The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is closing in on a major milestone, having generated nearly P593 billion in total investments from its establishment in 1992 through 2025, underscoring its role as a key engine of national development.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said the Freeport’s contribution goes beyond attracting capital. The agency has remitted around P11 billion to the national government, including mandated revenue shares for local government units linked to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
“So I can honestly say that our agency is an asset to the government,” Aliño said in an interview on PeopleAsia magazine’s YouTube channel.
Aliño credited Subic’s competitive edge to its fully integrated, multi-modal transport infrastructure. “We’re the only freeport in Central Luzon with a complete transport ecosystem—we have our own airport and our own ports,” he said. Subic currently operates 17 ports, with plans to add two or three more in the coming years.
He added that well-preserved infrastructure dating back to the American period, combined with Subic’s strategic location near major Asian economies, continues to attract investors.
“That alone positions Subic as a gateway for business,” Aliño said.
To further enhance competitiveness, SBMA has been directed to make doing business in the Freeport more investor-friendly by offering incentives that improve locators’ profitability.
Aliño said SBMA is pursuing its long-standing mandate with a renewed vision of becoming a green port city that balances business growth with quality of life. People development remains central, supported by SBMA’s own training center.
Sustainability now anchors Subic’s direction, with initiatives such as hosting the region’s largest 150-megawatt solar project, deploying the country’s first shore power system that cuts ship emissions by up to 95 percent, and positioning Subic as the Philippines’ first carbon-neutral freeport.
