(left to right) SBMA Chair & Administrator Amy Eisma, Spartan Philippines Race Director Mike Reyes, and SBMEI founder Scott Sharpe answer questions during the press conference for the Subic Bay leg of the Spartan SEA Championship.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Spartan Race, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, is coming to Subic Bay this September 15 and 16 for their inaugural Trifecta Weekend in the country.

The two-day event which will commence at Camayan Beach will feature all three Spartan races: The Spartan Sprint, a 6 km+, 20-obstacle+ course; the Spartan Super, a 13 km+, 25-obstacle+ course; and the Spartan Beast, a 21 km+, 20-obstacle+ course. Participants who are able to complete all three courses will obtain the much sought-after Spartan trifecta medal.

The event serves as the grand finale for the Southeast Asian Championship which kicked off last March at Singapore. Moreover, the Subic Bay leg of the SEA Championship will offer the only Spartan Beast course in the entire series. As such, Spartan racers from around the country, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as from Australia and Europe, will be coming to the Freeport.

The Spartan Beast, which will be held on September 15, will offer the elite, age group, and open categories while the Spartan Sprint and Super course, both of which will be held the following day, will only offer the open category.

The top ten male and female racers from the elite category, the top five male and female finishers in the 14 – 17, 18 – 24, and 50+ age groups, and the top ten male and female entrants in the 25 – 29, 30 – 39, and 40 – 49 age groups will earn their spots in the 2018 Asia Pacific Championships in Johor, Malaysia on December 2018.

In addition, the top three racers in both the elite and age group categories will qualify in the Regional Championship as well as the World Championships in Lake Tahoe at the end of the year.

For more information on Spartan Race Philippines, visit the official website at www.spartanrace.ph.

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By JONAS REYES

Photo Credit: www.luxuo.com

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – A Swiss cruise line plans to make this Freeport its next cruise destination.

The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Cruises, led by Port Operations Assistant Ian Meachem, met with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman Wilma T. Eisma and other officials last week.

Eisma welcomed Meachem and Wallem Philippines Shipping, Inc. Asst. General Manager Antonio Calingo Jr. as the three parties discussed the possibilities of MSC Cruises making Subic Freeport one of its port stops in Asia.

Meachem said there are certain requirements that need to be fixed before the company commits to making Subic one of their ports, but added that the tourist spots in Subic and around the freeport are enticing.

Eisma presented the officials of the cruise company and the shipping company the areas where most of the tourists can visit. She added that SBMA has plans to make the town of San Antonio, a contiguous municipality, a cruise ship docking area near the pristine beaches of Zambales.

MSC Cruises, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s largest privately owned cruise company and the number one cruise line in Europe, South America and South Africa.

The company offers a vast array of year-round sailings in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Seasonal itineraries cover northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, Cuba and the French Antilles, South America, southern Africa, and Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman.

source: pressreader.com & Manila Bulletin

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DEATH OF DEMOCRACY? Supporters of Olongapo Mayor Rolen Paulino brought in front of city hall 3 signifying the death of democracy in Olongapo. Photos by Randy Datu/Rappler

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines – Olongapo City Mayor Rolen C. Paulino, Vice Mayor Aquilino Cortez, Jr., 8 city councilors, a former councilor and 5 department heads subject to six months suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman signified their intent to refuse the service of suspension of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) until the Court of Appeals decides on their application for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).

Speaking before government workers and officials during the flag ceremony on Monday, August 6, Paulino said the Ombudsman’s decision to suspend them for 6 months over misconduct was unfair.

“While we respect the rule of law, we will not step down until our appeal has been decided by the CA,” said the two-term mayor.

Paulino and Cortez are joined by the following:

Councilor Noel Atienza
Councilor Linus Bacay
Councilor Benjamin Cajudo II
Councilor Edna Elane
Councilor Eduardo Guerrero
Councilor Alreuela Bundang-Ortiz
former councilor Ellen Dabu,
ABC president Randy Sionzon
IP representative Egmedio Gonzales Jr.
City administrator Mamerto Malabute
City planning chief TK Balde
City accountant Cristiflor Buduhan,
City legal head Ana Florentino Sison
City budget chief Joy Fernandez Cahilig
They were earlier ordered suspended for 6 months by the Office of the Ombudsman for Simple Misconduct in relation to the city government’s lease of land to SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI). There were alleged irregularities in the 25-year lease of government property to SMPHI.

Paulino claimed the heavy punishment over a minor procedural lapse was unjust.

“Such offense normally merits a penalty of a mere reprimand to one month suspension at the most, the mayor said. “Why impose 6 months suspension on us?” he asked.

Paulino clarified all the original charges filed against them have been dismissed by the Ombudsman.

He appealed to the authorities to respect their decision as they want to wait for the CA’s decision on their appeal.

“We believe the decision to suspend us for 6 months was unfair but if the CA says otherwise, then we will follow, but not until the court rules on the TRO,” Paulino said.

Supporters of Mayor Paulino have started arriving and have massed infront of the city hall since morning after rumors floated around saying the DILG will serve the notice of suspension on Monday.

Some supporters even placed 3 coffins infront of the city hall, which Paulino followers say is a symbol that democracy in Olongapo is dead.

Cortez appealed to the crowd who for support as he reminded them of the year 1998 when he was with Sen. Dick Gordon, then Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chair, who was being ousted by an Administrative Order No. 1 of President Estrada.

The vice mayor, however, said the difference with that period is that now he is on the opposite side as he and other city officials attempt to fight what they consider an unfair order by the Ombudsman.

Both Cortez and Paulino were formerly two of Gordon’s assistants at the SBMA.

source: www.rappler.com

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President Duterte also signs Philippine Identification Act. pic.twitter.com/LfggdgTEtm

— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) August 6, 2018

MANILA (UPDATE) – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday signed a national ID system for citizens and resident aliens of the Philippines, as he sought to allay fears that privacy would be violated.

The Philippine System Identification Act (PhilSys Act) mandates the government to create a single official identification card for all citizens and foreign residents that would serve as a de facto national identification number.

Duterte said the PhilSys Act will pave the way for efficient services delivery, will enhance administrative governance, reduce corruption, curtail bureaucratic red tape, promote ease of doing business, and strengthen financial inclusion.

The President also assured the public that government will protect the data in the PhilSys database, amid concerns of possible data breach and privacy violations.

He noted that the information contained in the PhilSys can also be found in the databases of government organizations such as the Philippine Statistics Office, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, and the Commission on Elections.

“That fear is based on anything that borders to illegal. If at all, the Philippine ID will even aid in our drive against the social menaces of poverty, corruption, and criminal issues as well as terrorism and violent extremism,” Duterte said in his speech during the ceremonial signing of the law.

The national ID shall contain a person’s Philippine Identification System number, full name, gender, blood type, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, address, and a front facing photo.

Prior to the signing of the PhilSys Act, the Philippines had been one of the few countries in the world which had no national ID system.

Previous administrations attempted to establish a national ID system but these efforts were met with strong opposition.

The PSA will be the implementing agency of the measure.

National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Lisa Grace Bersales said in the months after the signing of the law, the PSA will be conducting a pilot implementation of the system in selected regions.

The pilot test aims to lay down the registration process prior to the full 5-year implementation starting 2019, Bersales said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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Wyndham announces its expansion in Clark, Philippines with the announcement of a new office building to house over 600 employees.

CLARK, PHILIPPINES (17 July 2018) – Wyndham Services Asia Pacific (Philippines) Inc., managed by Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific, broke ground on Friday to start the construction of its new office building located at Philexcel Business Park in Clark, Philippines.
Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific is a division of Wyndham Destinations (NYSE: WYND), the hospitality giant with an impressive portfolio of more than 4,000 resorts in 100 countries and over 25,000 employees, who serve millions of families each year. Wyndham Destinations is made up of three lines of business: Wyndham Vacation Clubs, RCI Exchanges and Wyndham Vacation Rentals.

The Asia Pacific teams form part of the Wyndham Vacation Clubs line of business. They manage, develop and market vacation ownership interests across two vacation clubs and a network of club resorts in the Asia Pacific region.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Liam Crawley, Chief Financial Officer, Wyndham Vacation Clubs Asia Pacific and Jerry Estrada, Director of Operations, Wyndham Philippines.

“As our resort portfolios and memberships in our WorldMark South Pacific Club, and CLUB WYNDHAM® ASIA vacation clubs continue to grow across the Asia Pacific region, we are strategically positioning teams in key business hubs to support this growth,” said Mr Crawley.

Construction is scheduled to start in the coming weeks and is expected to complete in early 2019. The new building will include two levels of basement parking, spacious training areas, meeting rooms and a cafeteria. Once complete, the office will accommodate more than 600 employees. A team from Philexcel Business Park will help complete the construction of the establishment.

“Clark is an ideal location to grow our offshore team thanks to its talent pool of skilled multilingual professionals, uncongested roads, well-connected offices to public transport terminals and a growing business landscape. We intend to double our staff strength by the end of 2018 and further expand our corporate services in 2019,” added Mr Crawley.

The Philippine entity was established in August 2017 and has provided offshore support to the company’s regional headquarters in Singapore, Shanghai and Gold Coast, Australia.

In less than a year, the company has grown in Clark to more than 140 staff members employed across functions such as customer support, technical and IT support, communications and creative services, human resources, finance, customer experience, sales, revenue and marketing.

Wyndham Services Asia Pacific (Philippines) Inc. is located within the Clark Freeport Zone area in the province of Pampanga in the north. The office is a short drive from Clark International Airport and less than two hours from Metro Manila.

source: punto.com.ph

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