Welcome to SBFCC!

The Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, a member of the national Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is an independent, nonprofit, membership-funded organization founded in 1995 to serve and represent the interests of its member businesses. We are also an accredited marketer of the Philippine Retirement Authority.

We are actively involved in a number of areas and are in the forefront of issues affecting our member businesses, their employees, and their families.

The single distinguishing characteristic that sets SBFCC apart from other Chambers of Commerce is that our members come from some 20 countries around the world.

Freeport Economic Data

The Subic Bay Freeport's economic data that covers almost the full 2009 is now available in the Chamber Forum for Chamber members. Click here to access the info.

Also available are information related to the 2009-2010 Philippine Economic Briefing held last December 14 at the Holiday Inn in Clark, Pampanga. Click here to view the info.

Chamber Events

6th SBFCC Golf Tournament

The Chamber held for the first time its annual golf tournament at the Hacienda Luisita Golf Course in Tarlac. In the past, this would have been a very lengthy trip frought with traffic gridlock. But with the SCTEx, travel time from Subic to Tarlac is now a mere hour and along beautiful sceneries, too. The golf course itself is beatiful and obviously well maintained. The Chamber tournament was again successful, thanks to our sponsors and players who participated. The list of winners can be viewed here while photos of the tournament can be viewed on our Online Forum's Gallery.

Subic-Clark Milestones and Prospects Forum

About 500 high ranking government officials, headed by President Arroyo, and businessmen from the Subic Clark corridor attended the Subic-Clark Milestones and Prospects forum at the Grand Ballroom of Holiday Inn Clark. Presentors include former SCADC Chairman Ed Pamintuan and GGLC President Dennis Wright. An Open Forum was also conducted with questions from the audience asked from panelists: SBMA's Armand Arreza, CDC's Benigno Ricafort, CIAC's Victor Luciano, GGLC's Dennis Wright, CILA's Simon Morley, and SBFCC's Danny Piano.

State of the Freeport Address

SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga and Administrator Armand Arreza (pictured below), in what could be their last SOFA, presented the many progress that happened inside the Subic Bay Freeport in the past year. Future developments extending up to five years were also discussed.

The SOFA is an annual event organized by the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce. More pictures of the event are in our Online Forum, click here to view.

Induction of 2010 Chamber Officers

Administrator Aramand Arreza inducted the 2010 officers of the Chamber during the recent SOFA. From the left are President Danny Piano, Vice-President Rose Baldeo, Corp. Sec. Omy Duran, Treasurer Lawrence Lusung, and Directors Tom De Bruin, Eloy Bermudes, and Lewis Strickland.

Recognition of Chamber Founders and Past Presidents

This year being the 15th Anniversary of SBFCC, the Chamber recognized its founders who had the vision to form the organization in 1995, and its past presidents who selflessly provided voluntary service during their terms. Pictured below is Ms. Susan Dudley, one of the founders, and Executive Director from 1995 to 2009.

New Golden Eagle Member of the Chamber's elite President Circle

PLDT-Subictel, the newest member of the Chamber's elite President Circle, were awarded their Golden Eagle Membership certificate during the SOFA.

PRA, SBMA, SBFCC Tripartite MOA

After almost a year of arrangements and negotiations, a Tripartite Memorandum of Agreement between the Philippine Retirement Authority, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce is now official. The MOA commits the three organizations to continually help in the development and transformation of the Subic Freeport into a retiree-friendly destination. With the MOA, potential retirees can now apply, through the Subic Chamber, for PRA membership from Subic instead of going to Manila (click here for info about retiring in the Philippines). The Chamber can also provide assistance to establishments wanting to be accredited by the PRA.

In the picture from left to right are: Susan Dudley, former SBFCC executive director and instrumental in crafting the MOA; SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga, PRA Chairman Gen. Edgardo Aglipay; Prof. Danny Piano, SBFCC President and CEO of ASI-Phil Branch; Rose Baldeo, SBFCC Vice-President and CEO of Global Development; Lawrence Lusung, Chamber Treasurer and Senior Manager of the Bank of Commerce; and USN Capt. Eloy Bermudez (Ret), SBFCC Director and General Manager of Subic Dry Dock Corporation.

Locators' Congress

Once a year, the Subic Chamber provides the opportunity to its members to meet face to face the SBMA Administrator, Senior Deputy Administrators, and department heads all in one room -- and ask them questions to clarify issues and concerns. This year, the panelists include SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza himself, SDA Stef Sano, Engr. Mar Sanqui, DA of PWTSG, and Maj. Teng Tolentino of, Chief for Operations of LED. Not in picture but present are more than a dozen more SBMA officers.

We thank the SBMA officials for taking the time out from their busy schedules to meet with us.

Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge Multi-Sector Meeting

In an effort to obtain and disseminate definitive information about the closure of the old Kalaklan Lighthouse Bridge, and in an attempt to persuade collaboration between the various stakeholders to alleviate the expected traffic congestion, the Subic Chamber organized a multi-sector conference involving SBMA, the City of Olongapo, the Metro-Olongapo Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau.

Christmas Party

Fun! This was what members of the chamber had during the recently held Christmas party last December 11 at the Global Terminal. Great food catered by Rali's Grill, lots of gifts and prizes raffled away, games, and music by Vanity band... not much else to ask for.

Annual Blood Drive

Thank you to everybody who participated in the Subic Chamber's Annual Blood Drive. There were 210 donors who came in, 45 were deferred due to various issues (high blood pressure, etc.), and 160 who successfully made the donation. Big thanks to the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), SBMA's Fire Department, and Lindbergh for coming in with the biggest contingents of donors. There were also around 50 volunteers, from nurses to doctors, who helped out.

The Chamber also wishes to thank the sponsors of the event including Rose Baldeo of Global Terminal, Raul Peralta of Rali's Grill, Brent School, and the Rotary Club of the Freeport Zone.

For detailed information and to view photos taken during the Blood Drive, please visit the Chamber's Forum by clicking here.

5th Annual SBFCC Golf Tournament

The recently held golf tournament at the Mimosa Golf & Country Club was a complete success! Several companies sponsored the event and a total of 69 players participated. The weather also cooperated and was perfect that day! Click here to see the list of winners and here to see the list of sponsors. A gallery of pictures taken during the event can be viewed by clicking here (you must be a registered member of the SBFCC Forum).

SBFCC Relief Operations for Typhoon Victims

The recent typhoons that hit many areas of the Philippines wrought havoc to the lives of hundreds and thousands of Filipinos. The Subic Chamber, since early August asked for donations from its members where many good-hearted individuals and companies responded positively. Goods were purchased, repacked, and sent to Botolan, Manila, and Pangasinan. Click here to see the topics in the Chamber Forum related to the disasters and the relief operations made.

Memorandum of Understanding between SBFCC and GSBTB

The Subic Chamber and the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau headed by George Lorenzana recently signed a MOU for better collaboration on improving the tourism capability of the Freeport and surrounding areas.

General Membership Meeting

Another successful general membership meeting and mixer/networking night was held recently. SBFCC President Danny Piano reported on the accomplish-ments of the Chamber as well as future projects that we are going to be involved with. SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, on the other hand, talked about the current state of the Freeport as well as discussed the various new investments that are expected to come in. He also answered several questions from the audience. A delegation from PCCI, where SBFCC recently became a member, also graced the program. Overall a very successful night! Thanks to the Lighthouse Marina Resort for hosting the event.

Subic Bay International Airport Revival Committee

The transfer of FedEx to China not only is a big blow to SBMA's income but also affected hundreds of employees who were laid off and even affected several companies that used to provide services to the courier company. To help lessen its impact, the Chamber's Business Development Committee, headed by Prof. Danny Piano, formed a sub-committee tasked to countermand the situation. The committee is composed of locators, SBMA, and various stakeholders from within and outside the Freeport. Some are members of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce and some are not; but that is beside the point since we are all in this together and have to work hand in hand to revive the Subic International Airport.

Picture below standing from left to right are: Paul Gan of Chungnan Textile, Louis Kuo of Subic Technics, Myra Morales of Hanafil Golf & Tour, Kenneth Peralta of SBFCC, Prof. Danny Piano, President of SBFCC, Victor Prieto of Pacific Commerce, Sammy Chou of Limech and Chairman of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, George Lorenzana of Mountain Woods Hotel and White Rock Resort and also Chairman of the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau, Jeff Lin of SBDMC, Jimmy Chen of Limech; and sitting down are Yvette Ocampo of Jungle Joe’s World, Jean Verzosa of Subic Park Hotel and GSBTB, Baby Dela Llana of Tender Touch and Board Member of the Province of Zambales, and Michele Johnstone of Hanafil Golf & Tour. Bottom picture also includes Dr. Teresa Yap of GSBTB, Charles Davis of Seahorse Tours, and Mar Santos, Rey Guevarra, Zharrex Santos, Cel Racel, and Nelia Diloy of SBIA.

Mixer Nights

Dozens of name cards are always exchanged and contact info shared between members. Friends, old and new, enjoy these evenings. Many members of the Chamber are not only businessmen looking for business connections, but have cultivated real friendships with other members as well.

Message from the President

The Subic Freeport, the Aquino Administration: What’s in Store?

The developments of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) and the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) are two prime achievements of the Philippine national government. Since their conversion from military bases to investment destinations, the two freeports were able to attract foreign and domestic investments and generated massive employment. The SBFZ, with its seaport infrastructure, and the CSEZ, with its airport infrastructure, are a perfect logistical and transshipment hub combination.

For all intents and purposes, the Philippine 2010 elections is over. As of this writing, with more than five million votes ahead of Erap Estrada, Senator Noynoy Aquino can now be presumed the next President of the Philippines. So what should we, residents, locators, employees, and other stakeholders of the Subic Freeport, expect from the incoming Aquino administration?

Hard to tell, unfortunately. But we can make assumptions.

We can try using his platform of government but I do not think that will help much. The platforms of all the candidates are basically the same anyway, just as the platforms of all other candidates, in all government positions, since time immemorial. Nothing enormously wrong with that—they are trying to win the election after all; and it is not as if they are lying intentionally, I don’t think. He has not held any executive position in the past so there is nothing there that we can unearth for our purpose either.

Sen. Aquino did serve nine years as congressman of Tarlac and three years as senator. Perhaps there is something there that we can use. Perhaps we can look at the senate bills he authored since those are national in scope.

Sen. Aquino was elected to the Senate in 2007. He authored nine bills and co-authored some 13 others. None of the bills he authored has passed yet but that’s beside the point; we are trying, after all, to determine what interests him and the issues close to his heart. So what are those bills? Two are about the labor workforce: SB2036 is an act increasing the penalties for non-compliance in the wage rates of workers, while SB1370 is an act granting an annual productivity incentive to all workers in the private sector.

Both are obviously pro labor—which is not a bad thing. The first one simply tries to increase penalty for non-compliance so there is nothing profound on that bill. The second one, however, will have a considerable impact on business. Businesses already have ways to provide incentives to its employees; there is no point in making that mandatory. What if business turns sour, can employers reduce the salaries of employees? Not so, says the Labor Code.

Two other bills are about appointments. Noynoy is not into re-appointments. Here are the bills: SB1710 bans the re-appointment of a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council; SB1719, on the other hand, limits the re-appointment of presidential nominees. Does this mean that there is little chance current SBMA officials will be re-appointed?

A couple more tries to restrict the powers of the police and military to prevent human rights abuses: SB2978 is an act to further clarify the relationship between LGUs and their respective local police chiefs, while SB2159 is an act adopting the doctrine of superior responsibility to all actions involving military personnel and police.

The last three bills are about trying to prevent graft and corruption: SB2160 is an act to further restrict exemptions to the requirement of public bidding, SB2035 requires the regular maintenance of all public infrastructures, while SB3121 is the Budget Impoundment Control Act, an act that seeks to strengthen legislative oversight over executive spending.

The first one was obviously filed in light of the NBN-ZTE scandal where the Department of Justice declared the validity of the deal citing its international and executive agreement nature as reason for its exemption from the procurement process. The second one seeks to penalize defective infrastructures that are usually the result of cost undercutting by contractors (since a percentage of the budgeted cost goes “under the table”). The third one is not really Noynoy’s but was a bill originally authored by then Sen. Juan Flavier in 2004. This bill is not unique to the Philippines since the US already passed just about the same bill (and same title) in 1974.

Budget impoundment, to clarify, is the power of the President to refuse the release of funds appropriated by Congress. However, this power has been allegedly abused by presidents and in the process emasculating Congress’ authority to check the President’s authority to spend public funds.

Sen. Aquino filed the bill on March 4, 2009, at a time when he was not even entertaining thoughts of running for president. This might work against him now that he is the presumptive president-elect. This bill would constrain a president from influencing the crucial Senate and House leadership races, and ultimately his ability to advance his legislative agenda. Good if he is not concerned about it.

So there you are, looks like we have gathered and should expect that the Aquino administration is pro-labor, do not like re-appointing government officials, strict about human rights abuses by the police and military, and hates graft and corruption. You might want to add a few more items he frequently mentions during his sorties: he will lower taxes and would crack down on smuggling and tax evasion.

Will any of these translate to changes in the Subic Freeport? For the better?

We can hardly say that Noynoy is a man of action, there is nothing in his background and experience to demonstrate that. All we have are his words, but, acta non verba, is what we need. Right now, he is more of a symbol of the Filipino people—a symbol of change, much like his parents are symbols of freedom and democracy.

He is even initially reluctant to run for President. But history is not bereft of reluctant leaders: Moses, Gerald Ford, Colin Powell, among others. Perhaps Noynoy’s low profile and humble persona is what appealed to many of us.

We are a nation of hope and faith; we laugh when we are in despair; we aspire even in misery. Perhaps he is who we need after all. Shortly, we will see.

Prof. Danny J. Piano

President

Click here for Archive of President Messages

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