SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The Bureau of Customs (BoC) Subic has cleared a firm earlier implicated in the smuggling attempt of more than P40 million worth of expensive liquors here.

Alava Alliance Inc., a freeport enterprise involved in warehousing, transshipment, import, export, trading, and port services, was earlier tagged as consignee of the transshipment cargo consisting of 1,321 boxes of expensive liquor from a closed van that was about to leave the Freeport on December 24, 2017.

But the BoC Subic, after conducting hearings on the seized items, cleared Alava Alliance of wrongdoing based on evidence, but merely a consignee.

“Alava Alliance and its officers had no participation, direct or otherwise, in the overt act of BCR Trucking driver in bringing the shipment out of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone,” the order signed by Subic District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. said.

The order also took note of BCR officials’ admission during the hearing that none of them talked to any Alava Alliance officials to engage their trucking services.

Cherry Springael, one of the three brokers banned permanently by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority from doing business at the Freeport in connection with the foiled smuggle, has issued a voluntary statement admitting that she asked Alava Alliance to be the consignee on record for the cargo for transshipment.

Springael, during the hearing also cleared broker Ellen Baylon of participation in the foiled smuggling and pointed to another broker John Louie Pabico as the one who diverted the cargo of expensive liquors bound for transshipment to Vietnam.

Patricia Giselle Silvestre, managing director of Alava Alliance expressed relief that their company has been cleared from any involvement in the smuggling case and said the company is now looking forward to continuing its business operation at the Freeport that they have been doing for over 10 years.

The seized contraband included 54 bottles of Remy Martin Louis XIII, which reportedly sells for as much as P170,000 per bottle, and eight boxes of Remy Martin Centaure De Diamant that fetches P60,000 per bottle.

source: manilatimes.net

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INVESTMENT HUB Subic Bay Freeport, host to local and foreign investors, is one of the country’s leading investment destinations. —ALLAN MACATUNO/INQUIRER FILE.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – This economic zone will soon host its first five-star hotel.

Wyndham Hotel Group, one of the biggest hotel chains in the world, has announced plans to put up the hotel near Subic’s popular Boardwalk Park and Event Center.

Wyndham finalized an agreement to construct, develop, manage and operate the Citic Hotels and Leisures Corp. here, said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chair and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma in a statement on Tuesday.

The hotel project will be established at a 6,310-sqm area within the 10,517-square meter open lot in Subic’s central business district and is expected to boost local tourism.

Wyndham has committed P5 billion to build a 14-storey hotel, said Kenneth Rementilla, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment.

It will have 300 to 400 rooms, and would feature restaurants, and entertainment, leisure and events management facilities, including a ballroom and a convention hall.

Wyndham Hotel is regarded as the world’s largest and most diverse hotel company, which operates 8,000 hotels with more than 600,000 rooms in 66 countries under 15 hotel brands.

In the Philippines, the hotel group operates the Days Hotel and Microtel chains across the country, as well as the Ramada and TRYP hotels in Manila.

Wyndham also committed to develop a 4,207-sq.m. area for the operation of a Subic-Manila ferry service and pledged to develop an amphitheatre and a public park with commercial stalls in the next two years.-Joanna Aglibot/lb

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Triple B Care Projects Clinic, which for nearly than a decade has serviced a multitude of patients for little or at no cost, received a petrol powered ambulance which they will use for transporting burn victims.

Val Smith-Orr, the founder and current head of the clinic, is a registered nurse born and raised in Yorkshire, UK. She first visited the Philippines in 1991 for a medical mission and her experiences, particularly with Filipino children, inspired her to continue to do so at least twice a year. Her enthusiasm for her advocacy has earned her the nickname “wandering angel”.

In 2010, she realized that she could do more and decided to officially establish the Triple B Care Projects Clinic in Castillejos. The three Bs in the name represent Burns, Bingot (the Filipino word for cleft lip/palate), and Bulate (the Filipino word for worm).

Steve Eggers, President of Steelfab Water Solutions Asia Inc., was handing over Ambulance Bike keys to Triple B Care Projects Clinic.

According to Steve Eggers, President of Steelfab Water Solutions Asia Inc. and one of the major sponsors for the manufacture of Petrol Powered Bike, the bike wagon is made of sturdy sheet metal and features two collapsible seats/beds and a portable stretcher. Originally, the sponsors intended to import a Petrol Powered Ambulance Bike from abroad but after realizing the amount of effort and resources that it would take to ship the item would be far too astronomical (not to mention the hassle of getting it past customs).

Steve’s group chose to support the Triple B Care Projects Clinic because of the important role that it has played in the community. In fact, Val’s experience with treating burns is so renowned that volunteers from around the world regularly volunteer there. Moreover, Steve’s group also has ongoing plans to expand the Clinic’s current building and is expected to be completed by December this year.

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The International Coastal Cleanup is a global movement celebrated every third Saturday of September yearly and being participated by more than 100 countries across the globe, including the Philippines, as we rally the community towards a common goal of collecting and documenting the trash littering the coastline.

In 2017, the Philippines ranked #1 with the most number of volunteers, but on the contrary, the country is ranked #3 as the biggest dumper of plastics in the ocean.
According to the Ocean Trash Index, the world’s largest item-by-item, location-by-location database of trash found in near-shore environments as a result of the data submitted by all the volunteers of ICC, plastic debris remains a growing concern in the marine environment.

The top five most commonly collected items are cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps and plastic grocery bags, in that order.
The trash data collection is important because it will help governments, manufacturing industries, businesses and individuals in making smart solutions to the marine debris problem.

As we participated in this year’s International Coastal Cleanup activity scheduled on September 22, 2018, we encourage everyone to participate in the data gathering efforts so we can have a better assessment of the trash in our area.
There is an increasing need to address this issue of marine litter and beach cleanup alone is not enough. The highlight of this continuous effort is the ICC Environmental Summit, a supplement to the annual beach cleanup that will take place on Sept. 27 and 28, 2018 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC).

This year, we are launching the Youth Empowerment Symposium (#YES18) as we focus on empowering our youth by tapping into the best practices of top Filipinos and global organizations, inspiring our next generation of leaders to follow-suite and provide the tools that they will need to continue our quest towards a more sustainable future.

Together, they can come up with viable solutions for pressing environmental matters and approach new, peaceful and constructive ways of problem-solving.
This will be the 4th Summit that will be held in Subic Bay and has always been focused on the new generation – millennials, the most powerful force of our future. If we want to change the world for the better, there has to be a change in people’s behavior.

This year’s theme is “ Change Heroes ” a challenge for the youth to be an instrument for change, to spark social consciousness formation towards social change, changing the way we view the world, unleashing our inner heroes, and become better builders of our nation.

It will be a symposium participated by youths, mainly the newly elected SK officials from Olongapo, Zambales, and Bataan together with experienced executives and organization leaders that will focus on finding more efficient solutions to ensure that the cleanliness of our beaches will continue far beyond the cleanup activity.

This event is organized by the Lighthouse Marina Resort Legacy Foundation, Make a Difference Travel and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary.

It is co-presented by Coca-Cola Philippines, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, The Lighthouse Marina Resort, and Globe Telecoms as the official connectivity partner.

The event is held in cooperation with the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians, Miss Scuba Philippines, UP Marine Biological Society, Dakila, Seed4com, and Oceana Philippines; supported by Provincial Government of Zambales, Municipal of Olongapo, and Provincial Government of Bataan;

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Coast Watch Council, Department of Tourism, Philippine Coast Guard, PNP Maritime Group, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the National Youth Commission;

It is sponsored by Ayala Harbor Point Mall, Anvaya Cove, PLDT Subictel, Think + Talk Creative Communications, VitalStrats Creative Solutions, Standard Insurance, and Nanofixit.

Source: manilastandard

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ANAHAW CERTIFIED. Sangat Island Dive Resort has recently received the ANAHAW – Philippine Sustainable Tourism Certification which was developed by the Zero Carbon Resort (ZCR) Project led by GrAT – Center for Appropriate Technology, funded by European Union Switch Asia Programme in collaboration with the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The development of the ANAHAW – Philippine Sustainable Tourism Certification through ZCR Project is strongly supported by the Department of Tourism and fully in line with the National Tourism Development Plan 2016-2022 aiming at a highly competitive, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible tourism industry that promotes inclusive growth.

By doing this, the certification empowers hotels and resorts with practices and techniques that save energy, water, fuel, and other resources, reduce waste and carbon emissions to improve the overall operational efficiency, to increase profit and at the same time, to create a more sustainable tourism industry. ANAHAW certification was one of the major collaborative outputs between the project team and DOT.

With its main goal revolving around the slogan, “Innovation, Environment and the Value”, the ANAHAW is a national certification designed for tourist accommodation facilities in order to make the tourism industry in the country, more vibrant, leading to inclusive growth through meeting the certification criteria comprised of a set of indicator and performance-based metrics, both qualitative and quantitative. ANAHAW Certification is also a vital element for the sustainability of the ZCR for Sustainable Tourism Project in the Philippines.

Present during the awarding ceremony held last August 31 are (Please refer to the
names below of representatives from DOT, ZCR Project and EU).
• Dr. Robert Wimmer
Managing Director
GrAT – Center Appropriate Technology
Project Lead, Zero Carbon Resorts (ZCR) Project
• Mr. Arturo P. Boncato, Jr.
Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination & Resource Generation and
concurrent Secretary’s Chief of Staff
Department of Tourism (DOT)
• Mr. Gabriel Dayre
Program Manager
Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines

SOURCE: GrAT-Center for Appropriate Technology

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