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Latest News Updates
I couldn’t help to comment on the anti Wang-Wang trend. This has been the mark of PNoy’s speech during his inaugural.
this year
from January 1 to 7.According to the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA),
skywatchers can train their eyes on the northeastern skies where the
meteors are expected to radiate. To be exact, the meteors’ radiant would be located south of the Big Dipper.The agency said the meteors can be seen at the rate of at least 40 meteors per hour. The Quadrantid meteor shower hits the Earth’s atmosphere at the rate of about 40 kilometers per second. The showers are said to be incinerated dust apparently derived from the
debris ejected by the near-Earth asteroid 2003 EH discovered in 2003.The Quadrantids are named after the now defunct constellation Quadrant
Murales where the radiant was located during its discovery in 1835. Its
alternative name, the Bootids refers to the modern constellation of
Bootes where the shower appears to radiate.
(Honor guards stand in front of the Capitol of Iba during the inaugural ceremony of Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. Wednesday. Photo by Anthony Bayarong) He was sworn into office by RTC Judge Josefina D. Farrales, who also swore in other elected officials of the province. A political neophyte, Ebdane ran in the recent election against veteran politician Amor Deloso, who first served as OIC governor in 1986 and later won four terms, sitting as elected governor in 1988 to 1998, and again in 2007 to 2010. Ebdane, who won by a landslide in the May 10.In his inaugural address, Ebdane challenged Zambales officials, as well as residents, to rally to the call for change and progress, reminding them that the development of the province is everyone’s concern.
organised by and for members of
the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors (SAGS) – a motley band of
sailing enthusiasts who wanted to sail in Subic Bay despite the
challenges posed by fickle yacht club rules and the weather. They just
went out and did it.
focuses on as part of his “HELPS
Program,” the letter "L" standing for Livelihood and labor.With
the full support of First Lady and Zambales Vice Gov. Anne Marie
Gordon, Mayor Bong Gordon wants to strengthen ‘self-employment’ and
address both unemployment and underemployment, thus the creation of the
Livelihood Cooperative Development Office (LCDO).The projects
of the LCDO includes the ‘Gawang Gapo Product Exhibit’. ‘Gawang Gapo’
provides budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to display and sell
their products at the lobby of the City Hall. In 2009, over sixty (60)
exhibitors availed of the chance to showcase their products.Also,
over one thousand (1,000) residents benefitted from the Livelihood
Skills Training given by the LCDO like fish processing, fruit preserves
making, herbal soap-making, balloon decorating, scented candle making,
fashion accessories making and many others.
market worldwide with its aggressive tourism promotion program and the continuous development of tourism facilities in this free port.
| School, work suspended in Gapo due to Basyang |
| Monday, 26 July 2010 00:00 | |||
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Classes in all levels in Olongapo City were suspended while
government work in Subic Bay were suspended 6:30 am Wednesday after
storm signal no.2 was raised in the province of Zambales.
Olongapo City and Subic Freeport was also left without power midnight Wednesday after strong winds from Tropical storm Basyang hit central Luzon Tuesday evening. Basang who is expected to be at 400 km Northwest of Iba, Zamables tomorrow morning and at 760 km North Northwest of Iba, Zambales by Friday morning. Written by
subictimes The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently implemented the
electronic Gatepass Management System (GMS) for shipments admitted in
this Freeport in an effort to stop ‘tax and duties” leakage.
SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said the new automated system “would help stem tax and duty leakages of Subic imports into the domestic market.” Arreza said the system used scanners to ensure that only “legal goods” exit the gates. The 2010 award for outstanding
international volunteer contributions was given by the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities at a recent conference in Toronto. The award
goes to the city but it was city planning policy manager Michael Cooke
and Essex Region Conservation Authority source water protection
director Stan Taylor who gave up vacation time to work in the
Philippines. "They're
so highly regarded over there the two were named honorary sons," said
Coun. Percy Hatfield, who serves on the board of directors for the
Federation of Canadian Municipalities and also went to the Philippines. Cooke
said the exchanges started in 2005 with members of Olongapo,
Philippines, coming to Windsor. Cooke and Taylor made six trips to the
Philippines over the past few years. Cooke said he helped with planning the city which has more than 200,000 residents and is west of Manilla. Taylor worked on flood control to deal with heavy rains in July and August. The federation pays for travel and accommodations for the exchanges.
SBMA enters joint-venture deal with Harbour Centre to develop Subic Port SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – A joint venture agreement has been signed between the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc. (HCPTI) to develop the former Naval Supply Depot (NSD), a logistics center in this free port, along with other wharfs and piers, here.Harbour Centre, the country’s largest private commercial port operator for non-containerized cargo, has committed to develop and transform this Freeport zone into a modern industrial port and logistics hub in the Northern Luzon area.
Harbour Centre pledged some P6-billion worth of investments for the NSD project. This is broken down into P3 billion for the improvement of the NSD area, and another P3 billion for the procurement of equipment necessary in the operation. In a statement, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said that the joint venture agreement would also give Harbour Centre the right to develop other port areas in Subic such as the Boton, Alava, Rivera and Bravo ports. Arreza, SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga, HCPTI chairman Reghis Romero II and HCPTI CEO Michael Romero signed the agreement at the EDSA Shangrila Hotel late Wednesday afternoon. Arreza said the venture will last for a period of 25 years, during which HCPTI guarantees SBMA a minimum of $500,000 per year, plus an annual increase, inclusive of a variable commitment per metric ton of 20 percent depending on the volume. The project would also involve the construction of warehouses, cold storage, a food terminal and an oil depot inside the 17-hectare NSD area, making it a multi-purpose terminal that is capable of handling various types of cargo. Arreza said the SBMA is keen on pushing with the project, as it will be beneficial to the government. “This will parallel the SBMA program to improve Subic ’s capacity as a maritime logistics and service center,” he said. He added that his office received HCPTI’s unsolicited proposal in November 16. “After evaluating it, we presented it to the board (of SBMA) and then went on to renegotiations with both parties,” Arreza said. He added that the renegotiations took 30 days, and this effectively put things into perspective and that all agreement done would be converted into terms of reference. Arreza added that another bidder could give a higher offer, subjecting it to Swiss challenge wherein HCPTI has the right to match any offers given by the other bidder. Meanwhile, HCPTI chairman Reghis Romero stated that they are very confident that they will get the contract for the operation of the ports in Subic . According to Romero, the company forecasts to service six million metric tons or more of cargo in Subic . “The point is how much cargo can you increase so that the Philippine economy will benefit,” Romero said. “It’s not only in providing the services, but also getting the locators by providing more cargo for their specific port.” Arreza also explained that the NSD port is now used for unloading heavy machinery, vehicles and grains, adding that the NSD “is more than capable of handling 2 million metric tons every year.” “For them to break even, they have to service around 4 to 5 million metric tons of cargo. HCPTI is confident that they can do so,” Arreza added. Currently, the NSD terminal caters to the port requirements of businesses in Central and Northern Luzon and the Subic Bay Freeport. The water frontage of NSD terminal is around 800 meters wide and is partially bulk-headed with most of the area having rock-rubble shore protection. NSD has an open storage and transit area of approximately 6.26 hectares. (REY GARCIA)
SBMA: No rush to close Subic airport SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—While the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) is losing money ever since Federal Express transferred its Asia One logistics hub from here to China in February last year, Subic authorities are still reluctant to close it down.Armand Arreza, administrator and chief executive officer of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said they are still evaluating its viability and exploring alternatives for the SBIA, which serves as a secondary airport and a main diversion terminal for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
“There
is no rush to close the airport,” Arreza told Subic locators in a
recent meeting. “Actually, we are still marketing the airport and
looking for other alternatives to make it useful.” Arreza said among the options under consideration is turning part of the 200-hectare airport into a logistics area. “If we convert 40 hectares of the airport’s 200-hectare area, then we can raise about $80 million,” Arreza said. “This 40-hectare portion could serve as a logistics area, while the rest could be used for commercial development,” he added. The SBIA grew from what was the Naval Air Station when Subic was still an American military base. Built
in the early years of the SBMA in the hope of servicing both passenger
and cargo planes, the SBIA is equipped with a 2,728-meter runway,
modern navigational systems, and a 10,000-square meter passenger
terminal that could handle 700 passengers at any given time. The airport can also take in 41
commercial aircraft, a capacity proven in the past few years when
Taiwanese passenger planes were diverted to Subic after the
island-nation was buffeted by typhoons. Since
1996 until February last year, the Subic airport served as the
Asia-Pacific hub of courier giant FedEx. But when FedEx planes flew out
to China for good in 2009, the SBIA was largely relegated to serving as
the base for training schools. Meanwhile,
the dream of having passenger airlines making connecting flights to
Subic never really took off after some attempts by several firms. According
to SBMA records, aircraft movement in the Subic free port significantly
dropped from 108,686 in 2008 when FedEx still operated out of Subic, to
just 57,246 in 2009. Similarly, passenger movement plummeted from 10,682 in 2008 to only 7,059 in 2009. Arreza said that due to slow business, the airport has been missing out on its $20-million loan payments. “Economically,
it doesn’t make sense anymore to continue its operations,” Arreza said
in a recent media briefing. “It doesn’t even break even anymore, as it
did when FedEx was still here.” Arreza
said the planned conversion of part of the Subic airport is consistent
with the SBMA expansion program, which was meant to address the limited
commercial and industrial space in Subic’s controlled area. “The
trend now in Subic is to move out of the central business district, and
even outside the traditional boundaries, the fenced-in portion,” Arreza
said. “We will now focus on developing significant infrastructure facilities in those areas in
NCFP to host 2 major int’l chess tilts in Subic NATIONAL Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) is hosting at least two major international chess tournaments in Subic this year.NCFP president/chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. said the country will host the 2010 Asian Continental Individual men’s and women’s championships on April 20 to 30 and the ASEAN age-group chess tournament on June 4 to 13 both at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center. As much as US$ 55,000 in cash prizes are at stake in the Asian Individual Championships.“The
year 2009 was a very good year for Philippine chess, especially with GM
Wesley So earning a lot of respect from the international community,”
said Pichay. “But
we believe the coming year could even be bigger with the country again
hosting the Asian Individual Chess Championships and the ASEAN
age-group chess tournament,” added Pichay, who plans to host as many as
five international tournaments to give the much-needed exposure to the
Filipino players. Pichay
said top players from all over Asia are again expected to participate
in the nine-round competition, which is considered as one of the
biggest chess competitions in the region. Aside
from the juicy cash prizes, at stake in the 2010 Asian Championships of
four berths to the 2011 World Chess Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansiysk,
Russia. This
will be the third time in four years that the country is hosting the
Asian Individual Championships under the able leadership of Pichay and
secretary-general and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. NCFP
executive/events director Willie Abalos said the ASEAN age-group
championship is another must-see event in the chess calendar. Now
on its 11th year, the ASEAN age-group tournament for boys and girls is
divided into six categories: 18 years old and under, 16-under,
14-under, 12-under, 10-under and 8-under. Abalos
also said top Asian players have also been invited to add spice to the
week-long tournament. correspondent MARLON BERNARDINO - Cebu Daily News Foreign-based Filipino journalists invited to join 14th national press congress in Subic MANILA, Nov. 23 (PNA) -- Filipino journalist, including publishers, broadcasters, writers, authors, editors, columnists, reporters, who are currently working abroad are invited to attend the 14th National Press Congress on Dec. 10-12, this year, in Subic Freeport Zone.The Filipino journalists who have been residing abroad for many years now particularly in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and some parts of Asia, are working as publisher, editors, authors, writers and photographers Johnny C. Nuñez, executive director of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI), the organizer of the biggest annual media gathering, said: “Hundreds of Filipino journalists are operating their craft in almost all states in the U.S. and Canada. “They are especially serving the Filipino communities in Guam, Hawaii, California, Alaska, New York and other states. In Canada, the Filipino newspapers are quite strong in Vancouver and Toronto. The Filipino craftsmen are also seen in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and other parts of Asia. The press congress will have “The Challenges of the Information-Driven Age” for its theme, around which the various topics of discussion will revolve. Among the topics are 1) Media Freedom and Responsibility; 2) The Responsibility of Media in the 2010 Elections; 3) Culture and Media; 4) A Critical Look into the Philippine Political Culture; 5) Career Options for the Youth and students in Cross Media; 6) Media and the Moral Force Movement; 7) Global Trends in Media; 8)Future of the Publishing Industry; 9) The Gravity and Threats of Global Warming and Climate Change; and, 10)Good Governance and Sustainable Economic Development, among others. Aside from its regular participants that usually include publishers, editors, reporters, broadcasters, corporate public affairs officer and executives, government information officers, campus writers, mass communication instructors and students, are also expected to attend the event which has some foreign experts invited as resource speakers. Parties interested to participate in this year’s strategic convergence in Subic may contact the PAPI Secretariat at Unit 206 Cityland Condominium8, No.98, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City, telephones (02) 892-9278; (02) 501-3118; Cellphone Numbers 0920-9094379 and 0917-8498730 or e-mail inquiries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (PNA)
A Taiwanese manufacturer of locks has expanded its operation at the Subic Bay Freeport, northwest of Manial, opening a new, P246-million plant meant for exporting a million sets monthly.Tony Ho, chairman of Tong Lung (Philippines) Metal Industry Co. Ltd., said in a statement the facility would produce zinc die-cast and zinc-plated doorknob and lock sets.
Ho said the company wanted to make the Subic plant its second most important hardware production base in Asia, after its factory in Taiwan, which has a monthly production capacity of 1.5 million units. He said Tong Lung was expanding its business despite the global economic downturn, and now had “a thousand suppliers and subcontractors.” Chung Yu Wang, company vice chairman, said the new plant was built in one year and would create 1,000 jobs when fully operational. The 54-year-old company serves markets in Asia, America, Europe and Africa. In 2006, after Tong Lung emerged from the brink of bankruptcy eight years earlier, it announced plans for gradually moving its low-end production to its original factory in Subic in a bid to save costs. That year, the old plant started mass production, with a capacity of 300,000 lock sets a month. Source: Inquirer
Hanjin to build more ships in Subic MANILA, Philippines--After completing four ships in the Subic Bay Freeport, northwest of Manila, and despite fatal accidents, Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) plans to build more ships in its shipyard in the free port after launching two vessels last Dec 4. Company officials said that with standing orders from fleet owners the $1.6-billion shipbuilding facility was “fast catching up” with its facilities in South Korea—among the biggest in the world—in terms of efficiency and quality of work. HHIC-Phil announced that it had launched the third and fourth container ships built in Subic, to be named Opal and Topaz, worth $60 million each. Company deputy managing director Pyeong Jong Yu said the two vessels would be delivered to the Greek shipping firm Dioryx Maritime Corp. Dioryx is the same firm that received the first two previous deliveries from Subic, named Argolikos and Turquoise—launched in July and August, respectively. Dioryx is also awaiting the delivery of the fifth and sixth ships from Subic. “We have finished building these two 4,300-TEU (twenty-food equivalent unit) container vessels within six and a half months without compromising required high quality,” Yu said. Yu attributed Hanjin’s success so far to the “hardworking attitude of our employees, systematic training at Skill Development Center that is deemed largest in the world, actual work-training in the shipyard thereafter, and the size of dry dock No. 5, where four vessels can be simultaneously built together.” Further, Yu praised the “ever-increasing number of skilled Filipino workers employed at our shipyard,” which now number at least 15,000. “Our company expects to achieve its goal of launching more than 15 vessels next year as the workers will surely become better familiarized with shipbuilding works due to continuous training and enhanced work experience,” he said. Also last week, the board of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority announced that it had banned a subcontractor of Hanjin but spared the Korean shipyard owner from suspension despite the death of 17 Filipino workers at the facility in Subic Bay Freeport since 2006.
Dental Health The Dental Health program of Olongapo City Mayor James ‘Bong’ Gordon Jr. for drivers still continues and City Dentist Donald Vigo will give away ID cards and stickers to Public Utility Drivers (PUD) of the city on the 7th of December 2008 after the free screening of the Pacquiao vs. de la Hoya fight at the Olongapo City Convention Center (OCCC).
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