The country’s so-called theme park capital is also earning raves as a prime location spot for filming movies and television shows because of its lush forests, scenic beaches and coasts, strong bio-diversity, and unique environment moods.

Celebrity Car Wars shoots in Subic Bay

Jem Camba, head of the Tourism Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said that a lot of movie and TV producers and directors prefer to bring their production to Subic because of the unique environment provided by the former US Naval Base.

“Subic has almost everything you need for your required locations. We have here forests and mountains, rivers and the sea, theme parks, factories and entertainment facilities, and the remnants of the former military base,” Camba pointed out.

“This is the reason why a lot of local and some foreign movies, as well as Filipino tele-novelas, are being shot in the Subic Bay Freeport,” she added.

Camba also noted that Tourism Promotion Board CEO Cesar Montano had recently noted that a movie and television studios can be developed in the Subic Freeport.

In an interview with entertainment editor Ricky Lo, Montano said that he told SBMA Chairman Martin Diño that Subic is a perfect place for some kind of a Universal Studios.

“Subic has everything you need,” Montano said, pointing out that it has an an airport, an ocean park, a rain forest, a zoo, a port, a highway and other things that a film location must have.

Amelia Torralba-Perez of the Mandala Video and Events Production, had also described Subic as an excellent place for location shooting.

“We can find everything here in Subic,” Perez said. “We have world-class accommodations, we have good food, and for the longest time we’ve been here, people in SBMA are not giving us a hard time. That is why we are coming back here with all of our projects.”

Perez was in Subic recently for the location shoot of the History TV series “Celebrity Car Wars”, an Amazing Race-like show with cars and celebrities from Asian nations who do extreme challenges on cars like drifting and off-roading.

Perez said that since 2005, she has been referring Subic as a location site for various television and movie production, such as the Discovery Channel, BBC, TV-series Jack Irish, as well as some American, Japanese and French shows.

In June this year, an episode of the documentary series entitled “Before the 90 Days” for American Network’s The Learning Channel (TLC) was filmed in Subic with contributors American Lawrence “Larry” Passariello and his Filipino girlfriend Jenny de Guzman.

Among the first movies shot in Subic was “Goodbye America” which was released in 1997. It was an action-drama that portrayed the closing of the U.S. military base at Subic Bay and how it affected the lives of the people in the surrounding communities and the Americans who had served in the base.

First Published: subicnewslink.blogspot.com

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Nag-uwi ang Philippine Taekwondo Team, kabilang ang isang walong taong gulang na bata mula sa lungsod ng Olongapo, ng mga medalya sa katatapos lamang na 11th World Taekwondo Cultural Exposition sa South Korea.

Photo credit: Mr. Norman Tuzon

Ang pride ng Olongapo na si Akian Tuzon ay nakasungkit ng dalawang gold medal at isang silver medal sa iba’t ibang kategorya ng kompetisyon. Si Akian ang natatanging pambato ng Olongapo City na kabilang sa team Philippines na lumahok sa nasabing kompetisyon.

Nagwagi siya ng 2 gold medals sa Poomsae at Kyorugi at silver medalist naman siya sa cultural presentation. Si Akian ay anak nina Eliza at Norman Tuzon at kasalukuyang siyang nasa 4th grade sa Quiz Bee School sa loob ng Subic Bay Freeport.

Bilang bahagi ng cultural presentation sa naturang paligsahan, si Akian ay nagpamalas ng isang Igorot dance kasama ang kanyang inang si Eliza. Ayon sa kanyang amang si Norman, ito unang sabak ng bata sa isang international Taekwondo competition subalit madalas na umanong sumali at magwagi si Akian sa mga kompetisyon sa Pilipinas.

Dumating sa bansa si Akian kahapon mula sa naturang kumpetisyon sa South Korea.Samantala, nagwagi din ang coach ni Akian na si Pablo Calatong Jr. ng silver medal sa Poomsae Event.
Nagsimula ang 11th World Taekwondo Cultural Exposition noong July 13 at natapos kahapon at ito ay ginanap sa Muju, South Korea.

Kabilang din sa mga nag-uwi ng mga medalya ang mga kinatawan ng Roxas City at lalawigan ng Capiz. Ilan pa sa mga kategoryang pinagwagian ng team Philippines ay ang blue belt division, under 16 division, at red belt division.

Labing-isang taon nang ginanagap ang naturang kompetisyon na nilalahukan ng iba’t ibang mga taekwondo champions mula sa iba’t ibang bansa.

Source: facebook.com

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All appears quiet at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in the past few days, as officials and employees alike awaited Malacañang decision on the leadership row that pitted its head of agency against its chief executive officer. Workers at the Subic agency said on Monday that they have no inkling on who is going to stay as top official after business locators and concerned local government units called for President Duterte’s intervention to settle the issue.

SBMA awaiting Palace verdict on leadership

“Between Chairman Martin Diño and Administrator Wilma Eisma, we still don’t know who’s going to be chosen by President Digong,” said a female utility worker at Bldg. 229, the agency’s main office along the Waterfront Road here.

“But of course, we want somebody who can manage the SBMA well and really has malasakit for the Subic Freeport, and one who can relate with foreign investors and represent Subic with dignity and pride,” said the employee who asked not to be named.

Still, the management of the SBMA, which prides itself for the high morale and excellent work ethic of its employees, said that the agency is going through its businesses and services as usual.

“We are all awaiting the President’s verdict, whatever it will be, but that doesn’t mean the world has stopped revolving over here,” said Administrator Eisma, a lawyer who started with the SBMA as a volunteer in 1992. “Our employees continue to work hard; we in the management likewise continue to work hard, and it’s a busy schedule for everybody on the ground,” she added.

Eisma herself had been to Taiwan the other week to make a pitch for the Philippine government at the Philippine Investment Promotion Plan (PIPP) Investment Roadshow in Taipei and Taichung City.

“Despite the leadership issue here, the SBMA has, in fact, been doing well,” Eisma said. “So well, perhaps, that even Chairman Diño, who has been criticizing the SBMA and describing it as on the verge of financial collapse, had lately announced to the media our accomplishments in terms of revenue, investments, jobs, exports, and other economic indicators.”

Eisma also said that despite the uncertainty of retaining her SBMA post, she has faith that whatever President Duterte’s decision will be, it would be for the best of the Subic agency.

“If it’s Chairman Diño who’d be chosen, then I’ll gladly go quietly into the night, so to speak, because after all I’m just here to serve Subic, which is my home and the home of my fellow volunteers,” she said.

“On the other hand, if President Duterte chooses me to stay, then he can be sure that I’d give the best of what I learned and experienced in the private sector to bring the SBMA and the Subic Freeport to their rightful place as catalysts of economic development and inclusive growth in the community,” Eisma added.

The leadership tussle between Diño and Eisma, who are both Duterte appointees, started last May when Diño issued Administrative Order No. 01-2017, which interfered and encroached upon the duties of the Administrator and CEO, as well as on the board’s oversight functions.

Diño had also quarreled with the OIC-administrator that Malacañang had appointed before Eisma.

The SBMA conflict sparked an investigation by the House of Representative on Executive Order No. 340, which separated the position and functions of the SBMA chairman from that of the SBMA administrator, who was originally the sole appointee under Republic Act 7227, or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992.

Lately, business locators in Subic had asked Malacañang to intervene, and called for the appointment of a capable administrator-chairman to lead the SBMA.

Before this, seven local government executives around the Subic Bay Freeport had expressed support to Eisma in the ongoing leadership tussle and decried Diño for making “a series of inappropriate, unfitting, baseless and disruptive actions” that adversely affected the SBMA.

First Published: subicnewslink.blogspot.com

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The Port of Subic posted an impressive 11 percent growth in revenue in the first five months of this year, despite less ship calls recorded in the same period. According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator and CEO Wilma Eisma, total port revenue logged from January to May 2017 in Subic reached P488.82 million, which was 11 percent higher than the P440.99 million recorded in the same period last year.

Port of Subic revenue grows 11%

“Considering that there were less ship calls this year than last year—we had a total of 1,164 in January to May 2017 compared to P1,414 in 2016—then that was still a remarkable achievement for Subic,” Eisma said.

Aside from this, she said that the Subic port also registered a 23 percent increase in export value, with total exports reaching US$1.06 billion in the first five months of 2017, compared to just US$865.26 million in the same period last year.

Similarly, Subic’s import value also rose by 9 percent in the same period, or from US$628.65 million last year to the current US$682.18 million, she added.

Eisma said that much of the growth in port business in Subic involved containerized cargo, which increased in volume from 51,346 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in January-May 2016 to 55,516 TEUs this year, for an eight percent increase.

However, non-containerized cargo volume suffered a five percent decrease, as only 2.96 million metric tons (MTs) passed through the Port of Subic this year, compared to 3.12 million MTs last year.

Still, the Port of Subic continues to attract more business, as 10 shipping lines now regularly call on Subic, said Ronnie Yambao, head of the SBMA port marketing office.

The shipping lines, Yambao said, include major players like the Taiwan-based Evergreen, which is the fifth biggest shipping company in the world; the Singapore-based American President Lines (APL); Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) of Japan; Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) also of japan; SITC Container Lines of China; and Wan Hai Lines, also of Taiwan.

The other shipping firms that call on Subic are: Bow Ship Management, Inc.; T. Madsen Shipping Philippines, Inc.; Soriamont Steamship Shipping; and Uni Ship Incorporated.

Yambao said the SBMA under Eisma’s administration seeks to increase container traffic in the Subic Bay Freeport and actively promotes Subic as an ideal shipping port for businesses in Central and North Luzon.

First Published: subicnewslink.blogspot.com

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The country’s premier Freeport will host Ad Summit Pilipinas 2018, which will mark the return for the third time here of the biggest learning event in advertising and marketing industry in the country.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Norman Agatep, chairman of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As), recently signed a memorandum of agreement for the holding of the conference at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center here on March 7 to 10 next year.

SBMA Administrator & CEO Wilma T. Eisma and 4As Chairman Norman Agatep sign a memorandum of agreement for the holding of Ad Summit Pilipinas 2018 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in March next year. Witnessing the signing are SBMA Director Stefani Saño (right of photo) and members of the Ad Summit Pilipinas 2018 working committee.

Organized by 4As, Ad Summit Pilipinas is a biennial gathering of industry professionals that highlights discussions by some of the best in the world of advertising and marketing today, and also showcases a trade exhibit featuring cutting-edge business ideas, industry trends, and state-of-the-art technologies.

“It means a lot for us this vote of confidence from 4As and the organizing committee,” said Atty. Ramon Agregado, who is SBMA senior deputy administrator for support services.

He added that the decision of organizer to bring back Ad Summit Pilipinas to Subic shows a strong partnership between Ad Summit Pilipinas and SBMA. “We guarantee that we will work twice as hard to make the third edition of the Ad Summit a great success,” Agregado remarked.

With the theme “DIY Your ROI” (or do-it-yourself your return of investment), Ad Summit Pilipinas 2018 is said to challenge current mindsets on the way marketing campaigns are being evaluated. It will also explore new ways of determining brand success beyond the return of investment (ROI).

“What we hope to accomplish in Ad Summit Pilipinas 2018 is to open our eyes and minds to see the different ROIs that can helps us sharpen our measure of returns for our brands,” said over-all event chairperson Norman Agatep.

The event aims to examine ROIs through the lens of clever customization, where a brand’s performance is measured against objectives that go beyond commercial success and cross over to such returns as brand love, behavioral change, social good, environmental impact, and pop culture influence.

“The world has changed today; it is not only the opportunity of measuring money, as there are lots of forms of return of investment to consider,” Agatep explained.

“If we look at a hammer, we only see a nail. But if we look closer, we will see ideas or innovations, or influence. Return of investment could be redefined as return of insights, return of intelligence or return of impact,” he noted.

As a convention tradition, Ad Summit Pilipinas will also be home to Creative Guild’s Kidlat Awards, which is intended to establish “Kidlat” as the most prestigious advertising competition in the Philippines, honoring some of the country’s enduring luminaries and most creative and excellently-crafted campaigns.

“These are all in line with our mission to nurture a marketing communication environment that redefines creative excellence that’s in tune with an ever-restless and evolving industry,” Agatep added.

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