Answers About Subic

Comment from a reader on the post Questions for SBMA:
I am not an official of SBMA but I am a longtime resident of the freeport so I'll take a shot at answering your questions:

 

 - why do folks have to pay to drive into SBMA from either the SCTX or from the old Gapon road when there is no charge for the other entry points?

There is no charge to enter SBMA from that side. You are not paying to enter, you are paying to use the tollway for the Tipo highway. 

 

 - Where does the toll money go and for what purpose?

The toll money goes to "maintain" the tollway and into the pocket of the private company operators. As this blog has written about repeatedly, the old Tipo tollway is an embarrassment to Subic and needs to be incorporated into SCTEX. 

 

 - Why does SBMA have services for registering for an Gate Pass, ID, Vehicle sticker, etc - whereas Clark does not seem to have those requirements?

Clark has these same things but since Clark was largely destroyed by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo and the perimeter gates were damaged and breached, traditionally access to Clark has not been as closely controlled as the Subic Freeport. Volunteers tightly secured the Subic base area when the US Navy left and at one time - in the 1990s - it really was like you were entering a different country when you came on base.  The streets were clean, traffic laws tightly enforced, police did not take bribes. SBMA tightly controlled vehicle and pedestrian access in order to maintain security on the base. Keeping the base secure and orderly helps attract investors who want their families to live in safe and comfortable surroundings. When Fedex was based in Subic, there were family members of more than 80 American pilots and Fedex was very security conscious.

 - Clark's website shows upcoming events with dates, times and venues, whereas SBMA's website has very little in that regard?

SBMA does not have the budget to maintain a modern, regularly updated website. Like many aspects of the freeport, the website has been mismanaged and there have been allegations of corruption associated with the re-design of the website.

 

 - Why is it almost impossible to get any information on the repair or re-opening of the main gate bridge to vehicle traffic?

SBMA administrator Robert Garcia addressed this during the last State of the Freeport address. Basically, he said what we all know. SBMA is broke. Dead broke in fact. SBMA lost 1.2 billion pesos last year and has lost 7 billion pesos in the last two decades. SBMA can't afford to fix the main gate bridge and apparently can't convince SM or Ayala malls to fix it.  

 - What is the status of available Golf in SBMA?

The golf course is back open. I'm not sure of the rates for walk ons. After making big claims about a Korean investor turning it into a "world class" course, it looks like that was just another Subic investment scam and after the destroying the very nice base course they are rebuilding what looks like a rudimentary course.

 

 - What is the reason for not allowing personal motor bikes on SBMA?

Personal motorbikes, including those with the mufflers removed that blast around the housing areas and bother people, are allowed in the freeport. Helmets are required and the law is enforced. Only tricycles are banned from the freeport, as are jeepneys, unless they are being used for personal use. 

 

 - There are a number of dilapidated buildings and areas on SBMA.  Is there a plan to clean up and utilize those areas?

As Mr. Garcia noted his address, many of these areas are locked up in old, low-paying leases. The tenants control the space but are not using it. For the buildings under SBMA control, Garcia has ordered "Operation Facelift" to tidy these up but he noted that due to government procurement delays it takes him six months to order five buckets of paint.

 

 - And finally, why is getting information on these types of questions and others a lot like pulling teeth from a chicken.

There is a video of Garcia's address being played nightly on the base TV channel. Not sure if it is being played elsewhere but it is an unusually honest assessment of the problems on the base. Garcia clearly has an incentive to outline the problems in detail because he wants to show what he has inherited from the last SBMA administration, which mismanaged the freeport terribly and let it fall to the lowest depths of corruption that we have seen since the turnover form the Navy.

These are dark days for Subic. As Clark booms, the next few years will likely decide whether or not Subic can stay intact as a freeport.