SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority will ask the national government for funds for major infrastructure projects planned for implementation here starting next year.

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SBMA Chairperson and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the funds would help fix two crucial accesses to the premier free port.

“The first order of business is the repair of the Alava Pier and the construction of a new Magsaysay Bridge, which leads to the Subic Freeport main gate,” Eisma said.

“I have asked Finance officials to consider the release of funds for Subic as an investment for the national government, because the SBMA would be giving back bigger remittances to the national treasury once these projects are completed,” she added.

The projects are estimated to cost a combined P2.84 billion, with the repair of Alava and other piers in Subic eating up P2.45 billion.

“We need to prioritize these infrastructure projects since they will further push the Subic Freeport’s business potential,” Eisma said.

It would be the first time in many years that the SBMA would request for a national allocation as it has been operating as a self-sufficient government agency for at least a decade, the freeport chief said.

“But it can be done, and I know how to get it done,” Eisma said.

The SBMA would channel its own funds instead to other projects meant to enhance security in the freeport.

Eisma, who attended the Asia Cruise Forum Jeju in South Korea last month where she had a discussion with cruise ship firms, said the reason why large cruise ships were unable to visit the Freeport is that its port is already silted.

“Alava Pier is badly in need of dredging, since large ships such as US aircraft carriers can no longer dock there. Aside from that, the pier posts there have already deteriorated and need replacement,” she said.

The repair of Subic piers would complement the Duterte government’s “Build Build Build” program, which includes the construction of the proposed Subic-Clark Cargo Railway that will ease the transfer of cargo container from vessels docked in Subic to the nearby Clark Freeport and other destinations in Central and Northern Luzon, Eisma said.

Source: thestandard.com.ph

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LINGAYEN—Jamleth Marie Villanueva, who turned to swimming as an asthmatic child, captured three gold medals at the pool yesterday at the start of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy Games Northern Luzon qualifier here.

photo by: pixabay.com

The 12-year-old from Olongapo City, a seventh grader at the Regional High School near Subic bay, ruled the girls’ 11-12 200-meter backstroke and 200m butterfly before powering her team to victory in the 15-under 4x50m medley relay.
Villanueva clocked 2 minutes 51.82 seconds in the 200m back at the Dagupan City Pool Site. She timed 3:03.02) in the finals of the 200m fly while her winning relay team registered 2:31.17.

“I want to win all of my events and qualify for the national finals,’’ said Villanueva, whose father, Col. Jeric, is a police superintendent based at Camp Olivas. Villanueva is also competing in the 100m back and fly, 50m fly and 4x50m free in the next two days.

Medalists in the five qualifying legs will advance to the national championship in Iloilo City on Dec. 5-8.
Rafael Barreto of Guiguinto, Bulacan, shared the limelight with two golds in the boys’ 12-under 100m and 400m freestyle. The 11-year-old sixth grader from Querubim Elementary School beat Marc Audrey Santos of Malolos for the gold in both events.

Dexter John Lacuna won the boys’ 13-15 400m free in 4:50.98. The brother of London Olympian Jessie Khing Lacuna beat John Ishmael de Leon of Pangasinan and Maverick Belarmino of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
Erwin Generalao of Baguio City seized the first athletics gold medal of this talent hunt for athletes 15 years old and below after dominating the boys’ 14-15 5,000-meter run in 17 minutes, 18.9 seconds at Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center track.

A senior at the Baguio City National High School, the 15-year-old bested Ace Joshua Hipona of Candon, Ilocos Sur (18:48.3), and Reymark Quezada of Baguio (18:54.3) in the kick-off event of the games hosted by Pangasinan Gov. Amado T. Espino Jr.

James Galima of Candon, Ilocos Sur, finished ahead of the pack in the boys’ 2000m run (7:12.8), Briceline Soriano of Pangasinan won the girls’ high jump (4.07 meters) and Teofilo Manawat of Pangasinan pocketed the boys’ shot put gold (11.18 meters).

Also winning for Pangasinan were Irene Tabora (girls’ 14-15 high jump), Rona Joy Casem (girls’ 13-under 2000m walk), Rolando Bandarlipe (boys’ 13-under 2000m walk), Rico Navarro (boys’ 13-under long jump) and Karen Cayetano (girls’ 14-15 shot put) also made the host province proud.

Source: subicsun.com

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THE giant vessel manufacturing company in Subic, Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines Incorporated (HHIC-Phil), on Thursday said it is not wary of labor unions.

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“Labor union is good. It benefits the workers, but we prefer organizations within the company that are not affiliated with groups with political or militant leanings,” External Trade Team general manager Nack Young Kim told The Manila Times in answer to published reports that it allegedly prevented its workers from participating in a certification election conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).

Kim said he was a union leader himself in Hanjin’s mother company in South Korea.

“We have to be careful too since there had been big companies like Nike Philippines that got disrupted due to demands of the labor union. The shipyard industry has been affected by recession since 2010, and it’s only this time that we are on the upswing. Maybe in four to five years, by 2022, we would even support the formation of labor unions,” he explained.

Managing Director Pyung Jong Yu, meanwhile, said, “We told the workers to keep their position, where they are right now, because when we get out of the red, everyone will benefit. We asked them to prioritize needs over wants, and think of their families.”

Meanwhile, External Trade Team section chief Peter Paul Bonifacio, who had been with HHIC-Phil for more than 10 years, said of the 30,000 workers cited in the news report, only fewer than 1,000 actually voted in the certification election.

On Monday, HHIC-Phil marked a milestone when it held a delivery signing ceremony for a 300,000 DWT class Very Large Crude Oil Carrier (VLCC) manufactured at its Redondo Peninsula, Subic Freeport Zone facility.

Named M/V Gener8 Nestor, it was the third VLCC and 111th vessel built in the 300-hectare shipyard.

The occasion cemented HHIC-Phil’s position in the global shipbuilding arena as the builder of choice for this commercial vessel type.

The brand-new ship adds to the growing fleet of the shipping conglomerates Gener8 in the United States and Navig8 in Singapore.

It was the second VLCC to be delivered by HHIC-Phil Inc. after the turnover in December 2016 of the M/V Gener8 Hector, the first-ever Philippine-made VLCC.

HHIC-Phil is home to 28,000 Filipino workers and perhaps one of the few companies that provides free lunch for all its employees plus additional meals for those working overtime.

It initially pumped $1.7 billion in direct investments into the Philippine economy in 2006 with a total estimated export value of $7 billion as of October 2017.

Source: manilatimes.net

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The organized union of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) has filed a protest and called for another election after the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) declared the certification election conducted recently for the three labor unions as a failure .

by: PATRICK ROXAS

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The Alyansa ng Manggagawang Pilipino Organisado–Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (AMAPO-TUCP) however, insisted that Hanjin management prevented most workers from leaving their jobs to cast their votes.

Only 1,433 workers of the 4,046 labor union members in three subcontractor companies at Hanjin went to the polling venue in Barangay San Pablo, Castillejos town during the September 27 to 29 certification elections.

Of the 1,580 Sushicor eligible workers, only 546 were able to cast their votes on September 27; 869 of 2,092 members from Zambanas on September 28 and only 18 workers from Hacor Philippines were able to vote out of 374.

The union leaders claim that Hanjin management barred the voting workers inside the Hanjin facility from leaving the premises after imposing “overtime” and “overday” working hours and other schemes during the scheduled certification elections.

“The Hanjin management is guilty of unfair labor practice that is why there was a failure of elections. They should immediately schedule another certification of election based on Department Order Number 40-03,” said Alfred Gunisto, president of Zambanas-ELA-AMAPO-TUCP.

Fifteen of the 18 Hanjin subcontractor companies have already received an order from DoLE for the holding of a certification election, a requirement and process that must be won by a labor union with 50 percent of the eligible voters casting votes plus one in favor of the labor union.

Source: manilatimes.net

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the criminal complaints filed against an incumbent and former officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in connection with the takeover of the management of a hotel in this freeport.

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Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales approved the recommendation of graft investigation and prosecution officer Zarnette Sanceda to dismiss the complaint filed by Freeport Elite Resort Inc. (FERI) against deputy administrator for administration Ruel John Kabigting as well as former chairman Roberto Garcia, deputy administrator for legal affairs Randy Escolango, legal department manager Von Rodriguez and law enforcement department chief Orlando Maddela.

The case stemmed from a dispute between two groups of Korean investors seeking control of the former Ocean Hotel in 2015.

Kang Il-chan, a majority stockholder of FERI, filed a petition before the Olongapo Regional Trial Court Branch 72 for the annulment of the subscription payments of a certain Cho Chan-choon for using company funds.

In a decision on March 16, 2015, the court ruled in favor of Kang, whose group later took control of the hotel.

FERI director Jo Kwang-rae filed the complaint before the ombudsman, saying the SBMA officials conspired with Kang to take over the hotel.

However, the ombudsman said the recognition by SBMA officials of Kang’s group as the majority shareholder did not constitute usurpation of authority or grave abuse of authority.

The respondents ”never employed fraud, pretense or misrepresentation in their actions nor acted with cruelty, severity or excessive use of authority,” the ombudsman said.

Source: philstar.com

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