ChAd Amy Eisma’s State of the Freeport Address: An Excerpt
D1
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 advertise@manilastandard.net
“As someone who was born, raised, and will die here, my dreams for Subic are lofty and ambitious.”
I CALL for applause for everyone in this room because we all made this happen. All of you who responded to my call for Malasakit. I could not seem to find the right English word for it. But remember the love that comes from your gut. The kind of love you have for your child? The one you have for your nephews? The kind that give you until it hurts. That is malasakit. Recently, we hosted a cruise ship and it got me thinking that is very much like SBMA. The passengers are our community — the locators and residents — who all want safe and memorable journey. The captain steers the ship, looks after every human being in it. And that responsibility is mine. But I cannot do this without my hardworking crew. You are the one who deserve the applause. You are the reason why I am here today. Last year, I presented my 10Point Program. So, let’s review what has been done: 1) As part of Good Governance... - With the support of my board of directors, the signing and the release of CRTEs have been transferred to my office, so you can now directly follow these up with me. - You can text or call me anytime if you have any concern. - If there is anyone asking you for money from my office or any SBMA offices in exchange for the release of CRTE’s or any document, please report to me immediately - We are currently working on extending the validity of the CRTE to 3 years. - We hope to get this started next quarter. We also introduced several policy reforms: - Extension of project development schedules are now heavily scrutinized and if warranted denied. - Tightening our policy for collecting receivables and be tough and implementing this. - We cancelled the contract of Dynamic Konstruk for failing to meet its commitment. - Repossessed SBMA properties from locators for not paying their rent for many years. I have been criticized, lambasted, crucified for many of these actions. But I, together with my board of directors, stand firm. There is no room for personal interest in our term, only that of SBMA. 2) The second item in our 10Point Program is Sustainable Development: I am pleased to announce SBMA is the first government agency to pass ISO 14001:2015 certification. It means that our organization has standards to minimize negative effects to the environment, comply with laws, and continually improve the same. And we got this, I believe, because of the malasakit we all have for our community, our home, and our planet. Malasakit in action was what we saw in the thousands of volunteers: - Who joined the clean- up activities for our coasts, rivers, mangroves, and premises; and - Who planted some 5,000 trees on Arbor Day. - And SBMA employees who showed up very early on Fridays to clean up our surroundings first before they go to work. 3) Safety and Security - For 2017, our Emergency and Rescue Team managed to improve its average response time by more than 57% - As in any emergency situation, a two-minute improvement and response time can spell a big, big difference in saving lives and property. - Our police force also managed to reduce the crime volume in some areas — like breakins, robberies, and bukas- kotse. We need, however, to boost our security capabilities and heighten our vigilance to address all forms of criminal activities Also, as part of our safety and security agenda: - We continue to strengthen our Subic Bay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee. - We also participated on Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake drills which brought to fore malasakit by the cooperation we received - More than 9,000 participated in capacity building programs such as - Bomb and IED Familiarization and Detection Trainings; - Emergency Preparedness Seminars; and - Community First Aid/Basic Life Support Trainings And lastly, implemented the Anti-Distracted Driving Law to keep our motorists and pedestrians safe. 4) Community Engagement We also went deep into community engagement programs
and activities with our Aeta brethren as priority, since after all much of the Subic Freeport are their ancestral lands. Our effort — specifically our Joint Management Agreement with the Pastolan Ambala Tribe — was recognized by the International Finance Magazine as the Best Social Responsibility Initiatives for 2017. We also did not forget our fisher folks and waste and land pickers. Through various activities and projects, we also engaged the rest of the members of our community: - Our Work Force - Locators - Residents - Tourism Stake Holders Another important part of our 10-Point Program is Locator Excellence. - We reduced documentary requirements for issuance of business registration - SBMA started offsite and non- appearance processing - 4,000 new IDs and 400 renewals. While our strategic location is a distinctive edge, we introduced various marketing strategies to further our goal as seaport gateway. - To attract more port users, we waived our port fees for a period of time - This is part of art marketing campaign #GOSUBICBAY Another vital gateway here is the airport. All our outbound missions explored possible FDIs to the Freeport. In support of business inclusivity, we support and provide growth opportunities for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. In early 2017, we dared to dream to make Subic the next cruise ship destination in Asia. In February 2018, this has become a reality when MV Costa Atlantica made a port of call in Subic. We also won the 2017 Best Sports Tourism Destination of the Year award while our theme, “Funtastic Subic Bay,” bested “Visit Victoria” of Australia and “Amazing Thailand.” Allies in Congress, particularly Senator Richard Gordon, assisted us in securing funds to repair our seaport and airport, the Magsaysay Bridge, and an endorsement of funds to maintain and repair our roads from DBM. In other developments, SBMA’s net income increased by 34% while our debt decreased by 5%. If that is not good financial health, I don’t know what is. While our committed investments may have lowered because we decided to sack dubious investors. The more important figure is the expansion projects of existing locators, showing increased confidence in our business climate. Our total contribution to the national economy is PHP19.6 billion. That is a 14% increase from last year. If you don’t call this a strong economic driver, then I don’t know what it is. We also have aggressive port marketing together with SBITC. Containerized cargo volume increased 13%. Transshipment increased by 468%. Our national economic performance is important to us. However, like many other cruise ship in the ocean, we too face rough sailings. I personally had my share of rough seas due to the leadership row in the first nine months of my term. It was a very difficult time for me personally, but also for SBMA and the Freeport as a community. It was never about me, the issue has always been and should forever be the future of Subic. But that is all in the past now, with a fresh mandate, and a recognition from the international community. I will try more than my best to steer Subic’s voyage to a destination worthy of your hard work and the malasakit each and every one of us will invest in. Smuggling to me is another pressing concern. We cannot close our eyes to this. We should not allow it. We are as guilty and complicit if we continue to be silent even if it is already staring in our faces. As someone who was born, raised, and will die here, my dreams for Subic are lofty and ambitious. With integrity as our moral compass, it goes without saying that I will not tolerate corruption in Subic. I have zero tolerance for any form or manner of graft and corruption — whether within the SBMA or elsewhere in the Freeport. To end, I reiterate my clarion call for MALASAKIT sa Subic. Do not do it for me. Do it for the 8,000 volunteers who made Subic what it is today. Do it for those who fought hard to protect Subic to have stable leadership. Do it for yourself. Do it for your business. Do it for your children. Do it for your nephews. Do it for our future.
Subic Bay:
More than just a Freeport I
F BEING the first ever freeport in the Philippines wasn’t enough of an accolade, Subic Bay -- this bustling economic zone and one of the premier economic zones in the country -- has its fair share of trailblazing feats in recent years. From sustaining robust economic growth and leading the way for port-related activities to having its first female chairwoman and administrator, Subic Bay sets the benchmark for all other freeports to equal. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the primary institution responsible for the development of the Subic Bay Freeport and the Special Economic Zone, will be celebrating 26 years of prolific growth since its inception in 1992 with founding chairman and administrator Richard “Dick” Gordon, now a senator, at the helm. Now, it’s enjoying the unwavering service of the men and women behind the government-owned and controlled corporation. SBMA has turned Subic Bay into a self-sustainable area that promotes the industrial, commercial, investment, and financial areas of trade in the zone as well as in the Philippines. It is currently headed by Atty. Wilma T. Eisma, former Public Affairs and Contributions manager of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Company Inc., as Chairman and Administrator. The SBMA is the operating and implementing arm of the Government of the Philippines for the development of the 262 square mile (670 square kilometer) area of Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) into a self-sustaining tourism, industrial, commercial, financial, and investment center to generate employment opportunities for Filipinos. This area was the former American naval facility in Subic Bay. On March 13, 1992, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 7227, known as the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, in anticipation of the pullout of the United States from its military bases in the country. Section 13 of RA 7227 created the SBMA to develop and manage the Freeport, which provides tax and duty-free privileges and incentives to business locators in the special economic zone. Gordon, then the mayor of the City of Olongapo, became the first SBMA chairman. The mayor, with 8,000 volunteers, took over the facility to preserve and protect US$8 billion worth of property and facilities
when the last US Navy helicopter carrier USS Belleau Wood sailed out of Subic Bay on November
24, 1992. That started the conversion of the military base into a free port like Hong Kong and Singapore. Its mission is to “grow the Freeport to be an environmentally sustainable community where locators are ahead of their competitors and our stakeholders enjoy the highest quality of life,” while its vision for the future is to be the leading Eco-Urban Freeport in Southeast Asia. Apart from enticing international locators to Philippine shores, Subic has positioned
Head Office: Phase 1 Argonaut Highway cor. Braveheart St. Subic Bay Gateway Park, Subic Bay Freeport Zone 2222 Tel: +63-47-252-1668 Fax: +63-47-252-3234 Website: www.taiansubic.com; www.teco.com.tw
Affiliate Partners:
Air Circuit Breakers
MCCB WE ARE HIRING!
itself as a premier destination -not only as an investment hub, but as a burgeoning amalgam of industries such as leisure and sports, hotels and tourism, and other recreational activities that fall under their scope in tagging Subic Bay as a place to live, work, and play. With the ascent SBMA has achieved in only a short span of time, it’s hard not to believe that all of this is not achievable -- and greater things are in tow for this Freeport for the next 26 years and more. Peter Paul Duran
Branch Office: Unit 15B Belvedere Tower No. 15 San Miguel Avenue Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines Tel: +63-2-655-6893 / 2938 / 9959
Relays & Magnetic Switches
We invite Sales Engineers to join our team. Applicants preferred are Electrical or Mechanical Engineering graduates. • With experience in sales of HVAC application equipment, switchgear panels, motor controllers and other electrical control devices. • Fresh graduates are also welcome to apply. • Kindly send your CV to human.resources@taiansubic.com