SBMA eyes Subic as regional hub

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it will establish Subic as a regional development center in Southeast Asia in the next 20 years.

The move would also spur the development of municipalities around the free­-port, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said.

“Our big long-term goal would be to transform the greater Subic Bay area into a First World eco-urban center in 20 years,” said Arreza. He said that the project is expected to bring significant investment, financial, and business opportunities.

“It would also complement Clark Freeport in our common posturing as the new catalyst for growth in the Mega Luzon area,” said Arreza.

The plan has identified various development modules for government and private funding to include commercial areas in downtown Olongapo and Subic’s Gateway District; integrated resorts in Olongapo, Morong, Bataan and Subic, Zambales; industrial estates in Hermosa, Bataan and Castillejos, Zambales; and information technology (IT) parks at the Tipo area, also in Hermosa.

The plan also calls for development of an integrated port and logistics area, a medical city in Cubi, an education city, additional housing areas at the El Kabayo area and in Tipo, and a shipbuilding center at the Redondo Peninsula.

Arreza said the vision for Subic’s eco-urban center is boosted by Executive Order No. 675 and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP), set to open next month.

“These are the two ‘enablers’ that would help us deliver on our vision,” he stressed.  

He said that E.O. 675, which extended Subic’s tax- and duty-free regime to other areas within the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone (SSEFZ) that may be identified, fenced, and secured by the SBMA, would address the problem of limited space in Subic.

The SCTEP would have a “tremendous potential” because it would hasten the movement of goods and manpower in the area, he added.

“With this alliance between Subic and Clark, and now the surrounding areas as well, we will be able to compete against the best in the South East Asian region,” he said.

At the same time, Arreza expressed confidence that the eco-urban development plan would be a viable project, given the SBMA’s success in generating more than $1 billion worth of investments per year since 2006.