Olongapo City - Relief goods from Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce

Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce headed by President Danny J. Piano gave relief goods to those who were affected by typhoon Pedring and Quiel last Saturday, October 8, 2011 in Sta. Rita Elementary School and Nagbaculao.

more photos in this link

Olongapo City - Absolute Service, Inc. wins the 2011 ECOP KAPATID Award

Professor Danny J. Piano, President of Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce received a city resolution commending him for being the recipient of a Special Award during the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) KAPATID Awards.

(Photo Courtesy of PAO - Shinji Abe)

Absolute Services, Inc.(ASI), a duly registered company based in Subic Bay Freeport Zone was among the 13 companies nominated for the coveted award and was chosen as the Grand KAPATID Awardee for 2011.

Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) Kapatiran sa Industria or KAPATID Awards is a biennial event which recognizes companies that exemplify good business practices in the fields of industrial relations, productivity and quality, social accountability, and strategic visioning and partnering for business and job survival.

ASI was also a recipient of the Best Employer Award given by the Social Security Service (SSS) for not only sustaining and surpassing the superior service and high quality work but also providing job opportunities to all regardless of age, sexual orientation, and physical capacity.

Absolute Service, Inc. wins the 2011 ECOP KAPATID Award

Absolute Services, Inc.(ASI), a duly registered company based in Subic Bay Freeport Zone was among the 13 companies nominated for the coveted award and was chosen as the Grand KAPATID Awardee for 2011.

Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) Kapatiran sa Industria or KAPATID Awards is a biennial event which recognizes companies that exemplify good business practices in the fields of industrial relations, productivity and quality, social accountability, and strategic visioning and partnering for business and job survival.

No less than the President of the Republic, His Excellency Benigno Aquino III handed over the award to Professor Danilo J. Piano, ASI President during a ceremony held last Thursday.

ASI was also a recipient of the Best Employer Award given by the Social Security Service (SSS) for not only sustaining and surpassing the superior service and high quality work but also providing job opportunities to all regardless of age, sexual orientation, and physical capacity.

Olongapo City - State of the Freeport Address 2011

The State of the Freeport Address (SOFA) is an annual event organized by the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok4MDxOTQkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y44L_lols8o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ7Zym-B83c

Olongapo City - Induction of SBFCC Officers

Induction of  Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) Officers led by Hon. Armand C. Arreza,  SBMA Administrator & CEO on February 15, 2011 at Subic Bay Exhibition & Convention Center (SBECC).

2011 Board of Directors

President:           Prof. Danny J. Piano

V-President:       Tom DeBruin

Corp Secretary:   Atty. Romeo Duran

Treasurer:           Lawrence L. Lusung

Director:             Reimond B. Silvestre

Director:             Lewis Strickland

Director:             Jesus E. Avecilla

     

PGMA supports billboard ban at SCTEX

Gloria favors billboard ban on new road

Joyce Pangco Pañares - Manila Standard Today

PRESIDENT Gloria Arroyo said Sunday she wanted billboards banned along the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway that might block the view from the newly built road.

“I will ask our legal team to look at the laws we can invoke to ensure there will be no billboards along [the new road],” she says.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said safety considerations also led to the Palace position that billboards should not be allowed to proliferate along the expressway.

Earlier, the members of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce said they opposed billboards on the highway because those could harm tourism in the area.

“Imagine the ill-effects that billboards will bring to Subic and the areas along [the highway],” group head Danny Piano said.

“[They] will destroy the beautiful landscape along the expressway, which is the foundation of the local tourism industry.

Piano said his group had already sent its position paper to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which in turn said it “fully supports the movement to protect the beautiful scenery along [the highway].”

But the agency said only the Public Works Department had jurisdiction over billboards and the authority to take any of them down when it saw fit.

Related Articles

http://subicbaynews.blogspot.com/2009/06/subic-business-wants-billboards-banned.html

A RESOLUTION UPHOLDING ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 160 SERIES OF 2006 WHICH DIRECTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS TO ABATE AND DISMANTLE BILLBOARDS SPECIFICALLY ALONG THE SUBIC-CLARK-TARLAC EXPRESSWAY (SCTEX)

Subic locator awarded by SSS as Best Employer

Absolute Service, Inc–Philippine Branch, a typesetting and book composition company located inside the Subic Freeport since 1995 was awarded by the Philippine Social Security System agency with a plaque for Best Employer in the Olongapo/Subic area in the medium-sized company category. Medium-size category is one with 500 or less employees.

The SSS turned 52 this year. The anniversary celebration for the Central Luzon Region was held September 8, 2009 at the Teatro Convento in Nayong Pilipino at the Clark Expo in Clark Field, Pampanga.

The awards are tributes given to organizations that significantly contributed to the SSS' pursuit of its mandate. The organizations are honored for their compliance to the provisions of the SSS Law in terms of coverage, collection, giving out of benefits, accuracy and timeliness of their submission of reports, participation in SSS programs, and for putting the well-being of their employees in high regard.

ASI specializes in medical, technical, and K12 books. Its Philippine Branch is headed by its President & CEO, Prof. Danny Piano. Prof. Piano is also the current president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce. subicchamber.org

Zambales under state of calamity

THE whole province of Zambales is now under state of calamity due to severe damage caused by Typhoon Kiko.

This was confirmed by Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, saying because of the heavy damages in the province, Zambales Gov. Amor D. Deloso declare the whole province under a state of calamity.

Aside from Zambales, also hit by Typhoon Kiko were provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac and Northern Philippines.

Arevalo said as part of government efforts to help affected residents the Navy disaster response teams has been on alert.

He said six disaster and rescue response (DRR) teams, two from the Naval Forces Northern Luzon and four from the Naval Education and Training Command rescued a total of 521 persons in flash- floods in Central and Northern Luzon.

The teams of around 80 officers and enlisted personnel rushed to Botolan, Zambales, particularly at Barangays Paco, Bangan and Carael to conduct rescue and assistance operations in response to the distress call.

Each DRR team is equipped with one M35 truck with DRR trailer, two rubber boats and complete DRR equipment.

Aside from these, members of Provincial Disaster Coordination Council boarded the Navy’s aircraft PN Islander 312 and conducted air reconnaissance of the flooded areas in Zambales.

NETC also transported 100 sacks of relief goods from Olongapo to Botolan.

The Navy’s immediate response to distressed citizens in times of natural calamities affirms the Navy’s multi-faceted role in carrying out non-combatant missions. By: Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca - Journal online

Meanwhile, the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce lead by Prof. Danny Piano is continually sending donations to the affected areas...

Follow link below to discuss this article or to send donations

http://subicchamber.org/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=82.0

http://subicchamber.org/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=83.0

Is the Philippines de-industrializing?

I was heartened to read an Agence France-Presse report that quoted Subic Freeport administrator Armand C. Arreza saying the most sensible thing about the future of Subic.

By Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas - Philippine Daily Inquirer

As more and more manufacturing activities in the Philippines are being phased out because of competition from countries like China, Vietnam and Indonesia which offer lower labor costs, some of our leaders are concerned that the Philippines is “de-industrializing.” This trend started in the last century with the closing down of textile, garments, shoe, plastic, and chemicals factories. More recently, we are witnessing the accelerating disappearance of electronics and semiconductor devices manufacturing, the most notable of which was Intel, the giant that for 30 years waxed lyrical about the productivity of Filipino workers. Is it true that if more of these manufacturing activities disappear, the Philippines will be de-industrializing and will become an economy where services and agriculture will predominate?

Before we announce the demise of industry, let us be clear about definitions. Manufacturing is only one of the four major components of industry. The other three are mining; public utilities (like energy, water and telecom); and construction. Even assuming that manufacturing would shrink as a percentage of GDP over the next few decades, we shall continue to see the expansion of mining (the Philippines is the fourth mineralized country in the world); public utilities (there is tremendous room for growth in energy, water and telecom); and construction (we are light years behind in infrastructure development compared to countries like China, Taiwan, South Korea, etc.). That is why I am not worried about the Philippines de-industrializing.

I was heartened to read an Agence France-Presse report that quoted Subic Freeport administrator Armand C. Arreza saying the most sensible thing about the future of Subic. Commenting on the shift in Subic from manufacturing to tourism and logistics, he said that Subic’s manufacturing future had been in question even before the ongoing global crisis hit electronics companies. He said that for the past several years, low-wage competition from China and Vietnam has been luring companies away from Subic. He categorically stated that “low-cost manufacturing is not the area where Subic is competitive. Most of our land area is protected forests and protected seas. We don’t have any space to accommodate large industrial parks.” In his opinion, the future of Subic lies in tourism, medical care, shipbuilding and logistics, using the ample space still available for warehouses, especially the space around the largely unused Subic airport.

Subic is like a microcosm of the entire Philippines. We have more than 7,000 islands, many of which can attract millions of tourists (domestic and foreign) if only we build more efficient infrastructure (which, I repeat, are part of industry). Besides, we have highly educated and motivated industrial workers. We can, therefore, graduate to higher-value manufacturing in the electronics and semiconductor devices sector. When I say that the likes of Intel, Fairchild, Texas Instruments will phase out their labor-intensive manufacturing activities, I am not suggesting that the whole industry is doomed to extinction. The key is found in the statement, quoted in the same AFP report, of Prof. Danny J. Piano, president of the Subic Chamber of Commerce: “Subic manufacturers can survive. The Philippines has the capability to do good high-end work due to workers’ better education, communication and English skills.”

The electronics and semi-conductor devices industry is now in crisis because for 30 years, it has hardly graduated from low-value manufacturing to the high-end work to which Piano is referring. Unless we can produce more engineers and highly skilled technical workers who can be employed at the higher end of electronics manufacturing, then we will see more firms in this sector (that accounts for more than 60 percent of our exports) following the example of Intel, which decided to leave the Philippines even before the present deep recession. I hope other export-processing zones such as those in Mactan, Batangas, Laguna and Cavite are listening to the wise advice of the Subic officials. They have to encourage their industrial tenants to go upscale in the manufacture of electronics and semiconductor devices.

(Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas is senior vice president of the University of Asia and the Pacific. For comments, his email address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.)

Subic business wants billboards banned along SCTEx

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT — Businessmen in this free port are now advocating for a ban on commercial billboards along the scenic Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), pointing out that an unsullied view of the natural landscape would be a better come-on for tourists.

Prof. Danny Piano, president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC), said tourists have expressed appreciation of the billboard-free view along the SCTEx, adding that a lack of clear-cut policies on commercial billboards might spur the proliferation of giant outdoor advertisements along the 94-kilometer expressway.

“The scenery along SCTEx, when blocked by giant billboards, could also seriously harm tourism in the area,” Piano warned.

“[Billboards] will destroy the beautiful landscape, which is the foundation of the tourism industry,” Piano said during the recent taping here of The Freeport Forum, a new television show covering developments in Subic and the Clark Free Port.

He added that concerned government agencies should come up with clear and strict policies against the erection of billboards along the SCTEx, which was built to hasten the flow of goods and services between economic centers in the Central Luzon region.

Piano said Subic businessmen, who consider tourism as a major industry in this free port, believe it is in the best interest of the public to prohibit billboard advertisements along the SCTEx.

“There is a growing movement to make this so,” Piano said, adding that his group’s position is backed by several organizations and local government units (LGUs).

Piano said the SBFCC has sent a position paper on the proposed billboards ban to Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Narciso Abaya, who reportedly committed his agency’s full support to protect beautiful sceneries along the SCTEx.

However, Piano said the BCDA hedged on its jurisdiction over billboards erected outside the right-of-way (ROW) limits of the SCTEx, saying that outside the ROW, the rights of owners of the private properties will prevail.

Because of this, Piano said the national government must integrate policies related to the construction of billboards and place the responsibility of implementation under a single agency.

“In the meantime, agreements between [concerned] agencies and LGUs could be employed [to effect the billboards ban],” Piano said.

He added that Olongapo City has already passed a resolution for the abatement and dismantling of billboards along the SCTEx.

Last year a Pampanga board member voiced the same sentiment, and recently CDC director Maximo Sangil asked the same from Abaya, according to Piano.

Piano also pointed out that one reason why European countries like Great Britain, Germany, France, Ireland and Austria retained their appeal to visitors despite rapid development in their respective countryside was the prohibition of billboards along highways.

“Business people in these countries recognize that an unmarred landscape promotes tourism and benefits them in the long run,” Piano said.

In the United States, he added, the state of Vermont, likewise, recorded a 50-percent rise in tourism in the first two years that its highways became billboard-free.

Meanwhile, the move to ban commercial billboards along the SCTEx is gaining support from users of Facebook, a popular social-networking site online. To date, 157 Facebook users have joined the cause to preserve the scenery along the SCTEx and “save the virgin countryside from commercialism.” Written by Henry Empeño - Business Mirror Correspondent

IN PHOTO -- IF the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce could have its way, billboard advertising would be banned along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway for an unimpeded view of the landscape during the drive over the mountains of Zambales. NONIE REYES

Subic freeport reinvents itself amidst global recession

Armand Arreza, administrator of the Subic Bay free port, points to a photo of the Bay and explains his plans to convert the sprawling enclave from a light industrial zone into a tourism and logistics hub. Photo courtesy: AFP.

SUBIC BAY (AFP) - May de los Santos used to make laptops and mobile phones at a high-tech Taiwanese electronics factory in Subic Bay free port.

She joined the ranks of the laid off as the global financial crisis kicked in, but the 31-year-old has since been training to work as a chambermaid in a local hotel.

"I don't mind going to these classes. I am used to hard work and the hotel industry is the one with demand for workers," she told AFP.

She is one of an army of laid-off workers who are being retrained to meet the demands of the free port, said Severo Pastor, an official of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the government agency that oversees the enclave.

And these days, he said, that demand is coming from tourism.

Like de los Santos, the port is adapting to the times--transforming from a light industrial zone to a tourism zone and regional logistics hub.

Free port administrator Armand Arreza says Subic's manufacturing future had been in question even before the crisis hit its electronics companies.

For years, low-wage competition from China and Vietnam has been luring companies away and a recent upgrade of Clark, just 75 kilometres (47 miles) from here rendered many of Subic's facilities redundant.

Both Subic and Clark were once US military bases that employed thousands of Filipinos. But a 1992 US military pullout left the Philippines scrambling to find alternative uses for the facilities and jobs for the locals.

Amazingly, Subic adapted swiftly and efficiently, transforming from a naval base into a 13,600-hectare (33,600-acre) free port with an international airport and factories that turned out electronics, garments, shoes, armoured vehicles and medical equipment.

Special "techno-parks" were set up for Taiwanese and Japanese manufacturers.

Federal Express (FedEx) established its Asian courier hub in 1996, using the former base's military airport while South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries built a shipyard in 2006 that is now the world's fourth largest.

This year however low-wage rivals abroad and the economic crisis have forced Subic factories to retrench more than 4,000 workers or place them on "forced leave," said Arreza.

FedEx shut its Subic hub in February, moving to China with its larger market and attractive perks.

Arreza said the situation is improving and some workers may be re-hired but he doubts that Subic will ever return to the days of the 1990s.

"Low-cost manufacturing is not the area where Subic is competitive," he said. "Most of our land area is protected forests and protected seas. We don't have any space to accommodate large industrial parks."

Only 4,000 hectares of Subic can be developed compared to 30,000 hectares in nearby Clark.

The future lies in tourism, medical care, ship building and logistics, using the ample space still available for warehouses especially around the largely unused Subic airport, said Arreza.

Hanjin is staying put and companies that require skilled labour may also find it more economical to remain in Subic, he said.

For displaced workers, the government is offering re-training for positions in Subic's tourism industry or even abroad.

Its well-preserved forests, wide seafront and recreational facilities and hotels have always made it popular with tourists and a new highway has made the area even more accessible to day-trippers.

There are no figures on Subic tourist arrivals but Arreza notes that between 8,000 and 10,000 cars of non-free port workers enter Subic everyday, presumably many of them carrying tourists.

Zenaida Pineda, 40, a former electronics worker here, said she now earns as much working as a chambermaid in a Subic hotel as she did at her factory job.

"I like housekeeping more because you can move around, not just stay at your work station. Besides, working on electronics hurt my eyes," she said.

Prof. Danny Piano, president of the local chamber of commerce, said, "Subic manufacturers can survive. The Philippines has the capability to do good high-end work," due to workers' better education, communication and English skills.

Subic exported $977.8 million worth of goods last year.

"There needs to be a balance between industry and tourism. After all, this is a free port," Piano said. (By MYNARDO MACARAIG/AFP)