Bataan Tourism Office Tourism Operations Officer Danica Tigas reveals that Bataan has already hit about 1.2 million excursionist and tourist arrivals last year. (Mar Jay S. Delas Alas/PIA 3)

BALANGA CITY, Oct.22 (PIA) — Bataan has generated about 1.2 million excursionists and tourist arrivals in 2017.

“Our target is that by 2020, Bataan will hit the one million mark of excursionist and tourist arrivals but just this 2017, we have reached about 1.2 million arrivals,” Provincial Tourism Operations Officer Danica Tigas disclosed during the provincial kick-off of National Statistics Month celebration.

“The source of our data came from the combined numbers of excursionists and tourist arrivals recorded from all tourism destinations, attractions, and resorts in the province,” she added.

Tigas explained that excursionists are those who stayed for less than 24 hours while tourists are those who stayed for more than 24 hours but less than a year.

Compared to the 2016 data, excursionist arrivals grew by 78 percent while tourist arrivals had an increased of 25 percent with a total of about 700,000 of both excursionist and tourist arrivals in the province.

“Yearly, we can see that there is always an increase in both our excursionist and tourist arrivals from 2014 to 2017 which means that our promotional activities and events conducted in the province are really effective,” Tigas said.

The statistics also showed that in 2017, the month of April had the highest number of recorded arrivals reaching 97,244 while September had the least number recorded with 18,621.

Currently, there are 383 establishments composed of beach and inland resorts, hotels or motels, and restaurants that accommodate visitors in the province.

“We hope that by this year and the coming years, more and more visitors will arrive and enjoy the beauty of various tourist destinations located here in Bataan,” Tigas furthered. (CLJD/MJSD-PIA 3)

Source: pia.gov.ph

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Comteq Computer and Business College or Comteq, located in the Subic Bay Free Port, allegedly has rental obligations amounting to P17 million

by: Randy V. Datu

CLOSED. The SBMA says Comteq Computer and Business College has been operating without any valid lease agreement nor business registration with the SBMA. Photo from Comteq Facebook page

ZAMBALES, Philippines – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently prevented students from entering the Comteq Computer and Business College (Comteq) building in Subic Bay here after the school was given a “Notice to Vacate.”

SBMA Law Enforcement Department personnel on Monday morning, November 20, said they were only enforcing an instruction from their superiors.

The same officers, without offering any explanation, later allowed the students to attend their classes.

In a press briefing Monday, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma said Comteq had rental obligations amounting to P17 million.

She said the agency had afforded Comteq so much leeway to meet its obligations, and added she “could no longer extend generosity to them.”

“It’s because of the students that the SBMA has given Comteq enough consideration for far too long. This has been a lingering case of irresponsibility on the part of Comteq owners, and I am sorry to say that we cannot extend any more generosity to them,” Eisma said.

Eisma said that as early as April 2017, the SBMA Legal Department had issued a “Notice to Vacate with Demand to Pay” because the school had been operating without any valid lease agreement nor business registration with the SBMA. It had also failed to pay obligation with SBMA in the amount of P17,771,863.19.

However, the SBMA Board granted the school another extension of 6 months for humanitarian reasons, but with a condition that the school “should be fully out of the Subic Bay Freeport facility before the start of the 2017 second semester, or until October 31, 2017.”

Comteq president Danny Piano insisted the school does not owe SBMA any money. He said the school was able to secure a statement of account from the SBMA accounting department more than a month ago, indicating zero balance as of 2017.

Piano filed a request for temporary restraining order with the Regional Trial Court to prevent the agency from enforcing its planned closure, but this was denied.

Another school official, who asked not to be named, said the alleged arrears were questionable.

He explained it took the SBMA more than 4 years from January 2011 to middle of 2014 before its board of directors approved the school’s proposal to lease a property inside the freeport.

An SBMA official, however, prevented the signing of the lease contract, claiming that the school must first pay back rent for the past 4 and a half years then amounting to P13 million, including interests.

Former school administrator Ansbert Joaquin reportedly argued then: “How come the school will be made to pay for the period when it did not enjoy the benefit of having a contract? What is the basis for collecting back rent?”

Rappler was able to reach Joaquin by phone, but he declined to give an interview, saying he is no longer part of the school, having resigned from the institution almost two years ago.

Joaquin wrote a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte immediately after the latter took his oath. He asked the President’s support in securing a permit for the school’s continued operation inside the freeport.

Piano said he was thankful when the SBMA granted the school a grace period of 6 months to vacate the school in April but explained that 6 months proved too short a time for the school to find a relocation site.

Source: rappler.com

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The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Wednesday sounded off on the need for 67 containers of garbage shipped from Canada to be removed from their ports.

The garbage that arrived in the Port of Manila in 2013 was transferred to the care of Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), a subsidiary of SBMA, in 2014.

Apart from the stench that has become “unbearable,” a recent Bureau of Customs (BOC) inspection found that the festering garbage in one of the containers could cause health hazards, according to Jun Veneracion’s exclusive report on “24 Oras”.

“I would like to start discussions on how to resolve the issue that it be taken out of here because we were not the original consigned or port of destination. Why should we suffer?” SBMA Administrator Wilma Eisma said.

A portion of the shipment had been disposed of in a dumpsite in Capas, Tarlac while the remaining containers were sitting in an isolated area of the Subic port, but the SBMA stressed that its disposal remained a national issue that needed to be solved.

“It’s in an area that is isolated that doesn’t affect investors, that doesn’t affect the environment but it doesn’t mean we should tolerate it,” Eisma said.

“It should be taken our because, at the end of the day, the whole country and not just Subic should not be a dumping ground for trash or anybody else whether you’re  powerful country, you’re a rich country, a poor country. Gusto mo ba, ‘yung kapit bahay mo, tapunan ka ng basura?  Siyempre hindi,” she added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during the recent ASEAN summit that the Canadian government has lifted all legal obstacles that supposedly prevented them from taking back the trash.

However, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said Chronic Plastics, the Philippine consignee of Chronic Inc., a plastic exporter based in Ontario, Canada, was responsible for shipping the garbage back.

The company had vacated its lot in Barangay Canumay, Valenzuela City by the time GMA News visited the supposed address on November 17. —Margaret Claire Layug/JST, GMA News

Source: gmanetwork.com

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By: Jonas Reyes

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is keeping small hazardous waste materials such as batteries, aerosols, light bulbs and adhesives off of the premier Freeport by conducting the 3rd Recyclables Collection Event last week.

The 3rd Recyclable Collection Event is a semiannual event that lets companies inside the Freeport dispose of everyday hazardous workplace wastes properly. According to Regulatory head Ameth Dela Llana, the event aims to enjoin Freeport companies to dispose their recyclables and waste materials properly.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority logo (SBMA / MANILA BULLETIN)

Some of the waste materials that can be disposed to the event are laboratory chemicals, solvents, aerosols, batteries, fluorescent tubes, garage waste, household hazardous waste, oils, paints, pharmaceutical waste and photographic and printing waste. The waste collectors of the event also accepted electronic wastes such as busted washing machines, electric fans, and ovens.

“We dispose them to our accredited transporters and then they are treated in accordance with the guidelines of the national government. Last year when we started in the month of May and then October, but we will be holding it in April during the Earth Day and November,” Dela Llana said.

She added that the proceeds of the event go to Lingkod Kapamilya Bantay Kalikasan ABS-CBN Foundation which has community-based eco-tourism projects. The PET bottles collected are sent to the Tahanang Walang Hagdan.

Producers of small quantities of hazardous wastes like residents and office workers are the target here. “We usually put these small quantities of hazardous wastes like batteries and busted bulbs in our domestic waste. But if you add up all the electronic wastes, it would amount to very large quantities,” she said.

One of the waste collectors of the event, Genetron International Marketing, said some of the wastes here can be turned into resources. Genetron supervisor Vanessa Santos said their company can treat these hazardous wastes efficiently and environmentally sound manner.

She said a prime example of this is used oil. The company collects used lube oil, treats the used oil and makes it into neutral base oil that can be reutilized as lube oil in engines. “Proper treatment of used oil transforms waste to a product which can be reincorporated into the economy,” she said.

The company also has thermal reduction technology, thermal treatment, wastewater treatment and used solvent treatment. “We also manufacture polymer emulsions, inks, fertilizer chemicals, textile auxiliaries and paper chemicals,” she said.

Source: news.mb.com.ph

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By: Butch Gunio

SUBIC, Zambales?A total of 16 teams participated in the 2nd ArtCycle, an environmental, educational, recycling art competition organized by Redondo Peninsula Energy at Subic Central School.

The teams were composed of students and teachers from the different elementary and high schools here.

This year’s winning team is Batiawan High School with their recycled gutters turned basketball- recycling facility. Butch Gunio

“Besides teaching them how to upcycle, we are teaching kids how to be problem solvers. With the right amount of support, and a healthy dose of competition, they can make a difference in their schools,” said Jason Gavina, Corporate Social Responsibility Head of RP Energy.

“I am inspired by the creativity of these young people. We hope that they take this beyond the competition and sustain their projects to help the environment. Many of the projects can even be transformed into a community enterprise,” added Litz Santana, VP and Head of External Affairs of Meralco PowerGen, the mother company of RP Energy.

The ArtCycle event also included an informative talk on proper solid waste management from Roselle Abuyo of SBMA Ecology Center, and an inspirational talk on turning trash to cash from Jake and Kim Mactal, who are local entrepreneurs from Zambales.

Judges came from partner organizations including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-CENRO Olongapo, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Umicore, Subic Enerzone, Subic Municipal LGU, Cerana Farms, and the DepED Subic Office.

Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. is a consortium composed of MERALCO PowerGen Corporation, Aboitiz Power Corporation, and Taiwan Cogeneration Corporation.

It is the developer of an environment-friendly and state-of-the-art 2×300-megawatt coal-fired power plant at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The plant is expected boost the power supply in the Luzon grid when it starts commercial operations.

Source: thestandard.com.ph

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