Opening Remarks During the State of the Freeport Address

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, the newly appointed members of the SBMA Board of Directors whom we will recognize later in the program; Senior Deputy Administrators, Deputy Administrators, and officers of SBMA; Olongapo City Mayor Bong Gordon, the City Council of Olongapo: Hons. Gina Perez, Tet Marzan, Bugsy Delos Reyes, Rodel Cerezo, Ellen Dabu, Edna Elane, Eduardo Piano, and recently awarded Most Outstanding Councilor of the Philippines Edwin Piano, both my brothers (I’m the eldest but not necessarily the oldest looking), City and Barangay officers of Olongapo City; Department of Labor & Employment Director for Region 3 Leopoldo De Jesus, representatives of the Bureau of Immigration; Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau Chairman George Lorenzana, Linda Lim and other GSBTB officers, Metro Olongapo Chamber of Commerce President Bong Pineda and MOCII officers; Subic Chamber directors, the elite members of the Chamber President Circle, Chamber members, members of the media, friends, ladies and gentlemen.

Good afternoon and welcome to the 6th State of the Freeport Address!

The Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce started the State of the Freeport Address, or SOFA for short, way back in 2006. Incidentally, that very first SOFA happened only a few months after Chairman Salonga and Administrator Arreza were appointed to their positions. We have been doing the SOFA yearly since then. It is a success every time, and obviously so. The SBMA wants a wide audience of major stakeholders to report its plans and accomplishments to. On the other hand, a Chamber of Commerce, representing locators and other stakeholders, wants to hear it straight from the leaders of SBMA. A perfect collaboration!

The past several years saw the tremendous growth of the Subic Freeport; this despite the global economic recession that started sometime around 2008, but has, fortunately, seemed to have bottomed out, at least in the Philippines. We now have the highest number of workers ever in Subic Bay’s history at close to 90,000; the total cumulative investments is at more than $7 billion US dollars with $5 billion in just the last six years!

Sure, one can look at these data one way or the other. The pessimists will compare the Freeport’s progress with other developed countries and will find it miniscule, trivial, and irrelevant. The optimists will compare where we are several years ago with where we are right now—and find progress! I belong to the latter.

The past few years saw increased collaboration between SBMA and the Subic Chamber. This has exponentially increased during the past several months. The Subic Chamber meets with SBMA almost on a weekly basis; with no less than Administrator Arreza himself. Sometimes, I even wonder how he is able to endure the Chamber’s constant barrage of complaints. Maybe one reason for the increased graying of his hair; but, we do provide suggestions and possible solutions to our grumblings, too. Obviously running a private business is a lot different than running a government agency. Many of the rules and regulations that SBMA has to implement are statutory in nature, which, only an act of Congress or an order by the President can amend.

A couple of years ago, on this same stage, I mentioned the importance of this same collaboration and the benefits of working together. We have made a lot more progress since then. We have been collaborating with SBMA to improve visa processing for one. A few weeks ago, SBMA launched the new process. It’s still not perfect but is an improved version of the previous one. We have been trying to make this process doable in a one-stop shop setting. Easier said than done because it entails close cooperation between SBMA’s Visa Processing Office, SBMA’s Labor Department, the Bureau of Immigration, and the Department of Labor & Employment, or DOLE, for short. Getting everybody in the same building is already a challenge in itself. DOLE representatives are here with us now, so are representatives from the Bureau of Immigration; I have no doubt that they will work with us to make it happen.

The CRTE processing, the accreditation of outside companies doing business in the Freeport, the GSIS insurance processing, are but some of the things the Subic Chamber have been working with SBMA to streamline. We have already met with GSIS and they will already set up shop here. In fact, the Subic Chamber offered an office space for GSIS and they accepted. Late next month, every locator here should be able to process GSIS insurance payments on a more timely manner and way more conveniently.

Finally, to make collaboration and working together more closely interwoven, Administrator Arreza offered the Subic Chamber an office within the Regulatory Building. The new building where we are going to move is beside the Subic International Hotel and will be fronting Ayala’s Harbor Point. We will be in the middle of where the action is. We will be setting up a locator’s lounge chock full of information about the Freeport. In fact, Administrator Arreza and I already signed a Memorandum of Agreement finalizing this arrangement. We will be moving to that office by the end of next month. This, of course, does not mean that we can no longer disagree, you can be certain that we will, but there will be more collaboration and cooperation to sort things out.

Not only has the Chamber been involved with SBMA, we have been more involved on a national level as well. Since last November alone, we have written President Noynoy Aquino three letters regarding issues facing us all. One was about the reconstitution of the SBMA Board of directors, which even made it on national newspapers. The other one requests an open skies policy for the Subic Bay International Airport, again, landing on newspapers. The last one was about the fast-tracking of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement, or AI-FTA, which should open up a more than one billion potential consumer market for our manufacturers and service providers.

Well, we now have our SBMA Board of Directors so our batting rate is now one out of three. The open skies policy, on the other hand, even if not yet officially proclaimed, the President already said that he is for it. Regarding the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement, the Subic Chamber received a letter from the Department of Trade and Industry just last week that they are now accelerating the process for its approval. With just a bit of luck, we could soon have a 3 out of 3 batting average on national issues.

Not bad for an organization manned by three employees and a bunch of volunteers—and that’s what the Subic Chamber directors and committee groups are, in fact. We do not receive any compensation or honoraria. We are, for all intents and purposes, a bunch of volunteers wanting to make a difference!

It’s simple really, and everybody can do it; just volunteer and bear a tiny bit of burden of some of the tasks to making this place succeed—that’s it! That was how the Freeport was started in the first place—through volunteerism! Nothing trumps the hearts of volunteers after all.

A lot of good things have happened in and around the Subic Freeport. A lot more are in store for us, and I’m happy to say that the Subic Chamber has been a big part of it.

Sure, we’re not there yet. We still have a long way to go actually, before we can be at par with some of the more progressive countries in Asia. But bet on it, we are heading in that direction, politics regardless.

Sure, we will undoubtedly face challenges; we will have our trials and tribulations. But we will rise and continue to move forward.

A perpetual optimist I may be, but I have my reasons for being so. I was born here, I was raised here, I have seen the things that happened here. I should have a fairly accurate feel on what our prospects are, and you know what? I feel good about us. Yes, moving forward and up, we all are!

Thank you.