeport from pollution.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the action aims to ensure that all projects, which are going to be put up or located inside the free port zone, particularly environmentally sensitive projects (ESPs), are acceptable to various stakeholders.

ESPs are projects that are determined to emit pollutants, which may have a potential impact on the natural resources, and the health of the people living or working in the area.

These pollutants include emissions, effluents, sound or visual from the proposed project that may deteriorate the health of the people, the forests and the animals living there, the bay waters, creeks, ground water and air, among others.

Garcia noted that the SBMA recognizes that the Freeport’s natural state far exceeds the quality of the national average, and therefore the agency may issue stricter environmental standards to satisfy the interests of the stakeholders.

The law that created the Freeport and the SBMA mandates the latter to protect, maintain, and develop the virgin forests into a national park by implementing the rules and regulation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The issuance of stricter standards, through the implementation of a policy on ESPs, will help the SBMA in realizing its mandates of protecting and preserving the environment.

“Through a board resolution, the SBMA Board of Directors will declare whether or not the project is environmentally sensitive, or is in compliance with the parameters as determined to be within the acceptable levels of emissions,” Garcia said.

Under this system, if the proposed project is considered an ESP, the SBMA Ecology Center will independently verify all of the project pollutants, the natural resource impacts, and extent of the proponent’s mitigating measures. All data gathered will be presented to the SBMA Board.

Stakeholder groups, consisting of representatives or officers of housing areas, Freeport workers’ associations, and the indigenous people’s tribal council will be invited to public consultations on ESPs where inputs about the results of the verification process will be presented.

Based on the evaluation “of the totality of acceptability ratings from the various stakeholders of the Freeport,” the SBMA Board shall declare whether or not the project is socially acceptable.

In any case where the project is declared not socially acceptable, the proponents will be advised to redesign the project or its mitigating measures to meet a level acceptable to stakeholders. Meanwhile, its permit to operate will be withheld.

“This way, the stakeholders are given a sense of participation in truly preserving the unique environmental feature of the Freeport, which is one of the major attractions of Subic’s tourism industry,” Garcia said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Read More

SBMA, Lighthouse Marina gear up for coastal cleanup

In keeping with their commitment for the protection of the environment, The Lighthouse Marina Resort in coordination with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will be mobilizing their networks in the community for a coastal cleanup activity on September 17.

The event, which will coincide with this year’s International Coastal Cleanup Day, will be held at the Waterfront area in this free port.

The Lighthouse Marina Resort and the SBMA have partnered in the past few years for beach cleanup drives in an effort to promote environmental consciousness among residents and business locators here.

For this year, the SBMA will again mobilize participants from among its various strategic business units, said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza. The agency has pledged at least 200 participants, including divers, to cover the SBMA-assigned area, stretching more than two kilometers from Alava Pier to the end of the Boardwalk Park.

Also part of the SBMA's commitment to the activity is to assist the organizers through its Ecology Department in the segregation of collected trash and proper data recording.
The agency will likewise urge employees from business locators, as well as students in Freeport schools and fisher folks to join the activity, Arreza added.

Organizers from The Lighthouse Marina Resort, meanwhile, said that those who would like to join the beach cleanup will need to register before September 15. Registration is free.

Participants will have to assemble at 6:00 a.m. at the Boardwalk Park area and form groups of five before going to the stations that will be designated by the organizers.

The cleanup drive will cover the area stretching from Boardwalk Park up to the Lighthouse beachfront.

The International Coastal Cleanup Day was started in 1986 in Texas by former Ocean Conservancy employee Linda Maraniss. It is being observed every third Saturday of September each year, with thousands of volunteers around the world joining to clean coastlines and seas.

During the cleanup at Subic last year, close to 4,000 residents, employees, students and visitors joined the activity and collected about 6,075 kilos of trash, including those collected from underwater dives.

This year’s event is supported by the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians, and the Ocean Conservancy, a non profit advocacy group that promotes healthy and diverse ecosystems. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Read More

Freeport firms want box underguard, bond retained

Locators in the Clark and Subic freeport zones say they support the Bureau of Customs’ use of electronic global positioning system or GPS-equipped barrier seals to track cargoes, but want the use of underguarding and the general transportation surety bond (GTSB) retained as alternatives.

The barrier seal project should have been put in place this month but is being delayed until a new BOC commissioner has been appointed.

The barrier seal is designed to replace underguarding and GTSB in monitoring transit cargoes, as well as to alert police on unauthorized opening of container doors.

Customs Administrative Order 4-2010 requires cargo owners to equip their cargoes with the barrier seal to allow officials to track and monitor cargoes from the time they leave customs territory up to their arrival at the destination.

The order also provides for the collection of a transit processing fee of P1,100 for containerized cargo, P400 for breakbulk cargo and a $5 container security fee that will be charged to cargo owners on top of the fee to be collected by the service provider.

"As far as Subic and Clark are concerned, the only issue to be resolved for the project to push through is that the locators be given a choice to use either GPS, GTSB or underguard," Clark GPS-equipped barrier seal consultant Roberto Domondon said.

Many locators want to get the GPS-enabled tracking system so they can go online, yet they need alternatives depending on their type of business.

They also complain about the cost and that the incoming commissioner would study their position.

"We are not yet sure if the new commissioner will push through with the project considering that there are sectors that oppose it," Domondon said.

Under incumbent Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez, Domondon has been keen on imposing the tracking system at the start of September using the graduated fee of P700 per container for cargoes bound for areas within 20 kilometers of the port.

Cargoes for delivery beyond Edsa would be charged P1,500 per container while those transported through the North and South Luzon Expressways would be charged P2,200 per container.

The project has been put on hold since President Aquino’s announcement that a new customs commissioner will report for work starting on September 16.

Locators expect that the new BOC leadership will retain the underguarding and GTSB that cost about P300 per container.

Société Generale de Surveillance (SGS) is the GPS service provider, having bested other bidders such as Cotecna and local firm Tim Corp. (Genivi Factao, Malaya)

Read More

Asian port officials to attend 2nd ACTA meeting in Subic

Officials from different cruise-ship terminals in Asia, including the biggest port in the world, will be coming to the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday (September 1) to attend the second Pro-Tem committee meeting of the Asia Cruise Terminals Association (ACTA).

Representatives from the International Cruise Terminal Development Co., Ltd., which oversees Shanghai Wu Song Kou port, currently the world’s largest port, will be joined by delegates from Singapore, Japan and Malaysia during the committee meeting.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), which is a founding member of ACTA, will be represented by Raul Marcelo, the agency’s deputy administrator for business, and Capt. Perfecto Pascual, who is general manager of the SBMA Seaport Department.

Marcelo said the meeting will be held in preparation for ACTA’s formal launch this October.

The Pro-Tem committee, he explained, acts as an interim committee which oversees ACTA before its formal launch.

“The Subic meeting will also serve as a venue for the validation and ratification of the ACTA constitution and by-laws, which was discussed during the first Pro-Tem meeting in Singapore,” added Marcelo, who was there to represent Subic along with Pascual.

ACTA is a non-profit organization created in response to a need for common understanding among owners and operators of cruise terminals and ports across Asia to upgrade to an international level of services and operations that cruise lines expect.

The association aims to provide for a cruise-friendly environment, and a vehicle for regional cooperation in terminal development, operations and management.

The group also seeks to promote cruise terminal facilities and services internationally, targeting to establish an influential alliance leading to the emergence of a captivating Asia cruise playground.

Marcelo said that as part of SBMA’s thrust to make Subic Bay a prime logistics, maritime and tourist hub, the agency will facilitate the development of Subic as a cruise-ship destination by being an active member of ACTA. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Read More

BOC seeks LTO help in locating Subic car

MANILA - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is seeking the assistance of Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres in tracking down close to 2,000 imported vehicles that have reportedly gone missing.

Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez said a recent audit conducted by his office on locators at the Subic Bay Special Economic and Freeport Zone showed that there were 1,866 vehicles that were not accounted for.

“We have reasons to believe that many have been registered with the LTO. We are closely coordinating with the LTO so if they were registered, we would make sure that their registration would no longer be renewed,” Alvarez said.

He also threatened to seize the vehicles identified to have been illegally brought out of the Subic Freeport.

It appeared that the vehicles entered the country sometime in October 2007. At that time, Subic-based locators enjoyed the privilege of being exempted from paying duties and taxes for imported vehicles, provided that these would be used for their businesses.

Reports circulated then that some of the cars were illegally being sold outside the Subic area and the Supreme Court put a stop to this practice.

“So what happened was that there were thousands of cars, over 2,000, that could not be released if they could not pay the duties and taxes. So an inventory was conducted to establish the accountability of every locator,” Alvarez said.

“It turned out that 1,866 cannot be accounted for so they are either exported, which is allowed, or registered with the LTO which is within the Customs territory. So we are coordinating with the LTO to ensure that if these were registered,” he added.

He said the BOC could trace the missing vehicles by checking their chassis and engine numbers.

Alvarez said they would also check if fake documents were used in registering the vehicles with the LTO.

In registering the vehicles, their owners would have to present a certificate of payment proving that correct duties and taxes were paid. If fake documents were used, Alvarez said the car owners could face another case of falsification of public documents.

Alvarez got a copy of the inventory report only two days ago and he immediately coordinated with Torres, who he said has been “very supportive of all our initiatives.” (Evelyn Macairan, The Philippine Star)

Read More

Seven Subic fishers rescued, two missing after sea collision

Seven fishermen were rescued Wednesday morning while two remained missing after a Subic-based fishing vessel collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Zambales at around 3:30 p.m. last Sunday, August 7.

The fishermen were picked up by the cargo vessel M/V Izumi at around 6:00 a.m. Wednesday and then transferred to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) vessel M/V Redondo, which brought them to the SBMA Dispensary for treatment.

The fishermen, all from barangay Calapandayan, Subic, Zambales, were found holding onto floating pieces of their vessel about 112 miles west of Subic, near the Scarborough Shoal, rescuers said.

They were identified as Benito Otero, 56; Joel Otero, 47; Ricardo Castorico, 28; Roberto Alvior, 38; Vidal Radasa, 56; Salih Alipido, 42; and Ronilo Lebios, 29.

Those missing were identified only as as Arnel, 46, and Teteng, 40.

Two of the survivors, Alipido and Lebios, were injured in the collision.

According to Benito Otero, who owns the ill-fated fishing vessel Tres Marias, they have been floating at sea for four days before being rescued.

Otero also said that heavy rains last Sunday made for poor visibility, thus they did not see the ship in time to avoid it.

“Talagang ulan po. ‘Di makita, talagang malakas ‘yung ulan. Nakita namin ‘yung barko malapit na (It was raining. We can’t see anything, it was raining hard. We only saw the ship when it was already near our boat),” Otero said.

Otero likewise claimed that they failed to avoid the ship because of problems with steering.

The survivors said that their boat split into two after the cargo ship hit it. Thereafter, the fishermen clung to pieces of the wreckage in order to keep afloat.

However, two men in their crew disappeared in the water after the accident and were never found until the boat crew were rescued on Wednesday.

Otero recalled that they have already been fishing for four days and had sufficient catch when they met the accident on Sunday.

He said that after the mishap, the cargo ship that collided with them merely sailed on.

Otero said they failed to identify the ship also because of poor visibility. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Read More

Developers to raise P39-billion loan for Subic coal project

MANILA — The project developers of the 600-megawatt Subic coal-fired power facility are preparing for loan procurement of P39 billion to bankroll the significant portion of the facility’s implementation cost.

The 70 percent debt portion of the project cost, they said, will be raised on a project finance basis. The project sponsors will be led by Meralco PowerGen Corporation, the power generation unit of Manila Electric Company (Meralco); Therma Power Inc. of the Aboitiz group and Taiwan Cogeneration Corporation.

In a briefing with reporters, Meralco PowerGen executive vice president Aaron A. Domingo disclosed that the project financing will be raised entirely from a syndicate of local banks.

“The structuring of the peso financing and selection of mandated lead arrangers are ongoing,” he said.

Meralco’s equity portion for its more than 50 percent interest in the venture will amount to P8.0 billion to P9.0 billion. Domingo said that will be infused separately through the backing of its parent firm.

From its initial foray into the 600-megawatt coal plant, Meralco is preparing for a grander venture into the power generation sector. In fact, from the 1,500 megawatts of portfolio it has initially cast on blueprint, the company is now looking at increasing that to 1,800 to 2,400 megawatts – the development timelines, of course, will depend on electricity demand expansion.

Moving forward from the signing of a shareholders’ agreement for the Subic facility last week, Domingo disclosed that they are now working next on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.

“We are preparing for full EPC contracting strategy with major equipment (boiler and steam turbine generator) suppliers for the bidding and selection by end of December 2011,” he said.

He added that they have already sent request for proposals (RFPs) to three EPC contractors; and also solicited tenders from original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of boilers and turbines.

Based on targets set by the project sponsors, the first unit of 300 megawatts will be on-line fourth quarter of 2014; while the next unit of the same capacity will be on stream six months after. (Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

Meralco acquires 52% share of Subic coal plant

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest distributor of electrical power, marked its reentry into the power-generation industry on Friday by acquiring a controlling interest in the $1.28-billion coal-fired thermal power-plant project slated for construction at Subic’s Redondo Peninsula.

The power firm, which previously sold to the National Power Corp. all the power plants it had built since it was organized in 1903, successfully forged a deal with AboitizPower and Taiwan Cogeneration Corp. (TCC), the original partners in the Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. (RP Energy), which has the development rights to develop the 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant.

Under a shareholders’ agreement signed on Friday by the three parties, Meralco’s subsidiary Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MPGC) became the controlling shareholder of RP Energy with 50 percent plus two shares, while AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Power Inc. (TPI) and TCC subsidiary Taiwan Cogeneration International Corp. Philippines (TCIC) held an equal proportion of the remaining shares.

The agreement was signed by MPGC president Oscar Reyes, MPGC executive vice president and general manager Aaron Domingo, TPI president Antonio Moraza, TCIC director Brian Hsu, and RP Energy president Erramon Aboitiz.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras witnessed the signing at the Lighthouse Marina Resort here.

Meralco’s reentry into power generation, Reyes pointed out, came almost 40 years after Meralco relinquished its power-generation operations and 20 years after power generation was reopened to the private sector amid the crippling power crisis in the late 1980s.

But with the Aboitiz Group and Taiwan Cogeneration Co., Meralco is “making a strong statement and vote of confidence in our country and in our economy and a strong commitment to growth and progress,” Reyes said.

He added that Meralco is “well-positioned” and aims “to be part of an integrated solution” in meeting the crucial need for new technologically-advanced and cost-efficient generation capacity.

Reyes also extolled Subic both as a “major investment destination and a strategic site for business” and an important player in the energy industry by hosting the strategic 5-million barrel Subic-Clark liquid fuel-storage depot.

“With RP Energy’s 2x300 megawatt power facility, the [Subic Bay Freeport] Zone will again play a strategic role in helping meet 8 percent of the entire Luzon grid’s power needs,” he said.

The Meralco official stated that the Subic power project would need the continuing full support and goodwill of the Department of Energy, the national and the local governments, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority as well as local communities.

Erramon Aboitiz, meanwhile, reaffirmed RP energy’s commitment in providing competitively-priced power without damaging the environment.

He stressed that the proponents have specified the use of circulating fluidized bed boilers in the power plant. This kind of boiler removes sulfur oxide and controls the burning temperature of the coal to prevent the formation of nitrous oxides, lower air emissions, and make the plant environment-friendly, he said.

Aboitiz also cited the advantages of taking in MPGC as a partner.

“Being the country’s largest utility serving the equivalent of more than half the nation’s GDP [gross domestic product], Meralco is without a doubt the ideal conduit to deliver the cost advantage of RP Energy to as many households and businesses as possible,” he said.

The Subic coal-fired thermal power project is projected to be completed with a total budget of $1.28 billion. It will consist of two 300-megawatt units that will be constructed in two phases.

The first unit is expected to be commercially operational by the first quarter of 2015, while the second unit is expected to be completed by the second quarter of the same year. (Henry Empeño w/ Paul Anthony Isla, Business Mirror)

Read More

$1.28B earmarked for Subic coal plant

Three energy companies signed a memorandum of agreement to put up a US$ 1.28 billion 600-megawatt (MW) coal power plant in Subic, Friday.

Meralco, Aboitiz Power and Taiwan Cogen signed the agreement to build the plant in Redondo inside Subic Bay Freeport zone.

Erramon Aboitiz said that the project aims to generate competitive priced power with least possible adverse effects on the environment.

He added that the project would become the source of competitive priced baseload power for Subic Bay Freeport and for the entire Luzon grid.

Aboitiz said the consortium has opted to use Circulating Fluidized Bed Boilers that remove sulfur oxide and control the burning temperature of coal to prevent formation of nitrous oxides that lower air emissions.

First phase of the project will be completed in 2014 while the second and final phase will be finished in 2016. (Anthony Bayarong, Manila Times)

Read More

SCTEx placed under new management

MANILA — The Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) Friday took over the operation and management of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) to pave the way for the integration of the two longest expressways in Northern Luzon — SCTEx and North Luzon Expressway (NLEx).

This, after the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) signed Wednesday a “business and operating agreement” with the MNTC to finally forge the deal on SCTEx.

“Motorists will soon enjoy the benefits of integration in the form of seamless travel between the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and the SCTEx,” said BCDA and MNTC in a statement. MNTC also operates the NLEx.

Under the agreement, MNTC will operate and manage SCTEx for 33 years, while “relieving BCDA of the heavy financial burden of paying the latter’s P34-billion debt to the JICA.”

The MNTC said that the deal paves the way for the company to provide the best services to motorists using SCTEx at par with the high standards applied on the NLEx.

The agreement for the private management and operations of the STEx, funded from a P34-million loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will take effect in the next 33 years.

Under the deal, the MNTC will assist the SCTEx in paying for the JICA loan that will mature in 2041. This will be done by providing the SCTEx with funds to repay its JICA loan through revenue sharing and agreed-on advances during shortfalls.

"The agreement is our contribution to the public-private partnership program. We see it as innovative because it frees the government of the heavy debt-servicing burden. In other words, by virtue of this agreement, we can say the SCTEx was built at no cost for the government," BCDA chairman Felicito Payumo said.

Payumo said the pact “also assures the MNTC of a reasonable return to cover commercial risks as SCTEx’s co-concessionaire. The agreement satisfies BCDA’s requirement to cover the state firm’s debt service obligation to JICA.”

The statement also quoted MNTC chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan as saying that “the contract is truly reflective of the intentions and spirit of the partnership from the beginning.”

“MNTC’s takeover of the SCTEx signals the advent of a new era in comfortable and safe travel offered by a seamless traffic along the NLEx as strategically linked to the SCTEx that both meet world-class standards,” Pangilinan said.

BCDA president and CEO Arnel Casanova said the agreement represents a fusion of the strengths of the two partners that would ensure maximum benefits to the public and the country. “The agreement is a major breakthrough towards establishing a good model for public-private partnership.”

He explained that as SCTEx’s co-concessionaire, the MNTC will manage the entire operations and supervision of the tollway, linking Subic Freeport Zone in Zambales, Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga, and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac.

Under the agreement, MNTC will provide ancillary facilities and equipment, plus resources needed to run SCTEx efficiently, including assuring security and safety for motorists on the tollway round the clock. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

Meralco ready to sign supply contract for Subic coal plant

Utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is ready to ink a power purchase agreement (PPA) which may cover the entire capacity of the $1.28 billion Subic coal-fired power facility of 600 megawatts that will be due on stream by the first half of 2014.

“We should be able to accommodate the 600MW, but it is a function of what price… and there are also other interested parties,” Meralco senior executive vice president Oscar S. Reyes said.

With the signing of the Shareholders Agreement among project sponsors on Friday, the utility firm’s subsidiary Meralco PowerGen (MPG) officially became the majority shareholder in Redondo Peninsula Energy (RP Energy), with more than 50 percent equity. RP Energy is the corporate vehicle for the project.

Aboitiz Power’s wholly-owned subsidiary Therma Power Inc. and another partner Taiwan Cogeneration Corporation cornered the remaining shareholdings.

“With highly respected and well-established local and business partners, Meralco now signals its re-entry into power generation, nearly 40 years after relinquishing its power generation operations and 20 years after the ‘welcome mat’ had been laid out for private sector participation in power generation,” Reyes said.

The intent of the project developers would be mainly to offer the capacity of the baseload coal-fired plant as a cost-competitive source of power – be it for end-users already qualified under open access or those which will remain captive, mainly the residential end-users.

With Meralco’s interest in the project, it will also shoulder more than 50-percent of the equity cost portion. The 70-percent of the total project cost will be infused through project financing.

During the signing of the shareholders’ deal, several banks interested at offering financing were already hovering around the venue – including BDO Capital, RCBC, Philippine National Bank, PNB Capital, Bank of the Philippine Islands and First Metro Investment Corporation, among others.

For his part, Aboitiz Power president Erramon I. Aboitiz noted that the coal plant’s project design has been re-evaluated when Meralco came into the picture as their partner.

“As we initiated discussions with Meralco PowerGen, the configuration of the power stations was rethought again, this time using two 300-MW generating units with reheating capabilities,” Aboitiz said. (Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

Divers now on retrieval mode for lost companion inside USS New York

Divers here have located the two foreign divers who drowned inside a shipwreck site in Subic Bay Freeport.

Six divers from the Boardwalk dive shop inside Subic Bay Freeport located the two divers at around 5:30pm today (Monday).

Although the drowned divers identified as America dive master Steven Brittain, 47 and Hong Kong resident Shun Chuen Tin, 30 were located thier body has yet to be recovered.

The two divers including another Chinese national identified as Fong Lung Chow dove to see USS New York, a popular dive site in Subic Bay Freeport at around 3pm Sunday.

Chow left the dive site first and said that he saw Tin stop and turned around as they were leaving USS New York, Brittian signaled to him that he would go back to go Tin.

Chow proceeded to surface, he added that the site was dark and muddy and that he lost site of the two divers.

Chow waited for the his two companion for 30 minutes and decided to dive back to look for them but failed. He reported the incident to authorities.

Before divers from Boardwalk Dive Shop went to search for the two drowned victims, 4 divers from Johann’s Dive Shop located in Barangay Barretto in Olongapo City dove but failed to located the two foreigners.

The search started Sunday afternoon a few minute Chow reported the incident to local authorities.

Johan De Sadeleir, a Belgian national, who owns Johann Dive shop was one of the divers. The two victims originally came from Sadeleir dive shop were they rented their gears before going to the dive site.

Brittain is a known dive expert which is why his fellow diver were puzzled as to what really happened with the two. (Anthony Bayarong, Subic Times)

Read More

Subic Power Expands With $1B

MANILA — The entry of the Pangilinan-led Meralco in the coal-fired Subic power plant would pave the way for the expansion of the 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant into a 600-mw with investments of almost $1 billion for the entire project.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator Armand C. Arreza told reporters at the sidelines of the Philippines-Taiwan Joint Economic Conference (JEC) Thursday that the entry of Meralco PowerGen Corp. in Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. in Subic would dilute the shareholdings of the Aboitiz Group and Taiwan Cogeneration Corp. (TCC) to less than 50 percent.

Originally, the Aboitiz group owns 51 percent share and the Taiwanese with 49 percent. After the Meralco entry, the Filipino investors would have 75 percent shareholdings and the Taiwanese would be diluted to 25 percent, Arreza said.

According to Arreza, only one third of the first phase 300-mw power plant would be supplied to Subic and the rest for Olongapo and Clark. But with the additional 300-mw capacity, the Subic plant would be augmenting power supply to the national grid.

The power distribution giant Meralco headed by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan had earlier announced plans to enter power generation as "part of its over-all strategy to assist in ensuring efficient, adequate and reliable electricity at cost-competitive rates."

The company plans to put up at least 1,500 MW of new generation capacities over the next five years.

Earlier, Brian S. Hsu, TCC president, said that construction of the first phase of the project was scheduled to start in 2009 and commercial operation in 2012 and the second phase of 300MW to start three years after the commercial operation of the first phase.

The first phase was to be funded through 70 percent loans and 30 percent equity contribution.

Hsu said that the entry of the additional power capacity into Subic would mean lower power cost to Subic Freeport, which has a good number of Taiwanese investors.

“We are trying to bring the cost of power down especially that lots of users in Subic are paying very high rates,” he noted.

Aside from lower cost, Hsu said the coal-fired plant is using the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) technology, an environmentally-friendly technology and is considered a ‘clean coal technology.’

Even at that time, Hsu already said that the joint venture was already considering of taking in new investors but it could be arranged after the project has come into commercial operation saying it would be easier to pursue a project with only two partners negotiating.

The Taiwanese power company supplies 25.4 percent of the total 7,721 megawatt power requirement of in Taiwan.

The Subic project is the first international foray of the Taipei Stock Exchange-listed company. (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

Meralco to sign shareholders' agreement

MANILA — Following the decision of its board on the acquisition of majority shares in the proposed Subic coal plant, the power generation arm of utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is already scheduled next week to ink the shareholders agreement with partners in the project.

In an advisory-statement to the media, original project sponsor Aboitiz Power Corporation indicated that the pact signing with Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MPG) and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation (TCIC) will be on July 22, 2011 at the Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic Bay.

“The signing will formalize the agreement of the three parties to develop a 600-MW circulating fluidized bed coal-fired power plant project within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone consisting of two 300-MW generating units,” the company said.

In the deal firmed up by the parties, Meralco PowerGen will assume majority stake in the coal project – an investment thrust that the company has always batted for with its prospective partners.

No direct statement from project partners yet if the deal will also cover off-take arrangement with Meralco on the electricity to be generated from the plant.

Apart from meeting the demand of its captive customers or those which will not have choice yet with the introduction of industry open access, Meralco is also excited on prospects that it may be able cater to contestable customers outside its franchise area once it decides to enlist as retail electricity supplier.

So far, the power utility firm enthused that this will be its “showcase venture” as it pursues vertical reintegration as investment strategy in the deregulated power industry.

For this segment of its investment, Meralco executives previously hinted that they will opt for cash infusion of P9.0 billion for their equity portion in the project.

The coal facility, which is currently placed under corporate vehicle Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc.; is a solution being aligned to beef up power supply in the Luzon grid by 2015.

“The new power facility is expected to augment the generation capacity in the Luzon grid. It will also help ensure the availability of efficient, adequate and reliable power to the grid and competitively priced power for customers,” it was noted.

In Meralco’s case, this will be part of its short-term investment which shall address its needs for additional supply that would be coming from a baseload generation facility. The first undertaking it has been pushing for would be a peaking facility which it anticipates coming on-line by next year.

The longer-term investment proposition for Meralco would be a facility that may run on indigenously-extracted natural gas or imported liquefied natural gas.

At this stage though, the prime consideration they have been weighing is how to set scale on such kind of investment and what would be the supply-demand scenario when the LNG facilities would finally come on stream. (Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

SBMA cites Subic college for CSR program

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) presented an award to Mondriaan Aura College, a Subic-based educational institution that provides seminar-trainings to agency employees as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.

SBMA human resources manager Lolita Mallari, on behalf of the Subic authority, gave plaques and certificates of appreciation to Aura officials for the school’s “continuous support to the agency” during last Monday’s flag ceremony.

The awardees were Dr. Edgar Geniza, president of Mondrian Aura College; Dr. Editha Geniza , executive vice president; and school staffers Leo Eusantos, Roma Salvador, Thomas Erween Davis, and Ludivina Carballo.

“This is an example of SBMA and its stakeholders synergizing,” Mallari said of SBMA and Aura’s partnership.

She added that the SBMA presented the awards to recognize the college’s efforts in helping to enhance the skills and capacities of SBMA personnel.

Aura began conducting trainings and seminar-workshops for SBMA employees last year, after launching its CSR program dubbed “Summer Experience”. The project was proposed by Dr. Editha Geniza to SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, who readily agreed to the program.

Since its inception, Aura has conducted four seminars for SBMA personnel. These are the Seminar on Handling Difficult Behavior, which was held on March 25 and April 29, 2010 with 77 attendees; Seminar on Accounting for Non-Accountants held on March 26, 2011 with 31 attendees; Strategic Ethics and Decision-Making Analysis held on May 26, 2010 with 44 participants; and Seminar on Human Relations Skills held on July 7-8, 2011 for 30 SBMA employees. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO:
Mondriaan Aura College personnel receive certificates of appreciation for their training program for SBMA employees, from left: Thomas Erween Davis, Ludivina Carballo, Roma Salvador, Dr. Editha Geniza, SBMA human resources manager Lolita Mallari, and Leo Eusantos.

Read More

New Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge Opens July 12

The new Kalaklan-Lighthouse Bridge will be opened to motorists and pedestrians starting July 12 after more than a year since construction began in June 2010, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has announced.

”Ang pagbubukas ng bagong Kalaklan Bridge ay malaking tulong sa publiko – mga empleyado at estudyante kasama na ang mga turista at dumaraang motorista mula sa ibang bahagi ng Luzon,” according to Mayor James “Bong” Gordon Jr.

The new two-lane bridge replaces the some 50-year old span built by the US Navy in the 1960’s which served as a gateway to and from the province of Zambales. It is one of the four bridges connecting the freeport zone to Olongapo City.

An average of two thousand five hundred (2,500) vehicles and some three hundred (300) pedestrians, according to SBMA, pass through the Bridge every day before it was totally closed to pave the way for the construction of its replacement.

The ensuing rerouting of all vehicles through the Olongapo City proper resulted to heavy traffic in its main thoroughfares, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. (Pao/fr)

Read More

Garcia stays put in SBMA

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — President Benigno Aquino III has reappointed Francis Garcia as representative of the province of Bataan in the Board of Directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Garcia and fellow directors were sworn into office recently in a ceremony held at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañan Palace.

Bataan’s second district Rep. Albert Garcia joined Balanga Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III and sister Gila, former SBMA director, to witness the oath-taking of their brother.

“I am committed to the vision of President Noynoy Aquino and the SBMA itself of attracting more investors that will translate to more employment opportunities for our people and gain much-needed revenues for our government,” the young Garcia said.

He was director from March 2010 to August 2010 until his reappointment to the post in the former American Naval Base, three-fourth of the total land area of which belongs to Bataan.

Garcia graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Engineering majoring in Computer Science. (Butch Gunio, Manila Standard Today)

Read More

After GN Power entry, DoE still seeking 900MW for Luzon

MANILA — After the much-anticipated entry of the 600-megawatt capacity of GN Power by 2013, the Department of Energy (DoE) is still soliciting additional 900 megawatts of capacity to plug forecast capacity shortfall in the Luzon grid until 2015.

In the supply-demand outlook which has been the anchor for its Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP) for 2011, the DoE indicated that capacity additions for Luzon must reach 1,500 megawatts until 2015. It shall be spread as follows: 300MW by 2011; 300MW by 2012; 450MW by 2014; and another 450MW by 2015.

But with the project of Redondo Peninsula Energy in Subic being firmed up, and of which capacity may likely be ramped up to 600-MW, the government’s dilemma for Luzon supply may already be solved partly. As of latest developments, the project would already be spearheaded by the newly-formed power generation unit of Manila Electric Company and still in partnership with the Aboitiz group and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation.

Even with these capacity additions though, it is seen that the anticipated increase in demand may still render shortfalls, especially in the reserve requirement. Industry studies portend that power demand may expand to 4.5 percent within this five-year period from the historically-logged growths of 3.7 to 3.9 percent.

The prescription then is for DoE to ensure the entry of other firmly-committed projects which may come from greenfield ventures or from the uprating of the privatized power plants.

Based on data it submitted to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the energy department indicated that the existing dependable capacity by year 2013 would be at 9,384 megawatts as against peak demand forecast of 8,309 megawatts. This entails that the required reserve margin of 23.4-percent vis-à-vis peak demand at that time, which would be around 1,944MW, cannot be met fully.

A decent reserve margin is a “must” in an electricity system for it to function efficiently and be able to meet end-user demand. It is significant in such a way that in case of forced outages, there would be ready capacity that can be relied upon as substitute for capacities being displaced or suddenly taken out from the system.

Of the required capacity shoring up, it qualified that the only ones committed have been 41MW for 2011; and the GNPower facility of 600MW by 2013; while the rest according to the energy department are still “indicative.”

Nevertheless, the DoE qualified that it is similarly counting on the capacity uprating of some plants, such as the Bacon-Manito geothermal facility as well as the other privatized plants in Luzon in beefing up power supply for the grid.

Given the circumstances, the energy department viewed that the most necessary step it has to consider during such crucial transition would be to continuously operate the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal plant, thus, postponing its retirement which would have been scheduled as early as 2011. (Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

Subic taps San Miguel for electricity requirements

THE Subic Bay Freeport Zone has tapped San Miguel Corp. (SMC) for its electricity requirements.

Under the agreement inked by the Freeport’s distributor, Subic Enerzone Corp. (SEZ), SM Energy Corp. (SMEC) will supply the utility’s electricity needs for six months.

SEZ, in particular, will source over 16 to 17 megawatts from April to September 2011 from SMEC at a flat rate of P3.89 per kilowatt-hour subject to fuel and foreign currency exchange adjustments.

The Energy Regulatory Commission already approved the two parties’ agreement in a provisional decision released last month subject to some conditions.

These are the determination of the final generation rate to be determined by the ERC; and the refund to consumers in case the initial rate agreed upon by SEZ and SMEC are higher than what the regulator comes out with.

Prior to the supply deal, the Freeport sourced its electricity from state-owned National Power Corp.

Most of the latter’s generating plants in Luzon, however, have been privatized under the government’s power sector reform and restructuring program.

Among those that acquired Napocor’s plants from the state auction block was SMEC, which spearheaded SMC’s diversification to the power generation business.

The assets acquired by SMEC from Napocor include the 620-megawatt Limay combined cycle power plant, and the administration for the contract for energy output of the 1,000-megawatt Sual coal-fired power plant, 345-megawatt San Roque multi-purpose hydro plant and the 1,294-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant.

SMC shares rose to P123 apiece on Tuesday from P119 on Monday. (Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Manila Times)

Read More

Meralco acquires 2 Subic plants

MANILA — Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is acquiring a majority stake in an Aboitiz Power Corporation joint venture that is building two 300-megawatt independent coal-fired power plants in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In separate disclosures to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the two firms said Meralco’s wholly-owned unit Meralco PowerGen Corporation will invest in Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. (RP Energy).

RP Energy is a 50-50 joint venture company formed by AboitizPower’s wholly owned subsidiary Therma Power, Inc. (TPI) and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corporation (TCIC) for the construction and operation of the proposed Subic Bay coal-fired power plant.

MPGC is expected to take a controlling interest in RP Energy, with TPI and TCIC will be diluted and end up equally owning the remaining stake of less than 50 percent.

Commercial operation of the proposed Subic Bay coal-fired power plant is projected to start in 2014. The plant is expected to augment the power supply of the Luzon Grid.

Meralco earlier said that its entry into power generation is part of its over-all strategy to assist in ensuring efficient, adequate and reliable electricity at cost-competitive rates.

The utility said that the potential partnership with TCIC and TPI will add to Meralco’s competitive electricity supply portfolio sourced from existing generating plants and from new highly efficient baseload, midmerit and peaking power plants, which MPG is putting up to meet customer requirements.

Meralco reiterated its commitment to existing long time and new customers in offering a wide range of valued products and services as a total energy solutions provider.

Meanwhile, in a separate disclosure, Meralco said it has priced P5 billion 7-year and 10-year fixed rate notes with a group of primary institutional lenders with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited acting as the sole lead manager and bookrunner.

The notes will be issued on June 29, 2011 with the proceeds from the facilities to be used to finance Meralco’s capital expenditures and for general corporate purposes.

The 7-year and 10-year notes were fixed at a yield of 6.2692 percent and 6.8900 percent respectively.

The notes fetched a credit spread of 20 and 21.12 basis points over the relevant respective 7-year and 10-year benchmark rates, the lowest priced by the investor market for a peso capital market transaction by a corporate issuer in recent history.

The notes issue was 2.35 times oversubscribed from the original announced issue size of P3 billion with books reaching P7.05 billion in orders, thus allowing Meralco to exercise its oversubscription option of P2 billion. (James A Loyola, Manila Bulletin)

Read More

PLDT-Subictel employees plant fruit trees under CSR program

Despite the rainy weather and muddy mountain pathways, employees of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Corp. – Subic Telephone Corp. (PLDT-Subictel) marched their way up Mount Sta. Rita here for their tree-planting activity last Saturday.

They were joined by employees of other subsidiaries and affiliates of the PLDT Group, such as Smart Telecommunications and Manila North Tollways Corporation.

The group planted about 50 fruit-bearing trees during the activity, said workers from the Ecology Center of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who assisted in the project.

PLDT-Subictel president Dennis Magbatoc said that through this activity, PLDT-Subictel aimed to demonstrate their commitment in creating social and economic benefits in the Freeport, as well as contributing to greater environmental sustainability within the zone.

Magbatoc said that this was the first time for their company to undertake a tree-planting project here, although it was just one of their activities under their company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.

“When I started managing PLDT-Subictel, it became one of my mandates for our firm to participate in CSR activities specific to Subic,” Magbatoc said.

He also noted that PLDT-Subictel has been always involved in community-based projects, including outreach programs in Aeta communities.

Magbatoc said that the firm also donated some items to Aetas last year, and plans to carry out another assistance project for the indigenous tribe by the third or fourth quarter of this year.

The SBMA has been encouraging business locators in the Subic Bay Freeport to participate in the agency’s reforestation program, which was launched in 1996.

Employees and officials of the agency’s 29 departments participate in at least two tree-planting projects each year, joined by students and members of various community organizations.

The SBMA Ecology Center also conducts seminars on reforestation and proper handling and care of seedlings to help raise the awareness of groups and residents in the Subic Bay area, as well as to motivate them to participate in environmental protection projects. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Read More

SBMA, volunteer divers seed Subic Bay with giant clams

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) joined the global celebration of World Oceans Day on Wednesday by seeding an endangered species of giant clam at the Ilanin Bay marine sanctuary in this free port.

The SBMA Ecology Center, along with 12 volunteer divers from various dive shops in the Subic Bay area, “planted” 72 giant clams (tridacna gigas) species to help enhance marine biodiversity in Subic Bay.

The volunteer divers were from Boardwalk Dive Center, Johan’s Scuba Dive, Ocean Adventure, PNP Maritime Command, SBMA Harbor Patrol, SBMA Intelligence Office, and SBMA Ecology Center.

Ilanin Bay was chosen for seeding of giant clams after an examination by volunteer biologists showed the presence of giant clams in the area, which also passed the physical and biological criteria for a seeding bed, said Ecology Center manager Amethya Koval.

The visibility of the seeding area from the shore would also make it easy for authorities to guard it against illegal poachers, Koval added.

The giant clam “seeds”, which measured 15 centimeters in diameter, can actually grow up to 1.54 meters in diameter and weigh up to 258.55 kilos, biologists said.

The clam seeds were purchased from the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Bolinao, Pangasinan with money raised from the “Takbo para sa Taklobo” fun run that was organized by the SBMA Ecology Center last year.

“We raised some P54,000 from registration fees in the fun run, and that’s what we used to buy giant clam seeds, as well as for other incidental expenses like food for volunteers during the seeding process,” Koval said.

“If the seeding project turns out to be a success, the Ecology Center will organize more ‘Takbo para sa Taklobo’ fun runs to help fast track our mission of saving these beautiful creatures from extinction,” she added.

Meanwhile, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said the project is part of the agency’s vision of making the Subic Bay Freeport an eco-urban center that effectively blends industrial development with ecological tourism.
- more -
“Eco-tourism is one of our biggest industries here, and Subic Bay is among the dive sites that are frequented by tourists because of its historical shipwrecks and ecological biodiversity,” Arreza said.

“While we have these natural attractions as assets, we recognize the need to also help in protecting and propagating marine species like the endangered giant clams,” he added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO:
Volunteer divers from the SBMA Ecology Center and different dive shops in the Subic Bay area seed the Ilanin Bay marine sanctuary in the Subic Bay Freeport with giant clams in an effort to enhance marine biodiversity.

Read More

Big waves capsize boat in Subic; 1 dead

One fisherman died while three others survived after their motorized fishing boat capsized near Sitio Naglatore in Redondo Peninsula at the mouth of Subic Bay at the height of tropical depression Dodong.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Seaport Manager Captain Perfecto Pascual identified the rescued fishermen as Adonis Igmao, Melchor Nakar, and Ruperto Miranda, all of Barangay Calapacuan, Subic, Zambales.

The lone fatality was identified as Felix Datoon, 50, also a resident of Calapacuan.

Reports said that at around 10:40 in the morning, Thursday (June 9), M/V “Majelyn-1” was anchored at sea at about two kilometers from Sitio Naglatore with the four fishermen on board.

However, strong winds and big waves pummelled the boat, causing the anchor ropes to detach and making the boat unstable.

All passengers then decided to abandon the boat. Using empty plastic containers as floating devices, the fishermen swam towards the shoreline of Sitio Naglatore.

However, Datoon lost his plastic container due to strong and high waves, causing him to drown. The other three fishermen were able to swim to safety.

The initial report received by the SBMA Seaport Department said that workers of First Balfour Inc. were the first to respond and provide assistance to the three fishermen and to retrieve the body of Datoon.

First Balfour is a contractor of RP Energy Inc., the company that is building a power plant at the Redondo Peninsula.

According to Miranda, they went fishing at Sabang, Morong Bataan in the afternoon of June 8, but decided to return early morning of June 9 due to bad weather.

On their way back, they encountered strong waves that prompted them to anchor their boat in the waters off Sitio Naglatore, Miranda added.

Personnel of the SBMA Seaport and Law Enforcement Departments were dispatched to bring the victims to SBMA for medical attention. However, due to strong waves, the SBMA vessel M/V Redondo could not immediately get near Redondo Peninsula's shoreline.

It was not until 5:30 PM that the SBMA team was able to pick up the three fishermen and the body of Datoon.

The survivors were brought to the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital for further treatment while the body of Datoon was brought to the Subic Homes Memorial Service and was claimed by his family. (Henry Empeño, Corporate Communications)

Read More

Chess: Laylo captures Pichay Cup title in Subic

SUBIC, June 9 (PNA) -- Mission accomplished for Filipino Grandmaster Darwin Laylo.

Laylo settled for a quick grandmaster’s draw with GM Wen Yan of China to capture the title in the 2011 Chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay Cup international chess championships at the Subic Bay Travelers Hotel here Wednesday.

The draw with the white-playing but overly-cautious Wen came after only 31 moves of the Slav and less than two hours of play, but it was more than enough to clinch the title for Laylo.

The 31-year-old campaigner from Lipa City actually finished in a three-way tie for first place with Wen and GM Li Shilong of China with similar scores of 7.5 points in this prestigious 10-round competition organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Laylo, however, clinched the title by virtue of a higher tiebreak score over the two Chinese players.

The three pocketed US$ 4,333 each out of the guaranteed cash prize of US$ 30,000 put up by Pichay.

“Thank God. Masayang-masaya ako dahil nanalo na din ako at nakabawi na sa masamang nangyari sa akin nung Asian Zonals sa Tagaytay,” said Laylo, referring to his monumental collapse in the Asian Zone 3.3 championships held in Tagaytay City last May 24 to 31.

Actually, Laylo flirted with disaster anew when he lost to Li in their ninth and penultimate round encounter and yielded the solo lead late Tuesday.

After drawing with Wen in the final round, Laylo agonized for nearly two hours waiting for the outcome of the match between Li and GM David Arutinian of Georgia on second board.

But Li failed to translate a slim endgame advantage in a must-win game against the higher-rated and more-experienced Arutinian and halved the point to tie for first place with Laylo and Wen.

Laylo’s smashing triumph enabled him to become only the second Filipino player to win a major international chess championship in Subic after GM Jayson Gonzales achieved the feat in 2008.

Gonzales, who now serves as tournament director, made history by ruling the Subic Open chess championship in May 2008.

GM John Paul Gomez battled Lu Shanglei of China to another draw in 34 moves of the Dutch opening to finish in a tie for fourth to 10th places with six other foreign players with seven points.

Gomez, who moved into contention by beating Asian Youth gold medalist Jan Emmanuel Garcia in the ninth round, earned US$ 1,214 for his effort.

Tied with Gomez are Lu, Arutinian, Ma Qun of China, GM XuJun of China, GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia and Xie Deshum of China.

Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre outclassed IM Yves Ranola to join GM Mark Paragua, IM Olilver Barbosa and IM Rolando Nolte in a tie for 11th to 18th places with 6.5 points.

Paragua and Barbosa also fought to a draw, while Nolte split the point with top seed GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia.

IM Chito Garma humbled GM Cerdas Barus of Indonesia in 54 moves of the Scotch, IM Oliver Dimakiling outlasted Guo Qi of China and IM Richard Bitoon bested IM Kim Steven Yap in an all-Filipino showdown to lead a big group of players with six points.

WFM Zhansaya Abdumalik of Kazakhstan, one of the youngest participants here at age 11, outlasted NM Efren Bagamasbad in 88 moves of the Philidor’s opening in one of the most keenly-watched games in the tournament.

Garcia, who vaulted into prominence by earning his IM title outright during the Asian Zonals, dropped his second straight game to Yu Ruiyuan of China and plummeted into a tie for 27th to 33rd places with only 5.5 points.

In other notable final-round results, Alex Milagrosa crushed Ben Polao; reigning national junior champion Mari Joseph Turqueza halved the point with FM Haridas Pascua, Paulo Bersamina split the point with Roger Sarip, Emmanuel Emperado drew with Randy Segarra, Leo Alidani downed Felica Trenseco, Kristine Mae Mariano beat Ferdinan Tesman of Indonesia, and Danrev Garcia subdued Daniel John Lemi.

IA Gene Poliarco served as the chief arbiter. (PNA)

Final standings: (Filipinos unless stated)

7.5 points – D. Laylo, Y. Wen (China), S. Li (China)

7 -- S. Lu (China), D. Arutinian (Georgia), Q. Ma (China), J. Xu (China), J. Gomez, S. Megaranto (Indonesia), D. Xiu (China)

6.5 -- Z. Zhang (Singapore), M. Gagunashvili (Georgia), M. Paragua, E. Torre, C. Wang (China), O. Barbosa, R. Nolte, R. Yu (China)

6 – R. Bitoon, O. Dimakiling, C. Zeng (China), A. Datu, A. Novitas (Indonesia), T. Purnama (Indonesia), C. Garma, J. Wang (China).

Read More

SBMA, JobStreet.com tie-up now serving jobseekers worldwide

People looking for work in this free port can now easily land a job here without having to spend a single peso in the application process.

The cost-free convenience is made possible through a tie-up between the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and JobStreet.com , the Malaysia-based job portal which is now the biggest online employment company in Southeast Asia.

The SBMA-JobStreet tie-up unveiled early this year an online career portal and joint recruitment process, which provides a faster, easier and more cost-effective venue for both employers and jobseekers.

“With this program, we hope to provide our investors and business locators with qualified workers, while helping jobseekers with information on available jobs within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone,” said outgoing SBMA administrator Armand Arreza.

“And because this portal has a global reach, we can also extend our recruitment efforts worldwide,” Arreza added.

SBMA labor manager Severo Pastor, Jr. meanwhile cited the ease with which the system draws applicants even from outside the Central Luzon region.

He further said that while the SBMA’s recruitment policy prioritizes applicants from areas “in and around the zone,” workers from outside the zone can also be accommodated through for jobs that require specialized skills.

Glenn de Guzman, JobStreet.com territory manager, meanwhile explained that the SBMA-JobStreet project is a “shared advocacy program” intended to automate the recruitment services that the SBMA provides to Subic investors and business locators.

“This is absolutely free for jobseekers. They do not have to pay any company nor the SBMA to access this facility,” De Guzman stressed.

De Guzman said that jobseekers could easily access the career portal by opening the SBMA official website, which is www.sbma.com, then clicking on the “Job Opportunities” link at the upper left side of the home page to view the job postings.

He added that the portal also provides convenience to jobseekers, who won’t have to spend money for photocopying several sets of application papers even if they would apply for jobs in several companies.

“What they have to do is create an online resume and submit it to as many companies as they want for positions they are qualified for. It’s that simple. And that’s what makes it cost-efficient for jobseekers,” De Guzman said.

According to senior customer care supervisor Voltaire Jose, when a jobseeker submits his or her resume, the system will match job requirements with the applicant’s qualifications. Once the system finds a match, qualified applicants will be notified through e-mail.

He added that In the event that an applicant does not qualify for a position, the system sends the resume to the SBMA labor department’s database, so that when a locator posts a position that matches the applicant’s qualifications, the applicant will be notified as well.

De Guzman said that JobStreet.com provides the service at no cost to the SBMA, but employers availing of the service pay a one-time a year fee of P5,000. The membership fee allows them unlimited posting for the year.

“Without this SBMA-JobStreet partnership, companies wanting to post job vacancies would have to P5,000 per position,” he added.

JobStreet.com, which was founded in 1997 in Malaysia, is now the number one job portal in the country and the Asia-Pacific. It now operates in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Japan, HongKong, and the Philippines. (SBMA Corporate Communications)


PHOTO:
Two fresh college graduates browse the JobStreet.com website for job opportunities at the Subic Bay Freeport.

Read More

SBMA to open Kalaklan Bridge on July 5

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced on Thursday that the new Kalaklan-Lighthouse Bridge, which has been under construction since June last year, will be opened to motorists and pedestrians starting July 5.

Lawyer Ramon Agregado, SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services, said the completion of the bridge project will give commuters and pedestrians a big relief.

The P200-million project involved the construction of a new two-lane bridge to replace the 50-year old span built by the US Navy, and the establishment of a security plaza, which will also house a Customs field office.

The Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge, which is the free port’s gateway to the province of Zambales, is one of the four bridges connecting the free port zone to Olongapo City.

This bridge, along with the Magsaysay (Main Gate) Bridge which leads to Magsaysay Drive, the entertainment and business district of Olongapo, was built by the U.S. Navy in the early 60’s.

The old bridges used to carry even heavy trucks and buses going in and out of the Subic free port, but inspections made in recent years showed they already have some severe structural defects due to strain over the years. Early last year, the SBMA resolved to replace the Kalaklan Bridge with a new one and also closed the Magsaysay Bridge to vehicular traffic.

The SBMA said that an average of 2,500 light vehicles and some 300 pedestrians passed through the Kalaklan Bridge every day until it was closed to the public in February 2010 to pave way for the speedy construction of its replacement.

The closure, however, necessitated a rerouting of traffic through the Olongapo City proper, thereby causing heavy traffic in the area, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Moreover, travel time from the free port to Subic, the first town in Zambales, took longer by about 30 minutes.

“Starting July 5, however, the Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge will help ease the traffic going to Zambales,” said Agregado.

He added that aside from the two-lane bridge with covered walkway, the Kalaklan Bridge project also includes a security plaza, spacious parking area for all types of vehicles, and an administration building that will accommodate SBMA offices for its Treasury Department, Law Enforcement Department, Seaport Department, as well as the Bureau of Customs.

The Kalaklan Bridge construction project is part of SBMA’s efforts to build vital infrastructure for the planned expansion of the Subic Freeport into nearby areas, such as Olongapo City and the towns of Zambales, Agregado also said. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

Read More

Garcia wins Phl's lone gold in Asian youth

Subic, Philippines - FIDE Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia provided the lone bright spot for host Philippines, winning the country’s lone gold medal in what turned out to be an all-Indian show in the 2011 Asian Youth chess championships at the Subic Bay Traveler’s Hotel here Saturday.

Garcia, one of the country’s brightest young stars, outwitted Amiralar Javidfar of Iran in their keenly-watched ninth and final round showdown to finish with seven points on five wins and four draws in the boys 16 years old and under category in this prestigious tournament which attracted 287 players from 20 countries.

An incoming fourth year high school student at Ateneo de Manila, Garcia finished half-a-point ahead of Nima Jabanbakht of Iran and a full point ahead of Ranjan Sahoo of India, compatriot Dominique Lagula and Ali Valizadeh of India.

“I’m very happy to win the gold medal here. It was a tough tournament,” said Garcia, a mainstay of the famed V. Luna Chess Club under Greg Rellorosa.

Overall, the Philippines bagged one gold, two silvers and two bronzes in the week-long competition dominated by Asian heavyweight India.

India capped another dominating year in chess by wining 10 golds, four silvers and four bronzes.

The Indians finished with a 4-3-2 haul in the boys division and 6-1-2 in the girls category.

Aside from the Philippines, the only other country to break India’s dominance was Iran, which won the gold medal in the boys 12 under courtesy of Shahin Lorpanizangeneh.



Dennis Gutierrez III bagged the silver medal in the boys 8 years old and under to join Garcia in the podium.

In the girls division, World Youth campaigner Jan Jodilyn Fronda clinched the silver medal in the girls 18 years old and under.

Fronda, a member of the De La Salle University chess team, defeated Bayar Anu of Mongolia to finish second behind eventual champion Rucha Pujari of India.

Fronda, who nearly did not make it to the tournament proper, finished with seven points on seven wins and two losses.

Actually, Fronda dropped her first two assignments but came back strong by winning the next seven matches.

The only other silver medal came from Samantha Glo Revita, who finished second behind two-time world under-8 championIvana Maria Furtado of India. (Philippine Star)

Read More

Filipina lass grabs lead in Asian Youth chess tilt

PROMISING chess master Marie Antoinette San Diego shocked third seed Sagar Tejaswini of India to stay on top in the girls 12-years-old-and-under category after six rounds in the 2011 Asian Youth chess championships in Subic.

Diego, a gold medalist in the Asean Primary Schools Sports Olympiad, notched her fifth win to improve her score to 5.5 points.

She is half a point ahead of two-time world under-8 champion Maria Ivana Furtado of India with still three rounds left.

Samantha Glo Revita, on the other hand, split the point with Nilufar Yagubbayeva of Uzbekistan to share the third to seventh places with four points.

In the girls 18-under division, Mikee Charlene Suede, Cheradee Chardine Camacho, and Jan Jodilyn Fronda defeated their respective sixth-round foes to remain in hunt for the coveted crown.

Suede surprised top seed Nguyen Thi Mai Hung of Vietnam, Camacho blasted Liu Hongyan of China and Fronda clobbered Vo Thi Kim Pung of Vietnam. The three local bets have four points each.

They are behind frontrunners Rucha Pujari of India with 5.5 points and Hoang Thi Nu of Vietnam with 4.5.

In the boys 16-under, top seed Jan Emmanuel Garcia drew with Nima Javanbakht of India and fell to solo second place with five points, half a point behind leader Antonio Viani D’Cunha of India. (Emil C. Noguera, Manila Times)

Read More

SCTEX helps boost economic dev't in Central & North Luzon

MANILA — With much-improved road networks and other strategic infrastructure projects in place, Central Luzon is now fast turning into a destination of choice for tourists and investors, domestic and foreign alike.

A regional official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) made this observation, citing the entry into the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) of large business conglomerates, notably the Filipino-owned Ayala Group and the San Miguel food and beverage giant.

NEDA assistant director in Central Luzon Lynette Y. Bautista said some corporations engaged in business process outsourcing (BPO) were also coming in, further boosting the economic activities building up in the region.

Bautista was quick to point out however, that the heartening developments unfolding in Central Luzon were due in large part to the completion of the multibillion-peso Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) built by the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The 93.7-kilometer SCTEX traverses the great Central Luzon plains, interconnecting the three key growth areas of the region namely the Subic Freeport Zone, the CSEZ and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac.

A linkup between the SCTEX and the 84-kilometer North Luzon Expressway spanning Balintawak in Caloocan City and Sta. Ines in Mabalacat, Pampanga provides seamless travel between Central Luzon and Metro Manila and has remarkably reduced travel time to Zambales, Subic, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and towards the north such as Pangasinan, Baguio, La Union and Ilocos.

“SCTEX enhanced the complementary roles of Subic and Clark. Tourism drastically increased in the region due to significantly reduced travel time,” Bautista said.

The BCDA built the SCTEX as part of a larger picture being envisioned by the government to transform Central Luzon as a logistics and aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

From Subic to Clark for instance, travel time is only 40 minutes, while those coming from Manila would take an hour to reach Mabalacat, using Balintawak as the starting point.

NEDA supervising economic development specialist Greg Pineda indicated that judging from the heightened business activities now taking place in Central Luzon, it won’t be long for the government vision of dramatic social and economic growth to become a reality.

“Among the country’s regions, Central Luzon is now the third biggest contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Pineda said.

He added that Clark and Subic registered hefty increases in visitor arrivals in over the past years following the SCTEX’s full commercial operations in mid-2008.

As a result, tourism-related business concerns in the region, including the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark were compelled to undertake expansion programs to cope with the growing demands of increasing tourist traffic.

The DMIA itself is expanding existing facilities to accommodate larger aircraft and unprecedented growths in tourist arrivals.

With all these developments, Pineda underscored the need for local and national government leaders to “respond positively” to preserve and enhance the gains being achieved.

Pineda also disclosed that the NEDA has its own multi-sectoral Regional Development Council (RDC) tasked to formulate the Regional Development Plan, 2011-2016 to attain the “Central Luzon 20/20 Vision for 2025”.

Chaired by San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, the RDC charts the development and identification of priority programs for the region.

One of the hallmarks of the development agenda for Central Luzon, according to Pineda, is embodied in the plan’s vision statement entitled “Central Luzon: A Sustainable and Caring Global Gateway through Public-Private-Partnerships and Growth for All,” predicated on the principle that improving the lives of the people requires concerted efforts among all stakeholders—the government, business sector, and civil society to harness the region’s potentials for economic growth.

Pineda explained that in line with the President’s “Social Contract with the People,” a “Caring and Global Gateway and Growth for All” means that the marginalized and vulnerable sector of society would be given wider access to adequate protection in an environment of borderless commerce arising from the world-class airport and seaport facilities in Clark and Subic, and the region’s greatly enhanced mobility of people and goods-owing largely to the advent of the SCTEX. (Manila Bulletin)

Read More

Bulacan rescuers top 8th First Aid Olympics in Subic Freeport

The rescue team of Calumpit, Bulacan emerged as the overall champion in the recently-concluded 8th Regional First Aid and Basic Life Support Olympics held at the SBMA Gym here, besting some of the best rescue workers in Central Luzon who vied to be named the number one rescue unit in the region.

A total of 16 teams joined the regional Olympics organized by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-3) through the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine National Red Cross Region 3 (PNRC-3).

The activity sought to hone the skills of rescue and first aid teams in the region, and “provide opportunities for participants to develop leadership skills and a chance to see how they could improve their resources,” said OCD Region 3 director and RDRRMC-3 chairperson Neri Amparo.

Among the challenges participants faced in the Olympics were scenario-crisis management, scenario-accident management, rescuing trapped persons, and applying basic life support (BLS) and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

According to records provided by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Disaster Management Center (SBMA-DMC), which hosted the event, the Calumpit rescue team (RT) ended up as champion in the municipal level after outscoring the Sta. Maria (Bulacan) RT, which was named the first runner-up.

Meanwhile, Guagua (Pampanga) RT and Sta. Ignacia (Tarlac) RT trailed as second and third runners-up, respectively.

In the provincial level, the Nueva Ecija RT was declared champion, as it soared ahead of the respective rescue teams of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan who ended up in the first, second, and third runner-up positions.

The Malolos City rescue team, meanwhile, received the championship plaque for the city level, as newcomer Barangay Sta. Rita (Olongapo City) RT settled for the first runner-up spot. The San Jose Del Monte (Bulacan) RT and Palayan City RT landed as second and third runners-up, respectively.

Among the rescue teams in the non-government organization and private level, Trust International Paper Co. (TIPCO) of Pampanga, successfully defended its title, outpacing Star Force Security Group (Pampanga), and Rescue 117 (Bulacan), which were named first and second runners-up, respectively.

Hall of Famer Olongapo City RT did not join the Olympics and instead nominated Brgy. Sta Rita RT to represent the city.

Another Hall of Famer, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Disaster Management Council, on the other hand, decided not to compete and focused, instead, on hosting the event.

According to Undersecretary Benito Ramos, who is OCD administrator and executive director of the NDRRMC, the First Aid Olympics is the only competition in the country where rescuers display their techniques, as well as learn from other teams how they could improve their life-saving skills.

“The first line of defense against calamity and disaster is the awareness and knowledge of our people on what to do when disaster strikes,” Ramos told the participants and spectators.

According to Ramos, the most common cause of death during flashfloods and landslides is lack of awareness and knowledge in BLS and CPR.

On the other hand, well-equipped, well-trained first aiders and volunteers have done well in saving lives and reducing the effects of injury and trauma through the effective implementation of first aid measures, Ramos added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)

PHOTO: Participants in the recent 8th Regional First Aid and Basic Life Support Olympics held at the SBMA Gym display their skills in rescue and first aid.

Read More