Subic bay news vol 10 no 13 15.00

RESTO BARbeside SUBIC GAS, SBFZ near Kalaklan Gate

see , Labor Case , page 2

Ocean Adventure, Camayan Employees File Labor Cases

Bataan Freeport workers

surge to 34,000

Balikatan

Manila — The Government of the Phil-ippines has invited U.S. forces to train alongside the Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines (AFP) in the 33rd iteration of Balikatan, May 8 to 19, at multiple loca-tions in Luzon and the Visayas region.

Philippine and U.S. forces will kick off Exercise Balikatan 33-2017 through community engagement activities in Pa-nay, Leyte, and Samar. U.S. and Filipino service members will work together to renovate five schools and conduct com-munity medical engagements with local residents in the opening days of the 12-day military training exercise. Preliminary work on community infrastructure pro-jects began mid-April. Balikatan 33-2017 incorporates high value training events designed to enhance the capabilities of both AFP and U.S. armed forces. The training focuses

on humanitarian assistance and disas-ter relief operations in order to improve response effectiveness and speed in the event of natural disasters and other crises that endanger public health and safety.

“Balikatan is designed to meet current challenges facing the Philippines,” said Molly Koscina, U.S. Embassy Press Attaché. “Along with preparing the U.S. forces’ and AFP’s ability to re-spond to natural disasters and deliver humanitarian aid, Balikatan will also increase our militaries’ counterterror-ism capabilities.”

33 This year’s exercise will have AFP and U.S. forces partnering to improve their counterterrorism capabilities in or-der to build safer communities and work towards the eradication of global terror networks. During Balikatan, U.S. and Phil-ippine forces will conduct operational and counterterrorism training exercises in di-verse areas of expertise, including live fire advanced marksmanship, counter impro-vised explosive devices (IED), maritime interdiction, and amphibious raids. In this year’s Balikatan, the Philip-pines and the United States will continue to collaborate with regional partner na-tions: forces from Australia and Japan will participate in all major training events, and the AFP has invited military forces from several other nations to be part of the International Observers Program.

MARIVELES, Bataan -- Workers at the Freeport Area of Bataan here surged to a record-high of nearly 34,000 as of March this year while locators are cur-rently still in need of 2,000 employees more, FAB chairman and administra-tor Emmanuel Pineda announced on Thursday. Pineda said the increased em-ployment in the freeport is due to the continuous influx of new and interested locators. "Within the next three years, it is not impossible to see over 45,000 direct workers,” Pineda said. In 2015, FAB had 25,803 work-ers and it surged to 34,000 following the opening of nearly 9,000 job oppor-tunities from January 2016 to March 2017. Likewise, Pineda said he ex-pects the number of workers to grow to 38,000 within the year in 136 opera-tional locators. The enterprises include Ko-rean, Taiwanese, Chinese, American, Japanese, British, Bahrainese, French and German businesses. Multi-national firms currently hiring 2,000 workers are Mitsumi Phils, GN Power, Perpetual Prime Mfg, Good Sail Trading and Dong-In Group of Com-panies. Pineda said that FAB is consid-ered as the fashion-manufacturing hub of the Philippines because it has a bud-ding cluster of companies producing high-end brands of garments, apparel, shoes and accessories like bags, jewel-ries, among others. "Our vision is to be the Free-port of choice in the country by 2020, becoming a center of trade, innovation and sustainable development in Asia and promoting work-life balance and global competitiveness,” he said. (PNA)

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – At least 268 dis-placed employees of Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. (SBMEI), operators of Ocean Adventure and Camayan Resort here, have filed charges before the Dept. of Labor (DOLE) against disgruntled stock-holder Scott N. Sharpe who led a group of armed men to forcibly takeover the ma-rine theme park last February. “More employees are set to file their complaints against Mr. Sharpe, on top of the 268 which have already filed as of Friday last week,” said Grace Espinosa, human resources (HR) manager of SBMEI, one of the complainants, “there could be over 300 of us.” Identified to be loyal to SBMEI President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arthur D. Tai, the complainants have been issued either suspension or termination notices, Espinosa said. Sharpe is being charged with

the labor violations, not SBMEI, because despite having taken physical control of Ocean Adventure and Camayan Resort, the SBMEI Board of Directors, led by Chairman Dr. Robert C. Braun, has refused to recognize him (Sharpe) and issued a declaration on April 7, 2017 that Tai re-mains the legitimate head of SBMEI. The charges filed against Sharpe by the displaced employees at DOLE’s Na-tional Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in Pampanga include illegal dismissal, ille-gal suspension, non-payment of salaries, wages and other benefits, among others. Among the complainants, Archie N. Asio, 37, is the longest serving employ-ee with 15 years of service. “Twenty-two years old pa lang ako nasa Ocean Adven-ture na ako tapos ginaganito lang? Na-saan ang puso mo, Mr. Sharpe,” Asio said in an interview with Subic Bay News. Jose E. Balingit at 59-years-old,

Close to 300 SBMEI employees working at Ocean Adventure and Camayan Resort has filed charges before the National Labor Relations Commission of the Dept. of Labor against Scott N. Sharpe who forcibly took over the marine park in February 13, 2017, resulting to their displacement. SubicBayNews photo by Vic V. Vizcocho, Jr.

is the oldest of the complainants, mainly breadwinners, with quite a number of single parents who have no other means to support their children. “Paano na ang tatlo (3) kong anak,” said Liza Joy N. Jimenez, 36, a sin-gle mom who has been with the company for seven (7) years. Tai, who said he seeks to retake Ocean Adventure and Camayan Resort soon “with respect to the rule of law”, has been giving financial support to the employees for the past two (2) months out of his personal funds. Since the February 13, 2017 take-over, criminal cases have also been filed, with both camps accusing each other of various offenses, ranging from theft, physical injuries to grave threats. Subic Bay News has not received

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Labor Case...................................................... from page 1

LEGAL NOTICESKaohsiung-Subic-Kaohsiung shipping route launched

A tugboat nudges MV Cape Fulmar into position at the New Container Terminal-2 in the Subic Bay Freeport on Wednes-day. The arrival of the container vessel marked the start of a Kaohsiung-Subic- Kaohsiung route for Evergreen Lines, the world's 5th biggest shipping line.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Another global shipping company has made the Subic Bay Freeport its port of call of choice, bring-ing to five the number of major shipping lines that operate in the country’s premier free port. Evergreen Line, which is based at Taoyu-an City in Taiwan, is the world’s fifth biggest ship-ping firm and operates in 240 ports in 80 coun-tries worldwide. It com-menced operations here on Wednesday (April 19) with the arrival of M/V Cape Fulmar, a 1,440-TEU vessel homeported at the Marshall Islands. According to Ev-ergreen boarding officer Andy Dela Cuesta, the arrival of Cape Fulmar marked the start of Ever-green’s once-a-week rotat-ed schedule from the port city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Batangas and Subic in the Philippines, and back to Kaohsiung. Cape Fulmar, which has berthed at Sub-ic’s New Container Termi-nal (NCT), unloaded 200 twenty-foot equivalent

unit (TEU) container vans and 70 forty-foot equiva-lent unit (FEU) container vans for companies in Sub-ic and Clark like Yokohama, Lepanto Tiles, and Coam Philippines. Before it departs, the ship will load 39 con-tainers of products for shipment, Dela Cuesta added. The Evergreen of-ficial also said that some of their customers in Ma-nila are now considering putting up warehouses in Subic, noting the easy ac-cess to Subic Freeport via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Ex-pressway (SCTEX), North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx). The entry of Ever-green in Subic, according to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Admin-istrator Wilma Eisma, “will definitely boost the timely transhipment of goods in Central and Northern Lu-zon and improve the com-petitiveness of these areas in terms of the delivery of raw materials and finished products.” “Time is one ma-

jor concern of investors and manufacturers in Cen-tral and Northern Luzon—their raw materials should arrive on time and their finished products must be delivered as scheduled. And this is where Subic comes in to provide ease and cost-efficiency,” Eisma added. The SBMA admin-istrator also said that as her administration is keen on increasing container traffic in the Subic Bay Freeport, the agency is ac-tively promoting the Subic as an ideal shipping port, pointing out that it is the only port in the country’s Western seaboard that can accommodate a size-able quantity of cargo con-tainer. “Along this line, the arrival of Evergreen is a major development for Subic,” Eisma added. Taiwan is now among the Philippines’ biggest trading partners, with around $7.85 billion worth of bilateral trade in 2015. Currently, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone hosts 52 Taiwanese companies with $500 million worth

of investments and over 12,000 jobs generated. Thus far, Ever-green is the fifth major international shipping line to call on Subic and connect the free port to major economies in Asia. The others are the Ameri-can President Lines (APL), which is based in Singa-pore; Nippon Yusen Ka-bushiki Kaisha (NYK) of Japan; Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) also of japan; SITC Container Lines of China; and Wan Hai Lines, also of Taiwan. Evergreen, which has 190 ships and some $4.6 billion in revenue, is also the fifth biggest ship-ping company in the world, according to MoverDB.com. NYK places No. 14 in the same list, while Wan Hai is at No. 19. In 2015, it was named “Best Global Ship-ping Line” by Asia Cargo News at the Asian Freight Logistics and Supply Chain Awards for consistent ex-cellence in customer ser-vice, innovation and qual-ity of services provided.

Container trucks line up at the New Container Terminal-2 in the Subic Bay Freeport on Wednesday, as MV Cape Fulmar unloads cargo containers to mark the start of a Kaohsiung-Subic- Kaoh-siung route for Evergreen Lines, the world's 5th biggest shipping line.

Officials of the Taiwanese shipping giant Evergreen Lines pro-ceed to the dockside at Subic’s New Container Terminal-2 on Wednesday to welcome the arrival of MV Cape Fulmar, which marked the start of a Kaohsiung-Subic- Kaohsiung route for the world's 5th biggest shipping line.

any response from the camp of Sharpe regarding the is-sue as of this writing. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Ad-ministrator Wilma T. Eisma has condemned Sharpe’s takeover for being “clearly not in accordance with lawful proper procedures…”, also slamming Sharpe for “start-ing the problem” which could have been avoided had he only followed legal procedures. However, Eisma is extra careful not to interfere with what she says an “intra-corporate” dispute, and lately, has met with both parties separately to try to find an acceptable solution. Meanwhile, the some 300 displaced employees and their families have been suffering for the past two months, hoping against hope that the NLRC would act swiftly and decisively to address their predicament.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESREGIONAL TRIAL COURTTHIRD JUDICIAL REGION

BRANCH 75OLONGAPO CITY

RONALD M. ELIAS and JACHEL D. ELIAS, Petitioner

- versus - SP PROC. NO. 2017-0-15

THE OFFICE OF THE LOCAL CIVILREGISTRAR OF OLONGAPO CITY ANDTHE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, Respondents.

x--------------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER

A verified petition was filed by Ronald M. Eli-as and Jachel D. Elias, through counsel, praying that after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered ordering the Civil Registrar of Olongapo and the Of-fice of the Civil Registrar General to cancel the Cer-tificate of Live Birth of Jewell Dumantay Elias, under Registry No. 2016-3395.

Said petition being sufficient in form and substance is set for hearing on June 6, 2017 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning and all persons interested may appear and show cause why said petition should not be granted.

Let this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner in any newspaper of general circu-lation in the City of Olongapo and in the Province of Zambales once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks prior to the date of hearing.

SO ORDERED.

Olongapo City, this 29th day of March 2017.

RAYMOND C. VIRAY Judge

Notice is hereby given to the public that a EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ES-TATE OF SPOUSES DOROTEO T. REVADILO AND CORAZON S. REVADILO was made and executed by the surviving heirs of spouses DOROTEO T. RE-VADILO AND CORAZON S. REVADILO who died intestate on August 26, 2010 in OLONGAPO CITY and January 16, 2017 in Olongapo City, respectively as per Doc no 510 Page No 103 Book No.I Series of 2017 in the Notarial Registry of Atty. Maria Sole-dad M. Santos. All interested parties, creditors,and persons having money claims against the decedent are hereby required to file their claims with the court appointed executor of their estate.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

03

AROUND CENTRAL LUZON AROUND THE NATION

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- The Regional Tripartite Wages and Pro-ductivity Board 3 has issued Wage Order No. RBIII-20 that provides a Php16 in-crease in daily minimum wage for pri-vate sector workers in Central Luzon ef-fective May 1, 2017. “The Board deemed it best to increase the minimum wage at a rea-sonable and equitable level in light of the regional poverty threshold level vis-à-vis average wage, along the need to promote performance-based incentive schemes under the Two-Tiered Wage System,” the order stated. As such, new minimum wage for the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan,

Daily Minimum Wage in Central Luzon up by P16

Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zam-bales will be Php380 for Non-Agriculture establishments with total assets of Php30 million or more, Php373 for Non-Agricul-ture establishments with total assets of less than Php30 million, Php350 for Agri-culture Plantation, Php334 for Agriculture Non-Plantation, Php369 for Retail/Service with 16 or more workers, and Php355 for Retail/Service with less than 16 workers. Moreover, new minimum wage for the province of Aurora is Php329 for Non-Agriculture, Php314 for Agriculture Plantation, Php302 for Agriculture Non-Plantation, and Php264 for Retail/Service with less than 16 workers. (PIA 3)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- Up to 10,362 overseas and local careers will be up for grabs during the 2017 La-bor Day Job and Business Fairs. “Around 7,575 job vacancies for local employment will be offered from 143 participating companies from vari-ous industries. We are also expecting around 2,787 job vacancies for overseas employment from 24 private recruit-ment agencies, as processed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Ad-ministration,” Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Director Ana Dione disclosed. “The vacancies are preliminary figures submitted by the DOLE Field Of-fices in coordination with the Public Em-ployment Service Offices in the region and they are expected to rise in the days to come,” she furthered. Carrying the theme “Matatag na Kabuhayan at Trabaho Tungo sa Pro-gresibong Pagbabago,” the Job and Busi-ness Fairs on May 1 shall simultaneously be held in SM Baliuag, SM Pampanga, SM Clark, and SM San Fernando Down-

2017 Labor Day Job and Business Fairs in Central Luzon

town. Also in Metro Town Mall in Tarlac City, Freedom Park Capitol Grounds in Ca-banatuan City, and Ayala Harbor Point Mall in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. A similar activity will likewise be held on May 5 at Vista Mall Bataan. These Regional Job and Business Fairs adopted the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabu-hayan (TNK) concept of DOLE and Depart-ment of Trade and Industry (DTI). “TNK aims to achieve full employ-ment and creation of jobs in Key Employ-ment Generators (KEGS) specifically in the manufacturing, agri-business, construc-tion, tourism, IT-BPM, transportation and logistics, and retail and trade,” Dione ex-plained. “The job and business fairs are ex-pected to increase rate in applicants hired in KEGS; apprise and advocate job seekers to consider entrepreneurial and business opportunities; and build strong partner-ships among concerned agencies such as DOLE, DTI, local government units, and stakeholders from the private sector,” the official added. (PIA 3)

BALANGA CITY -- After recording zero cases of malaria for five consecutive years, Bataan is set to be officially de-clared as malaria-free by the Depart-ment of Health (DOH) after the province fulfills the final assessment scheduled on May 29-June 2. Governor Albert Garcia an-nounced this feat during the observance of the World Malaria Day. “We put a premium to the health of our constituents so we really appreci-ate every health programs of the DOH,” Garcia said. The official disclosed that he aims to make Bataan obtain the highest human development index in the coun-try by developing programs that improve literacy and prolong life expectancy of every constituent. “Bataan has the lowest poverty incidence in the entire country with 1.6 percent according to the Philippine Sta-tistics Authority. And if you’re curious, the national average is 22 percent,” Gar-cia said. Since 2012, the province has been categorized as malaria-free through the efforts of the Provincial Health Of-fice. Witnessing the celebration, Dr.

Bataan nearer to malaria-free statusEnrique Tayag, Director of DOH’s Bureau of Local Health System Development, ex-tolled the province but clarified that DOH has not officially declared the province as malaria-free. "Bataan is not yet officially malar-ia-free but the province had fulfilled the re-quirements for five continuous years with zero indigenous case. What’s all needed is the validation which will be on May 29 and we are expecting that you will be awarded with the certification,” Tayag said. Once officially recognized, this achievement will be the first in the whole Central Luzon, which conforms to DOH’s vi-sion for the Philippines to become a malar-ia-free country by 2030. The initial target to fully eradicate malaria in the country is by 2020 but was moved to 2030 due to numerous cases in Palawan that accounted to 93% of the total cases in the country in 2016. Malaria is a life-threatening dis-ease caused by parasites, which can be transmitted, to its victims through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Symptoms include headache, chills, vomiting and fever, which could lead to serious conse-quences if not given prompt treatment. (CLJD/MJSD-PIA 3)

DepEd senior high voucher program

MANILA -- The Department of Education (DepEd) has announced the reopening of the application for its Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program on May 1-15. The move aims to give a chance to those who failed to catch the deadline for manual application last January and online application last February, as well as to accommodate more Grade 10 com-pleters for the coming school year, the department said in a news release issued Thursday. This is also to provide the Grade 10 completers the option to enroll in pri-vate schools, colleges and universities, in-cluding technical and vocational schools offering the SHS program, it said.

The results of the application will be announced on May 31. DepEd said all applications must be done online by accessing the Private Education Assistance Committee’s online voucher application portal at http://ovap.deped.gov.ph. Any concern on the vouch-er program can be directed to gastpe@deped.gov.ph. The voucher program is one of the department’s initiatives to make ba-sic education accessible and affordable to learners nationwide. The voucher enables a student to claim a “discount” or a deduction from the cost of tuition and other fees charged by a non-DepEd SHS where he/she will enroll. The voucher subsidy is not given to the student directly in the form of cash but will be disbursed by DepEd to the non-DepEd SHS where he/she enrolls. As of December last year, DepEd registered a total of 607,208 Grade 11 students enrolled in non-DepEd schools who were entitled to receive financial assistance through the voucher subsidy. (DepEd-PR/graphics from DepEd)

‘Balikatan’ drills include rescue of victims trapped in quake-collapsed structureMANILA -- Urban search and rescue will be among the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) drills that will be undertaken during this year's "Balika-tan" exercises on May 8-19. This was confirmed Thursday by Philippine "Balikatan" spokesperson, Maj. Frank Sayson when asked whether rescu-ing individuals trapped in structures that collapsed during an earthquake is part of the scenarios during this year's maneu-vers. "There will be urban search and rescue (exercises) at 7th Infantry Divi-sion headquarters in Fort Magsaysay for that particular scenario. It will be one of the highlights of this year's 'Balikatan' manuevers," he said in Filipino. Sayson said international observ-ers will witness the event on May 12. Such drills need to be practiced, considering that the country is located in the "Pacific Ring of Fire", making it prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Incidentally, the Philippine Army's

525th Engineering Combat Battalion, which is based in Libis, Quezon City, will be one of the first units to be deployed should a major disaster strike Metro Ma-nila and its environment. The 525th Engineering Combat Battalion is the Army's premier HADR unit. An engineering battalion consists of 500 to 1,000 officers and enlisted per-sonnel. It is equipped with bulldozers, backhoes and other heavy construction equipment. The 525th Engineering Combat Battalion was one of the first military units deployed to Leyte during the after-math of Super Typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8, 2013. Together with units of the Cat-balogan-based 8th Infantry Division, the 525th Engineering Combat Battalion helped clear roads leading to Tacloban City and other parts of Leyte of debris. (PNA)

President Duterte to surpise workers on Labor Day -- DOLE

MANILA -- The De-partment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that Pres-ident Rodrigo Duterte may have a surprise for workers on May 1, Labor Day. "We are prepar-ing an announcement by the President to address the issue of wages para naman

may maibigay siyang regalo pagdating ng Mayo 1," said Labor and Employment Silvestre Bello III at a press conference in Manila Wednesday afternoon regarding the government's preparations for the commemoration of 115th Labor Day. But, he did not give any specific details as to what would be the possible benefits for the workers. "Basta benefits lang. Depende kay President (Duterte). We are not yet sure kung ano 'yung announcement niya... basta may announcement," the La-bor and Employment chief assured. "We realized the workers will need some ayuda (assistance) but you would also have to consider the position of management," he added. President Duterte is set to lead Labor Day rites in Davao on Monday. “We are honored that the Presi-dent himself will be gracing our main La-bor Day celebration," Bello said. The Chief Executive will be lead-ing the Labor Day assembly and dialogue with workers at the People’s Park in Davao City. "The President, together with la-bor officials will meet trade union leaders from the national and local federations

to discuss and address labor and employ-ment issues and concerns," he said. The meeting will be followed by a Labor Day Assembly which will be at-tended by about 10,000 workers. It will serve as an avenue for different labor and civil society organizations, as well as or-dinary workers from the public, formal, informal, youth, women, and migrant sec-tors to come as one to commemorate the achievements of the labor movement and to continuously advocate for better work-ing, economic, and social conditions. During the activities a house and lot from the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and 15 tricycle units from the Philippine Overseas Employment Ad-ministration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) will be raffled. Another highlight of this year’s Araw ng Paggawa is the simultaneous Tra-baho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) job and business fairs which will be conducted in 55 various sites throughout the country. The activity replicates the Traba-ho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) initiative of the DOLE and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which aims to bring employment opportunities and entrepre-neurship at the grassroots level, hence the localization of the job and business fairs. There will be a total of 201,811 employment opportunities from 1,138 participating employers composed of 8 government agencies, 889 local compa-nies, and 241 overseas employers. Among the vacancies, 3,422 are in the government sector; while in the private sector 69,944 are local jobs and 128,445 are overseas employment. (PNA)

IN THE NAVYUS Navy Simultaneous Bilateral Exercises with JMSDF and ROK

RESERVATION & INFORMATION CENTER Manila: (02) 404.4784 Subic: (047) 252.9978

Lower Kalaklan Road, Olongapo City, Fifteen minutes drive from SBMA

Official U.S. Navy file photo of the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), right, taking part in Exercise Malabar 2009 with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JDS Kurama (DDH 144).

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. Navy ships are conducting simultaneous bilateral maritime exercises with the Republic of Korea Navy and with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force today and tomorrow (April 25-26, local time). The destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and ROKN Wang Geon (DDH 978) are conducting combined mar-itime exercises in waters west of the Ko-rean Peninsula while the destroyers USS

Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and JMSDF JS Chokai (DDG 176) execute combined maritime exercises in waters west of Japan. Both exercises demon-strate a shared commitment to security and stability in Northeast Asia as well as the U.S. Navy's inherent flexibility to com-bine with allied naval forces in response to a broad range of situations. (U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs)

BUSAN, Republic of Korea (NNS) -- Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michi-gan (SSGN 727) (Blue) arrived in Busan, April 25, for a routine visit during a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pa-cific. During the visit Sailors will experi-ence the culture and history of the Republic of Korea (ROK), as well as foster outstand-ing relations between the U.S. Navy, ROK military and the local Busan community. "This visit is yet another example of the steadfast ROK and U.S. naval partner-ship," said Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, com-mander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea. "We [U.S. and ROK navies] work closely with one another every day of the year and this well-deserved port visit is a chance for Michigan Sailors to enjoy the wonderful Busan cul-ture that U.S. Navy Korea Sailors experience each and every day." USS Michigan is one of four Ohio-class guided-missile submarines. The Na-vy's guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and spe-cial operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with supe-rior communications capabilities, guided-

USS Michigan Visits Busan, firms up Partnership with ROK Navy

BUSAN, Republic of Korea (April 25, 2017) The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) arrives in Busan for a scheduled port visit while conducting routine patrols throughout the western Pacific. Michigan is the second submarine of the Ohio-class of ballistic missile and guided missile submarines, and the third U.S. ship to bear the name. Michigan is homeported in Bremerton, Wash. and is forwarded deployed from Guam. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communica-tion Specialist 2nd Class Jermaine Ralliford)

missile submarines are capable of launch-ing missile strikes and supporting Special Operation Forces (SOF) missions. "This crew has displayed incredible professionalism and dedication through-out this deployment," said Capt. Joe Turk, Michigan's commanding officer. "Every Sail-or understands the importance of our mis-sion and every one of them is dedicated to ensuring that mission is a success. I simply cannot be more proud of their service." Measuring more than 560 feet long and weighing more than 18,000 tons when submerged, Michigan is one of the largest submarines in the world. "We are looking forward to a chance meet up with our [Republic of Korea Navy] partners and learn about the culture of Korea, for the first time for many of us, myself included," said Turk. Michigan is the second submarine of the Ohio-class of ballistic missile subma-rines (SSBNs) and guided missile subma-rines (SSGNs), and the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Michigan is homeported in Bremerton, Washington, and is forward deployed from Guam. (Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea Public Affairs)

RP Energy, SBMA, Subic Bay Fisherfolk in “Takbo para sa karagatan”

WINNING WITH A CAUSE. Olongapo Municipal FARMC Chairperson Jun Natiola and SBIFARMC Chair Resty Del Rosario congratulating one of the fun-run winners.

INCLUSIVE RUN. The cause-oriented fun run is participated by runners of all ages. (Photo courtesy of Jun Dumaguing)

Over 500 participants supported the 4th Takbo para sa Pagmamahal sa Karagatan on April 8, 2017 at Boardwalk, Subic Bay Freeport Zone. This is the only annual fun-run led by the Subic Bay fisherfolk through its umbrella organization Subic Bay Inte-grated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (SBIFARMC). RP Energy and SBMA were key partners in this annual event where funds raised will support the environmental and livelihood projects of SBIFARMC. “We see the fisherfolk sector as partners, not merely beneficiaries. RP En-ergy fully supports Takbo para sa Karaga-tan as we aim to contribute in improving the quality of life in our neighboring com-munities,” says Litz Santana, VP and Head of External Affairs of Meralco PowerGen. Restituto Del Rosario, Chairman of SBIFARMC remarks: “This is our way of raising environmental awareness es-

pecially in our ocean, as well as the value that the fishing sector contributes in our nation’s food security.” The event is also in line with the Protect the Bay Initiative- a consortium of public and private sector organizations that will promote environmental stew-ardship, curb illegal fishing activities, and create sustainable livelihood within the Subic Bay communities. “We admire the dedication of our fisher-folk leaders who despite not being profes-sional event organizers, continue to move forward in this advocacy to help their fellow fisherfolks,”says Jason Gavina, RP Energy’s Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. The Takbo para sa Pagmamahal sa Karagatan also featured a boat race and a trade fair of products made by local residents and entrepreneurial women of Zambales.

Shellfish ban in Anda and BolinaoLINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- Shellfishes col-lected from the coastal waters of Anda and Bolinao, Pangasinan are still not fit for human consumption being still posi-tive for paralytic shellfish poison that is beyond the regulatory limit. This was contained in Shellfish Bulletin No. 15, Series of 2017 of the Bu-reau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) signed by BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona. The BFAR bulletin confirmed that shellfishes from the two coastal towns are still infected with the deadly red tide toxin that can cause paralytic shellfish poison-ing to anyone eating them even if they are cooked thoroughly. All types of shellfishes and Acetes sp. or alamang, gathered from the two ar-

eas are still not safe for human consump-tion, the BFAR said. However, Director Gongona said that fish, squid, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thorough-ly and their internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cook-ing. The shellfish ban in both Anda and Bolinao, Pangasinan started on April 8 and has not been lifted yet. The BFAR, however, clarified that the coastal water of Alaminos City, Wawa, Bani; and Sual are free from toxic red tide. Also spared from red tide are the coastal waters of Dagupan in which rivers fish farmers are raising oysters and mus-sels in semi-commercial scale. (PNA)