Former SBMA Chief Roberto V. Garcia Urges Support for Diño & Escolango
Former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman & Administrator Roberto V. Garcia has called on “All SBMA officers and employees” to “fully support Chairman Diño and OIC Administrator Escolango as you supported me.”
“This is critical for the continued success of the Freeport,” Garcia said in a letter addressed to all the officers and employees of SBMA which he said was his “last official act in our beloved agency” where he expressed his thanks “for the whole hearted support, selfless dedication and hard work…” during his administration.
“Together, we have turned around SBMA from the dire situation and problems it faced in the past and transformed it into the largest, most profitable and most progressive Freeport in the country today,” Garcia said.
It can be recalled that in 2011, SBMA has already accumulated losses that runs into billions of pesos annually. Under Garcia’s administration, SBMA started to generate revenues, enabling the agency to pay its obligations, become a top Government Owned and Controlled Corp. (GOCC) contributor to the national coffers and have some P3.7B in bank by the time he left office.
“The challenge for the future is not merely to sustain our position today but to exceed what you have accomplished over the past,” Garcia told the SBMA officers and employees.
Garcia first submitted a courtesy resignation as Chairman and Administrator when President Rodrigo R. Duterte assumed office. However, Duterte merely appointed a Chairman in the person of Martin Diño who assumed office in Oct. 3, thus, Garcia announced he will continue to serve as Administrator.
However, in a Memorandum dated October 10, 2016 issued to SBMA offices, Diño announced that he “is duty bound to assume and perform the duties, powers and functions of the Chairman/Administrator and CEO pursuant to law,” referring to Republic Act 7227, the Law that created the SBMA and Subic Freeport. This prompted Garcia to submit an “irrevocable resignation,” this time, as Administrator.
Apparently ignoring Diño’s “assumption” of the office of the Administrator, Malacañang accepted Garcia’s irrevocable resignation as Administrator on Oct. 19, 2016, and designated SBMA Deputy Administrator (DA) for Legal Affairs Randy B. Escolango as Officer-in-charge (OIC) of the SBMA’s Office of the Administrator.
The Administrator is the Chief Executive Officer who shall, among others, directly administer and supervise the operations and day-to-day business activities of the SBMA, according to Republic Act 7227, the law that created SBMA and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The Chairman’s functions are largely limited to presiding in all meetings of the SBMA Board that formulates policies, directives, plans and programs.
On Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, tension gripped the SBMA’s flag-raising ceremonies as Diño, fresh from a trip to China as part of the delegation of President Duterte, in defiance of Malacañang’s order, lambasted Escolango in front of the officers and employees of the agency for what he said as an attempt to grab authority from him.
Diño also threatened with suits SBMA employees who will defy his orders and recognize Escolango as the Administrator.
Embarrassed and humiliated, Escolango merely shrugged-off the dressing-down from Diño and, so as not to escalate the prevailing tension, cancelled the scheduled “management conference” (ManCon) at 11AM, also on Monday.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella has been quoted as saying ”We’ll seek clarification regarding the matter. We will give you the answer in a few days.”
Today (Tuesday), Oct. 25, however, Escolango pushed-through with the ManCom, with all SBMA offices well-represented. Chairman Diño’s son and Chief of Staff Marvin Diño joined the ManCom and was welcomed as observer, being not a part of management but of the Office of the Chairman of the Board.
Escolango said the active participation of the managers in the ManCom brings hope that SBMA can now finally move forward and do business as it should. (Vic V. Vizcocho, Jr.) ###
