|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 23 May 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Subic Bay in the Philippines : Where industry and nature blend by Shanika Sriyananda Welcome to Subic Bay ! The giant hoarding welcomed us to the Subic Bay
Industrial Park. Soon to be the future commercial hub in For centuries, this bay within the natural wonders of the country has been recognised as a centre for world trade. In the 16th and 19th centuries it was under the Spanish. Today, owing to easy access to all major Asian centres, Subic Bay has become one of the country's main windows for foreign investments. The Bay, in the heart of the Philippines is a picturesque and serene with white sandy beaches. The land which is full of fantastic fauna and flora, was badly destroyed after the volcanic eruption in 1991 and rose from the ashes in 1994. With the buildings of American architectural influence and wide roads, the Subic Bay is an 'American city' with western lifestyles. The 'Subic Bay Freeport' built in the former US Navy Base, spans 67,000 hectares. It is a fine blend of the industrial, environmental and tourism sectors. Armin S. Santos, Director Subic Bay Metropolitan Agency Office, welcoming us - Mr. Quamrul Siddique, Chairman Global Water Partnership and the Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy, Bangladesh, three of his Bangadeshi engineers and I, who attended the Asian Development Bank's 3rd Water Week, recently, said that the Subic Bay had every potential to become the country's commercial hub. Raw materials in the industries, ranging from glass to aircraft parts, will go to the foreign market under the label of 'made in Philippines'. Claimed as an industrial park in the heart of nature, according to Santos, this industrial park has over 600 companies providing 55,000 employment opportunities with exports exceeding US $ 1 billion a year. "The Philippine government gave us the land for the private sector industrialists for a 25 year lease and the regulations for the industrial park were implemented by the government. The leasing period can be renewed", Santos said. He claimed that there was no land in the Subic for development. Giving a brief introductions of the major industrial sites and all important historical places in the Subic Bay while we were touring the bay, Gemma Lynn Ragadio, a 34-year-old woman, of the Subic Bay Tourist Department, who had been trained under Americans showed us the country's only air conditioned prison. " This was only for US Navy officials found guilty of minor offenses", she said. Subic bay has proved that development and protection of environment are not enemies. Its seaport, a deep water harbour, accommodates the largest cargo and passenger vessels and the Subic Bay International Airport is supported by state-of-art facilities for the passengers. Though the Bay has several modern factories, the well-built waste management system is capable of handling the daily waste which amounts to many hundreds of tonnes. On the other hand, Subic Bay is a harmonious residential area, with all amenities including health and educational facilities, for Filipinos as well as other nationals living in from over 20 countries. This land is also full of hotels and restaurants which offer best of Asian, European and American cuisine. It is also a popular haunt of foreigners for sailing, scuba diving, rain forest trekking, horse riding and adventure sports. I was happy to meet some South Asian businessmen doing well in Subic Bay. Ram Sharma, the owner of Rama Mahal, a Nepalese was one such South Asian. He owned the most popular restaurant for Indian food. He went to the Philippines as a cook and married a Filipino. He popularized Indian food among different nationalities, working in Subic Bay. Iqbal Chowdhury, the General Manager of the D-J Aerospace Company was another successful Asian. He is a Bangladeshi national and today his company manufactures aircraft structural components and assemblies. Giving employments to over 100 Filipinos, he manufactures aircraft parts for even Boeing. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
the Philippines.
It is really a journey to a very modern industrial park through natural
wonders. It is a journey through a modern lifestyle cutting through
Philippine's native - Aetas community.
