Guam execs eye Subic as training hub

MANILA, Philippines - Guam senators, who met with officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) last week, said the Subic Bay Freeport would make an ideal training center for the thousands of Filipino workers needed in Guam, where the United States is undertaking a massive military build-up.

Guam Senators Judith Guthertz and Rory Respicio inspected the various skills training facilities at the freeport and invited a Philippine delegation to Guam to discuss the setting up of such a training center.

SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga pledged his support on behalf of the SBMA, saying, “A Philippine representation will ensure that Filipino workers will get a first shot at this massive employment opportunity.”

“This project costs $15 billion, and 20,000 foreign workers are needed. We must not let this opportunity slip from our hands,” Salonga said, citing the SBMA’s mandate to increase employment in the region.

Guthertz, who chairs the Guam Committee on US Military Buildup and who has a degree from the University of the Philippines, urged the Philippine delegation to work out training designs with Guam’s community college.

She said there is much confidence in the skills of Filipino workers “who built Guam after the brutal World War II.”

She said the “sudden change” in Guam compelled them to look up the history of Subic Bay, which went through a similar transformation, as it was a former US naval base.

Respicio, who heads the Guam Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the Philippines “will likely be the source of labor for the Guam buildup,” and ruled out competition from Chinese workers.

“You have the facilities here; the Philippines is poised to grab this opportunity, so you have to be prepared,” he said.

The Guam delegation also signed an agreement with the SBMA to ensure that foreign workers in Guam will not be exploited.

Major construction projects for the military build-up in Guam are scheduled from 2010 to 2014, while the planned movement of 14,200 military personnel and their 38,070 dependents will be from 2012 to 2016.