Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman and administrator Rolen C. Paulino met with a group of business stakeholders at the Central Business District (CBD) of this premier freeport zone.

The meeting, and courtesy call at the same time, is part of the series of his re-familiarization of the Freeport after he was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 1. “I am not that good. So I will need your support,” Paulino told the businessmen.

During the meeting, Paulino reiterated his plan to bring back the “old glory days” of Subic Bay by making it attractive again to more tourists and visitors, which will be a lot possible after the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) eased up restrictions to alert level 1 in most parts of the country.

He asked them to cooperate with the agency by religiously cleaning the vicinity of their establishments and “make it the most beautiful part of Subic, especially near Boardwalk. The earlier, the better. Because it is a favorite spot of beach walkers.”

To this, business stakeholders agreed with the chairman, and pledged their support to his call to maintain clean surroundings all the time. “If there are things you need to tell me, please don’t hesitate to do so. We will do our best to help you,” Paulino encouraged.  He said that he believes that mutual understanding with the stakeholders will allow him to carry out his plans better.

In the first few days after his appointment, Paulino also made rounds along the Boardwalk Area and Remy Field to see where and what needs to be improved. He also inspected the ongoing road project, urged the contractors to fast-track the construction, and lessen the traffic especially in the main thoroughfares.

Currently, the new administration is restarting from the traces of the pandemic and helping the Subic Freeport community bounce back to being among the top tourist destinations in Central Luzon.

From 2014 to 2019, Subic Bay has maintained its reputation as the best tourist destination in the region in the last six years based on the number of local and foreign tourist arrivals. Also in 2019, Subic Bay was named “Destination of Year” for 2016 and 2017 by the Philippine Sports Tourism Awards.

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