SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Despite some business difficulties during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of workers in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone registered a continuing growth and reached a yearend total of 142,177 last year.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said Subic’s job generation effort was buoyed by new investments and expansions in the services and manufacturing sectors, which now respectively hire 72% and 15% of the current workforce in the Freeport.

Eisma said the 3,190 Subic-registered companies that now provide various services here employ a total of 102,540 workers, while 93 manufacturing firms have a total of 21,529 employees.

On the other hand, the 237 construction companies operating in Subic employ a total of 12,225 workers, while 112 companies engaged in shipbuilding and marine-related services hire a total of 5,884 workers.

“It’s true that some of the companies here have closed or were forced to reduce their manpower complement because of the pandemic, but overall, the number of workers in Subic actually increased by 1.03% in 2020 and by 2.31% last year,” Eisma said.

“So, this means that Subic has been coping very well with the challenges posed by the current health crisis, and was finding new opportunities for businesses to survive and even prosper,” she added.

Eisma also pointed out that except for a .32% decrease in workforce count in 2009, the Subic Freeport has been riding an upward trend in job generation since 1999 when the total number of workers stood at 19,969.
“From there, our count continuously climbed to 55,875 in 2004; 88,450 in 2010; 112,653 in 2016; and finally, 142,177 in 2021,” Eisma said.

She added that even with the closure in 2019 of the Hanjin shipyard, which used to employ some 35,000 workers, Subic still registered a manpower increase of 1.37% that year.

“This was because job generation has been the top priority in Subic, as this was the reason for its being—to provide jobs, especially to those who lost theirs when the Subic Naval Base closed in 1992. And we’re proud that since then, Subic has been able to fulfill its mandate,” Eisma said.

According to SBMA Labor Department manager Melvin L. Varias, most of the workers employed in the Subic Freeport come from Olongapo City, which contributed a total of 62,201 or 43.75%, and Zambales, with 25,756 workers or 18.12% of the total.

Next is Bataan with 17,764 (12.49%); National Capital Region with 5,310 (3.73%); Pampanga, 4,388 (3.09%); Tarlac, 1,950 (1.37%); and other areas, 24,808 (17.45%).

Just last December, Varias said that a total of 2,062 workers were hired by Subic firms, mostly in the services (1,519) and manufacturing (494) sectors.

Varias said that as of December 2021, the Subic workforce is comprised of 101,113 male workers, or 71.12% of the total, and 41,064 females, or 28.88%.

He added that the biggest employers in Subic today are Datian Subic Shoes, Inc. with a total of 4,697 employees; Philippine Easepal Technology Ltd. Corp. with 2,766; EZ Set Tong Lung (Phils,) Metal Industry Co., 2,681; Sanyo Denki Phils. Inc., 1,375; and Exact Star Subic Bay Corp., 1,247 workers.

SM Foundation (SMFI) invites incoming college freshmen to apply for the SM College Scholarship program for School Year 2022-2023 via its online application portal from January 15 to March 15, 2022.

The SM Scholarship Program started from the vision of the late SM patriarch, Henry “Tatang” Sy, Sr. He believed that if you send one child from an economically challenged family to college, that child would have more opportunities to have gainful employment and later on uplift the economic status of his/her family.

The SM scholarship program is open to the following:
• Grade 12 graduates from public and private schools in the areas covered. Applicants from private schools must have a DepEd voucher and must be Grade 10 finishers from public high schools;
• General Weighted Average grade of at least 92% or its equivalent for Grade 12 – 1st semester; and
• Total household income of at most P150,000 per year.

The program covers the following field of studies: Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer, and Electronics), Education (Elementary and Secondary); Accountancy, and Financial Management, among others.

For more information and to apply, visit www.sm-foundation.org and follow SMFI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube: @SMFoundationInc.

SMFI, through its Scholarship program, provides deserving and qualified students with access to college education and technical-vocational studies since 1993. To date, SM has produced more than 8,000 college and tech-voc scholar-graduates.

NU’s Ar. Shaunn Remzzo T. Blanco, led the 1370 (out of 2205) board passers, taking the top spot with an overall rating of 83.50% in the January 2022 Architect Licensure Examination.

A son of a registered nurse and an architect, Shaunn dreamt to be an architect since he was young, “When I was a child, I (only) wanted to build my mom her dream house. But when I entered this profession, (I realized) it wasn’t just about building houses or structures, it is actually about creating these and the special experiences that everyone would remember.”

Inspired and fascinated with his father’s profession, Shaunn talked to his godfather who shared a lot of things about National U. ‘’One thing I remember was when he talked about prestigious and famous architects from NU, that’s when I realized that if National University was able to produce those architects, then they can mold me into the architect I’ve always dreamt to be.”

When asked about his parents’ reaction Shaunn said, “The moment na nakita ko yung name ko sa list of passers, hindi ko na chineck (topnotchers), friend ko pa yung nag inform sa akin that I topped the exam. I was surprised. My mother cried, pero they always knew na kaya ko ipasa. As for my father, they did not ask naman daw for this pero Top 1 pa daw ang binigay ko, so they were surprised as well.”

According to Shaunn, his secret to success in the ALE is proper conditioning of mind, body and emotions to manage stress and anxiety. “Na-realize ko na mas okay pang relaxed ako during the exams. So even sa paglabas ko ng exam room, I wasn’t really thinking of what I did wrong in the exam. Instead, I thought of it as a way for me to prove myself, regardless of the results”, he added.

The new architect shared that the Nationalian core value that he believes he possesses is integrity. He stressed that it is important in the profession because “integrity defines us and how we continue to uphold our ideals as architects.”

His advice to other professional board examinees is to “Study for future practice, not only for board exam purposes. It will be helpful if ganun yung mindset to retain information”, Shaunn said.
For more than 120 years, National University has been recognized for its academic excellence which has formed the country’s most successful movers and shakers in various industries.

National University brings quality education closer to home as it inaugurates its first campus in Central Luzon at SM City Baliwag in Bulacan. NU Baliwag is the fourth campus to open as part of the University’s ten-year expansion program.

As shared by National University Chairman Hans Sy, the NU expansion anchors on the mission of their late patriarch, Mr. Henry Sy Sr., which is to help Filipinos gain access to education.

Located at the Annex Building of SM City Baliwag, the 14,259.13square meter campus could accommodate at least 6,000 students once face-to-face class resumes. NU Baliwag aims to provide National University’s high standards of educational services not just to students in the first- Class Urban Municipality of Baliwag, but also in some parts of Bulacan, Pampanga as far as Nueva Ecija and Zambales.

In the meantime, it adapts to the new normal by virtually opening its doors to students for online classes. Last August of 2020, it introduced the Flexible Learning Experience (NU FLEX), which focuses on blending remote asynchronous and synchronous learning, a mix of scheduled classes and recorded lectures that are accessible anytime and anywhere.

NU offers wide and comprehensive programs such as BS In Business Administration Major in Marketing Management, BS In Business Administration Major in Financial Management, BS In Accountancy, BS In Tourism Management, BS In Hospitality Management, BS In Psychology, BS In Civil Engineering, BS In Computer Engineering, BS In Information Technology, and BS In Architecture. Recently, the campus opened slots for Senior High School Strands: ABM, HUMSS and STEM.

National University’s highly credible background as a provider of quality education in the country. Apart from being a Microsoft Showcase School, the campus takes pride of its state of the art facilities including simulation rooms with up-to-date equipment for specific courses, and modern computer laboratories. The campus is equipped with competent faculty members from top performing schools to ensure the highest quality classroom instruction.

For admission inquiries, interested students may contact NU Baliwag at 0919 081 4635/0927 533 0342 0923 949 5265.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Toy Kingdom’s cuddly toy tigers that kids – and kids at heart – would love to hold, hug, and snuggle at night. Adorable as they are, these are a supposed to bring a roaring share of luck, laughter, passion, and adventure in the Year of the Tiger.

There are adorable and colorful plush tigers with stripes and sparkling eyes, as well as cute and fluffy Kawaii Tigers.

Charismatic and bright, little tigers are ultimate optimists and will always bounce back from any setback, much like Tigger in Winnie the Pooh. Their insatiable curiosity about life will lead them into more than their fair share of adventures, sometimes resulting in scrapes, but you can’t keep a good cat down.

Tigers are natural born leaders, always looking to bring folks together, put their brilliant ideas into practice, and ensure that equality reigns.
Welcome the Year of the Tiger with Toy Kingdom’s collection of fluffy and adorable tiger inspired plushies that will surely bring luck and lots of fun into your homes. Get them via Toy Kingdom’s Call to Deliver services at 0917.5578797 and have a personal shopper assist you and your kids to virtually select toys. Check out the latest toys at www.toykingdom.com.ph. Follow ToyKingdomPH in Facebook and Instagram.

The Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) of Olongapo City has cited the Top 20 taxpayers of 2020 during the recent flag raising ceremony.

Heading the Top 10 list of Top 20 corporate taxpayers are Meridien Business Leader, Inc. (The SM Store-SM City Olongapo Downtown), Supervalue, Inc. (SM Supermarket-SM City Olongapo Downtown), SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM City Olongapo Downtown), Star Appliance Center, Inc. (SM Appliance-SM City Olongapo Downtown), Main Shopping Princess Philippines, Inc. (The SM Store-SM City Olongapo Central), Upline Foods Corporation, Puregold Price Club Inc., Ace Hardware Philippines, Inc. (SM City Olongapo Downtown), Aivy Food Ventures Company and Jollibee Foods Corporation (SM City Olongapo Downtown).

Next on the list of top taxpayers (11-20) are GR888T “C” Corporation, Marinel Foods Corporation, Novo Department Store, Inc., Olongapo Line Foods Corporation, GR888T “C” Corporation, DCMF Golden Wings Development Corporation, SM Prime Holdings, Inc (SM City Olongapo Central), Family Health and Beauty Corporation (Watsons- SM City Olongapo Downtown), JB Richwell Corporation and Chowking (SM City Olongapo Downtown).

“We hope that the admirable act of these taxpayers would inspire others to do the same and contribute to the city’s progress as we work together to get back the economy’s growth,” remarked Sandra Ecalnir, BPLO head.
It can be recalled that SM City Olongapo Downtown has been leading the list of taxpayers since 2013.

The top awardees were recognized as the Most Outstanding Business Taxpayers in the city based on their 2020 gross sales making it a remarkable benefactor for sustaining, maintaining and improving the public services provided by the government to its citizen.

Truly the helpful place, ACE Hardware continues to provide solutions to everything you need for your home repair projects with its Call & Collect service.

            Your home improvement work will be a lot easier with high performance cordless drills / drivers in compact and lightweight designs; while ACE Exclusive hand tools are great for minor repairs like fixing a leaking tap, or repairing broken electrical sockets.

            Give your home a fresh new look with lead-free and odorless ACE Paints and painting supplies. Prevent your home from rust and corrosion by spraying ACE Rust Stop paints direct to metal surfaces.

Replacing your lights with LED bulbs is also another way to update your home. Choose from ACE Hardware’s wide array of energy saving light bulbs and fixtures as well as durable and high quality extension cords.

How to shop with ACE Hardware’s Call & Collect service?  Just call or text participating ACE stores, wait for order confirmation and arrange preferred delivery service. Then your items will be delivered it to you immediately.

This service is now currently available in selected ACE Hardware branches located in SM Malls nationwide. In Metro Manila areas, you can Call & Collect at ACE stores at the SM Mall of Asia, SM Aura, SM City Fairview, SM Center Pasig, SM Sucat, SM Marikina, SM Novaliches and SM Muntinlupa. Selected ACE Hardware Call & Collect storesin North and South Luzon areas as well as in Visayas and Mindanao are also included. You can also shop online for ACE products at www.acehardware.ph, ShopSM, Lazada or Shopee. For more details, you may also want to like our official Facebook page at facebook.com/acehardwarephilippines or follow our official Instagram account, @acehardware_ph.

Customers can now enjoy specialties from their favorite restaurants with to-go and delivery service, book from the comfort of their home as their essentials are delivered by a personal shopper as SM Olongapo malls redefine customer service during these challenging times.

Through its official delivery partners such as ordermo.ph, Olongapo Delivery Service and Groover delivery, SM Online services fulfill the customers needs.

Shoppers can chat and contact SM Olongapo Malls viber community to find out the availability of essentials and answers to any mall queries that they may have. Afterall, it’s a system designed for convenience and tailored to their preference.

With this, you can treat your family to culinary specialties from Max’s, Mesa, Xtremely Xpresso, Nabe Mitasu ; southern fried chicken at KFC, Shakey’s as well as delightful desserts from JCO, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, Breadtalk, drinks from Starbucks, Dakasi and Macao Imperial.

You can also order online and pick up your essentials from The SM Store, Ace Hardware, Our Home, SM Appliance, Watsons, and Miniso at the store’s designated pick up point. Goods can also be delivered at a preferred location.

SM Olongapo Malls will also have your basics covered as essential and non-leisure stores open and gradually resume operations on May 18. Adapting to the “new normal,” customers will experience #SafeMallingAtSM.  The mall will continue to practice safety measures such as  No Mask, No Entry policy, body temperature scanning, disinfectant mats, alcohol and hand sanitizer stations, physical distancing, Safety Protocol Officer(SPO) deployment to assist customers, Specialized Sanitation Team  to disinfect high touch areas such as grocery carts, baskets, elevator buttons, ATM buttons, restroom surfaces,  and handrails,  one step apart when using the escalator, elevator will only carry 50% of its load capacity, one way movement in aisles shall be observed, spaced out chairs in dining area, even motorcycles must be parked in every other slot.

Ushering a new era of customer experience, SM City Olongapo Central and SM City Olongapo Downtown will continue to provide safe and efficient solutions for the benefit of its shoppers. For more information follow SM City Olongapo Central and SM City Olongapo Downtown on Facebook and Instagram.

With more kids staying home this summer, it’s the perfect opportunity to take a break, rest and spend some quality time with the whole family.  Stay at home and let Toy Kingdom bring the fun into your doorstep with their wide variety of amazing toy finds now available for purchase at Lazada.

Little chefs will love the Kid’s Dough Cooking Set, Ice Cream Set and Motion Air Sand Deluxe Cookie Maker. Ryan’s World Treasure Chest, on the other hand, will surely thrill the little pirates. 

Keep your kids’ minds creative and inspired with games from Cogo in city and farm themes. Board games like Uno, Monopoly, and Pictionary Air are great for family bonding and fun; while table games like Air Spring’s pinball shoot and air soccer will keep kids active and sporty.

Tech-savyy kids, on the other hand, can also enjoy an ultimate home entertainment experience with Toy Kingdom’s PS4 mega pack and various home video games.

            Experience an enjoyable summer fun at home with these toys from Toy Kingdom. Check out these amazing finds and more available at https://www.lazada.com.ph/ and wait for your items to be delivered right into your doorsteps.  Also, don’t forget to stay home to help in the fight against COVID-19.

            For more updates visit www.toykingdom.ph and follow ToyKingdomPH at Facebook and Instagram.

Enjoy your PS4 with this various home video games available now at Lazada.

These include PPEs, N95 and surgical masks, gloves, raincoats, goggles, as well as alcohol and hygiene kits, which are part of the P170 million SM has allocated for this purpose.

In the Central Luzon area, these were donated to QualiMed Hospital in Bulacan, Bataan General Hospital and Jose B. Lingad Hospital and Mother Teresa of Calcutta Medical Center in Pampanga. Bulacan Medical Center and James Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo will likewise receive hospital supplies and medical donations by the end of the month.

Other initiatives of the SM Group in response to the crisis are the waived rentals of all tenants of SM Supermalls nationwide, continued compensation of employees, and the extension of an Emergency Financial Assistance to its front liners, security guards and janitorial staff during the Enhanced Community Quarantine period.