Subic bay news vol 11 no 22 15.00Php

Grab eyes Subic Freeport

franchise

see Subic Bay International, page 4

see Promoting Digital, page 2

Subic Bay Development Investment Conference- Promoting Digital Transformation of Subic Bay

Olongapo Mayor Rolen C. Paulino is confident that the city is ready and capable to supply necessary workforce to keep up with the proposed developments. (right photo) Dr. Samuel Lim, chairman of Sinosun, delivers his message.

The 1st Subic Bay International Film Festival is on. Six (6) films vying for various awards - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, among others, will be shown at the mall's Cinemas on June 22-24, 2018 with FREE admission, from 10:15AM to 1:30PM. Awards night will be on June 24, 2018 at Harbor Point Mall's Activity Center.

Successful 1st Subic Bay

International Film Festival

see GRAB, page 4

THE JURORS. Festival Directors Vic V. Vizcocho, Jr. (right) and Arlyn dela Cruz-Bernal (2nd frm R), were joined as jurors by (from left to right) Aura College President and CEO Edgar Geniza, Atty. Arleen Basas of POEA, Dir. Emmanuel dela Cruz, Dir. Director Elwood Perez as Chair, Subicwater President and CEO Benjamin “Bubong” Antonio III and Atty. Randy B. Escolango, deputy commisioner of the Inurance Commis-sion. (upper Photo, R) SBMA Chair & Administrator Wilma T. Eisma as Guest of Honor. (upper photo L) Vizcocho and dela Cruz-Bernal pres-ents Perez the special award Master in Cinema. SubicBayNews photos by Vic Lenin G. Vizcocho IV

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Southeast Asia’s leading internet-based ride-hail-ing and booking company is receiving positive feedback for its plan to expand operations into this premier free port. Grab Philippines head for expan-sion Carlo Cu Unjieng recently outlined the firm’s proposal for a Subic franchise to key Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials and asked for feedback on what riding platform would be ap-propriate here and benefit residents the most. Cu Unjieng said the firm could position either a GrabTaxi or a GrabCar,

Sinosun Subic Bay Holdings Corporation (Sinosun), a consultancy and independent advisory company bridging international corporations and investors to the Philippines, par-ticularly in Subic Bay, successfully con-ducted the second Subic Bay Develop-ment Investments Conference (SDIC) that has attracted some 150 foreign investors from Malaysia, India, China, Thailand and Indonesia. Pacifico Sanchez from the office of the Presidential Special Envoy to Chi-na, Senior Deputy Administrator (SDA) of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Stefani Saño, and Mayor of Olongapo City, Rolen Paulino attended the conference which was held at the Ballroom of Mansion Garden Hotel in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The Chairman of Sinosun, Dr. Samuel Lim presented a proposal to es-tablish an International Financial Cen-

Subic Bay Freeport --- It took two Olongapo City locals, both former ABS-CBN newspersons, to finally launch the first Subic Bay International Film Festival (SBIFF) here recently. Vic V. Vizcocho, Jr., now publisher of Subic Bay News and president & chief executive officer (CEO) of the Freeport lo-cator FuelEast Energy Corporation (FEC), teamed-up with filmmaker Arlyn dela Cruz-Bernal of Blank Pages Productions to hold the much-awaited film festival which many others have tried but failed

By Iya G. Oliva

FESTIVAL DIRECTORS. Vizcocho (left) and Dela Cruz-Bernal. (photo by D. Manuel)

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HOUSE AND LOT FOR SALE

NO. 25 5TH ST., WEST TAPINAC, OLONGAPO CITYPLS. CONTACT 09293368552

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESREGIONAL TRIAL COURTTHIRD JUDICIAL REGION

BRANCH 72 OLONGAPO CITY

IN THE MATTER OF A PETITION FOR THE CORRECTION OF THE ENTRY IN THE CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH OF ROMULO R. CABABARO

ROMULO R. CABABARO Petitioner, SPEC PROC. No. 2018-0-24 - versus -

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTAR OF SAN MARCELINO, ZAMBALES Respondents.x-----------------------------------------------x

O R D E R

A verified petition dated May 31, 2018 having been filed with this Court by the petitioner, praying that after publication, due notice and hearing, an order be issued directing the Local Civil Registrar of San Marcelino, Zambales to make the necessary corrections in the Certificate of Live Birth of Romu-lo R. Cababaro particularly his date of birth from 7 October 1947 to 7 October 1944 and finding the said petition to be sufficient in form and substance the same is hereby set on August 2, 2018 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning before this court, on which date and time any interested party may appear and show cause, if any they have, why said petition should not be granted. Let copy of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner in any newspaper of general circulation 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.

Let the copy of this petition be furnished the Provincial Prosecutor, the Local civil Registrar of San Marcelino, Zambales and the Office of the Solicitor General. SO ORDERED.

Olongapo City, 05 June, 2018

(original signed) RICHARD A. PARADEZA Judge

Promoting Digital........................................from page 1

Nidec-Shimpo officials present their proposal to man-ufacture reduction gears for industrial robots in the Subic Bay Freeport to SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma.

Japanese firm to build robotic parts in Subic Freeport

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A Japanese company known as the leading supplier of precision gearing solutions to the industrial automation marketplace is planning to set up operations here to manufacture key components for industrial robots. Nidec-Shimpo Corporation (Japan), a whol-ly-owned company of Japan’s Nidec Corporation and sister-company of Nidec Subic Philippine Corporation, will build reduction gears which are considered vital in controlling the speed and traction of electronic equip-ment. Nidec-Shimpo Corporate Planning Manager Ta-dahiro Togami, Corporate Planning Chief Manager Oto-haru Tomita, and Vice President for Administration Tet-suya Nakao recently called on Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma to present their proposal. They said that the proposed Subic operation will initially hire 100 workers, and eventually up to 1,000 workers. Eisma said the proposed project will fortify the presence of Japanese companies here at the Subic Technology Park (STEP), which now hosts some of the leading innovators and manufacturers in the field of technology. “Aside from proving the continuing investor confidence in this premier free port and economic zone, the entry of Nidec-Shimpo will further elevate Subic’s place in high-end manufacturing and increase the stature of local workers in the areas of precision en-gineering and technology,” she added. The reduction gears that Nidec-Shimpo will pro-duce in Subic will be intended for export to Europe, Eis-ma also noted. The company, which has affiliated companies worldwide, is engaged in the manufacture and sales of variable speed drive and speed reducers, factory auto-mation systems, ceramic equipment, electronic instru-ments, DC brushless motors, press machines and fee attachments, dies, and other machinery and tools. Currently, Nidec-Shimpo has plants and market-ing offices in the United States, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, India, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. According to SBMA Business and Investment Department for Manufacturing and Maritime (BID-MM) head Karen Magno, Nidec-Shimpo’s sister firm in Subic is now the world’s top manufacturer of small pre-cision motors. She added that Nidec Subic Philippines current-ly holds the largest market share in the world for spin-dle motors, which rotate disks and are at the heart of hard disk drives used in personal computers.

ter building to promote Subic Bay as a financial hub. In the proposal, he said, “with the advancement of today’s financial technology and Subic Bay’s strategic location, the presence of a financial center can effectively transform the freeport zone into a Digital Freeport Zone”. “The inclusion of the IFC is ideal as it doesn't re-quire a large land area and will attract major players in the financial industry, channeling in funds for development, enhance transfer of technology, creating high quality employment opportunities which flow-overs will ripple throughout the whole community”, added Dr. Lim. SDA Saño extended a warm welcome to the visit-ing investors. “You have come at the right time,” said Saño. “This is when Subic Bay is at the point where a transfor-mation is needed to sustain the development here,” he added. As the majority of manpower in Subic Bay comes from Olongapo City, Mayor Paulino expressed his confi-dence that the city is ready and capable to supply nec-essary workforce to keep up with the proposed develop-ments. The conference also featured other investment opportunities including commercial real estate, tourism, hotel and resorts, ferry services to and from Manila, and chartered flights into Subic Bay.

Pacifico Sanchez from the office of the Presidential Spe-cial Envoy to China

Senior Deputy Administrator (SDA) of Subic Bay Metro-politan Authority (SBMA), Stefani Saño.

The Chairman of Sinosun, Dr. Samuel Lim

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BALITA SA WIKANG PINOY

AROUND CENTRAL LUZON

Mga Bagong Trak ng 7th Infantry Division ng PH Army

58 exhibitors sa 2nd ASPIRE trade fair

Ipinaliwanag ni Department of Agricul-ture Regional Director Roy Abaya sa mga kalahok ang layunin ng ASPIRE na ilapit ang produkto ng mga magsasaka sa mer-kado upang madagdagan ang kanilang kita. (Marie Joy L. Simpao)

LUNGSOD NG SAN FERNANDO, Pam-panga -- May 58 agri-entrepreneurs at agri-processors mula sa Gitnang Luzon ang lumahok sa ikalawang Agribusiness Support for Promotions and Investment in Regional Expositions o ASPIRE na ginanap sa Robinsons Starmills. Ayon kay Department of Agricul-ture (DA) Regional Director Roy Abaya, ang ASPIRE ay isang programang nagla-layong itampok ang mga pangunahing commodities ng rehiyon at ipakilala ang mga magsasaka sa mga mamimili at pro-cessors. Aniya, isa itong istratehiya kung saan nalalaman ng mga mamimili kung anu-ano ang mga produktong nasa mer-kado. Sa pamamagitan din nito, nalala-man ng mga magsasaka at processors kung ano ang mga produktong may mataas na potensyal sa lokal na pamili-han at pang-eksport. Dagdag pa ni Abaya, nakatu-tulong ang ASPIRE upang hikayatin ang mga mamumuhunan sa agribusiness na magkaroon ng dagdag na kita. Kabilang aniya sa mga pangu-nahing kalakal ng rehiyon na ineeksport ang okra, kamoteng kahoy, patatas at mga lamang-tubig. Bukod sa mga trade fairs tulad nito, sinabi rin ni Abaya na nagbibigay sila ng teknikal na tulong sa mga magsa-saka at mangingisda. Kabilang dito ang pamimigay ng mga binhi tulad ng palay at ng mga mak-

inarya, patubig at post-harvest facilities upang mapababa ang gastos nila sa pro-duksyon at mapataas ang kita nila.(PIA 3)

May karagdagang 11 bagong military truck ang Army 7th Infantry Division na bahagi ng programang modernisasyon ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas. (7th Infantry Di-vision Public Affairs Office)FORT RAMON MAGSAYSAY -- May karag-dagang 11 bagong military truck ang Army 7th Infantry Division o 7ID. Ayon kay 7ID Commander Ma-jor General Felimon Santos Jr., ang mga bagong sasakayan ay bahagi ng pro-gramang modernisasyon ng Sandatah-ang Lakas ng Pilipinas na makatutulong sa pagpapabuti ng pagtupad sa tungkulin at serbisyo ng mga nasasakupang yunit at batalyon. Maliban sa pagbiyahe ng mga kawal at kanilang mga kagamitan ay ma-

giging malaking tulong din ang naturang mga sasakyan sa panahon ng kalamidad at pagtulong sa mga rescue operation. Ipinaabot ni Santos ang pasa-salamat sa punong tanggapan na nag-kaloob ng mga bagong sasakyan sa dibisyon. Bukod sa mga trak, tumanggap din ang 7ID ng tatlong multipurpose ve-hicle na inilaan sa Post Engineering De-tachment, Division Training School at Real State Preservation and Economic Welfare Center. (PIA 3)

24.5B para sa malalaking proyektong kontra-baha sa Bulacan

Makikita sa larawan ang unang bahagi ng Meycauayan River Improvement Project na nilagyan na ng dike ang magkabilang gilid. Ngayong 2018, kukumpletuhin na ito sa pamamagitan ng inilaangPhp 14.04 bilyon ng Department of Public Works and High-ways. Bahagi ito ng may kabuuang Php24.5 bilyon inilaan ng ahensya para sa mga malalaking proyektong kontra-baha para sa lalawigan ng Bulacan ngayong 2018. (Shane F. Velasco/PIA 3)LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS-- Aabot sa Php24.5 bilyon ang inilaan ng Depart-ment of Public Works and Highways o DPWH para sa mga malalaking proyek-tong magpapahinto at magbabawas ng baha sa Bulacan. Kabilang rito ang Php14.04 bily-on Meycauayan River Improvement Proj-ect at Php8.61 bilyon Valenzuela-Oban-do-Meycauayan o VOM Flood Control Project. Ayon kay DPWH Regional Direc-tor Antonio Molano Jr., ang Meycauayan River Improvement Project ay bahagi ng pangmatagalang tugon upang buhayin ang kahabaan ng Meycauayan-Mari-lao-Obando-River System o MMORS na natukoy ng Blacksmith International na nangungunang pinakamadumi sa 30 maruruming ilog sa buong mundo. Sa proyektong ito, nilagyan ng slope protection o kinokreto ang tabing ilog ng MMORS sa bahagi ng Meycauay-

an. Layunin nito na huwag matibag ang lupa sa magkabilang gilid ng ilog na makakapagpababaw dito na magdudulot ng pagbaha. Nang humagupit ang bagyong “Ondoy” noong Setyembre 2009, uma-paw nang hanggang lagpas dalawang tao ang MMORS na nagpalubog sa maram-ing kabahayan sa Marilao at Meycauay-an. Samantala, kukumpletuhin ng DPWH ang proyektong VOM upang tu-luyang mawala ang malalim na pagba-baha hindi lamang sa Valenzuela, Mey-cauayan at Obando, kundi maging sa kalapit na bayan ng Marilao. Isa itong proyekto kung saan “iki-nukulong” ng mga dike upang hindi pu-masok sa kalungsuran at kabayanan ang tubig mula sa Manila Bay tuwing high-tide. (PIA 3)

San Miguel-Candaba Bypass Road sinimulan na

LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS-- Sinimulan na ng Department of Public Works and Highways o DPWH ang konstruksyon ng 3.8 kilometrong San Miguel-Candaba By-pass Road. Layunin nito na mapaluwag ang sumisikip nang daloy ng trapiko sa Daang Maharlika sa bahagi ng bayan ng San Mi-guel sa Bulacan. Ayon kay Fidel Pelayo ng DPWH Second Bulacan Engineering District, na-pabilis ang pagsisimula ng proyekto nang mabili ang right-of-way noong 2017 sa tulong ng 100 milyong pisong inilaan ng ahensya habang may inilaan nang 292 milyong piso para sa konstruksyon ng mismong salubungang kalsada. Oras na makumpleto ang proyek-to sa loob ng isang taon, ang mga ta-

Hudyat ng pagsisimula ng konstruksyon ng San Miguel-Candaba Bypass Road ang pagbabaon ng panandang bato na pinangunahan ng Department of Public Works and Highways. (Kuha ng Tanggapan ni Kinatawan Lorna C. Silverio ng Ikatlong Distrito ng Bulacan)

ga-San Miguel na luluwas patungong Metro Manila ay maari nang gamitin ito patungong San Simon, Pampanga Exit ng North Luzon Expressway sa pamamagi-tan ng maikling ruta sa Candaba. (PIA 3)

Clark to host international earthquake response exercise CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, -- The Philippines, through National Di-saster Risk Reduction and Management Council, will host this week in Clark the Asia-Pacific Regional Earthquake Re-sponse Exercise of International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG). “The exercise, scheduled from June 26 to 29, will test existing protocols on disaster response and interoperability during emergencies that require interna-tional assistance,” Office of Civil Defense Regional Director and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 3 Chairperson Marlou L. Salazar said. This activity is in line with gov-ernment’s effort in enhancing the capa-bility of search and rescue teams that benefit not only the Philippines but also

the global community in times of disas-ter response. Approximately 700 participants are expected to be in attendance where-in about 200 are foreigners.

“A total of 23 countries worldwide, rep-resenting various sectors from the gov-ernment, non-government and inter-national organizations, are expected to participate in the forthcoming exercise,” Salazar added. Established in 1991, INSARAG is a network of disaster-prone and disas-ter-responding countries and organiza-tions dedicated to urban search and res-cue and operational field coordination. (PIA 3)

IN THE NAVY

GRAB..............................................................................................from page 1

Delegates from the Zhoushan International Cruise Port and the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as officials of cruise lines and travel agencies, pose with SBMA officials during a courtesy call at the SBMA office on Monday.

Chinese cruise port, Subic Bay to connect

or even a GrabBike operation in Subic, de-pending on the needs of the local riding pub-lic. SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the proposal is welcome, as it would result in better transport services within Subic Freeport, especially now that a lot of foreign tourists are arriving via cruise ships. “I am all for this, because it is an al-ternative platform for the riding public who would want ease and convenience, as well as competitive rates,” Eisma said. “Of course this may pose a chal-lenge to existing transport operators in and around the Freeport, but I happen to see it as an opportunity for everybody to step up and improve their services,” she added. Eisma also advised the Grab official to talk to local government units around the Freeport, pointing out that the neighboring communities would constitute a huge sector of the potential customers. She added that residents of Zam-bales and Bataan who work or do business in the Subic Bay Freeport would principal-ly benefit should Grab gain a foothold into Subic and neighboring areas. Based on responses to an informal survey conducted last week by a local-based

social media account, most residents are in favor of the proposal to introduce Grab ser-vices in the Subic area. The commenters said they have been waiting for an improved transport sys-tem that charges reasonable fare and pro-vides fast, reliable service. While some respondents worried that the move might cause more traffic in the Freeport, not a few suggested that the taxi service operating here be converted to Grab units. Other respondents also expressed hope that Grab operations would be extend-ed into Olongapo City and Subic, Zambales. Grab, formerly MyTeksi, originated in Singapore, and is now present in seven countries—Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines. In the country, Grab is operational in major urban centers line Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Angeles City, and Balanga, Bataan. Eisma said Grab is primarily needed in the Subic Freeport to modernize the local transportation system and revolutionize how Subic business locators, workers, and visitors are being ferried in and around this growing business and industrial center.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Plans are afoot to connect the Subic Bay Freeport, an emerg-ing cruise ship destination in Southeast Asia, to the Zhoushan International Cruise Port (ZICP), which is one of the five major cruise ports in China today. According to Subic Bay Metropol-itan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Ad-ministrator Wilma T. Eisma, Zhoushan port authorities, cruise line executives, travel agents, and representatives from China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism visited here on Monday to look into prospects of con-necting ZICP with Subic, along with Clark In-ternational Airport. “ZICP targets more than 200 inter-national cruises every year after opening their cruise port in 2014,” Eisma said. “Now they are looking at Subic Bay as their next target.” She added that it would be logical for ZICP to connect with the Port of Subic “because the Subic Bay area is getting to be a popular cruise ship destination for Chinese tourists.” Zhoushan, which is located in Chi-na’s Zhejiang province, is the only archipel-ago city in China and is considered the gate-way to East China Sea. Since its opening in October 2014,

the ZICP became a departure point for cruis-es to Taiwan and other Asian destinations. Phase 1 of the ZICP development involved reclaiming land from the sea and building a berth for megaships. Total investment to date is reported at around $74 million. Eisma said Subic could gain much from the proposed connection, as the Chi-nese cruise industry is expected to become bigger in the years to come. “The link between Zhoushan and Subic would be mutually beneficial, since both areas have great offerings for cruise ship passengers and the potential to serve as jump-off points for other destinations in the region,” Eisma said. “This could be the start of our ver-sion of a maritime silk road here,” she added. At least 20 cruise ship arrivals have been calendared in Subic for this year, and some bookings have been made for 2019 and 2020. These include three arrivals each for the month of June, July and August this year. Eisma said that another giant Royal Caribbean vessel, the Voyager of the Seas, has been scheduled to arrive here in August. Its sister ship, the Ovation owows the f the Seas, which is the biggest cruise ship in oper-ation in Asia, has called at the Port of Subic

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Ha-waii (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. John C. Aquilino and Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Vice Adm. John D. Alexander announced today the start of the world's largest international maritime exercise, the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), scheduled through Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern Califor-nia. Twenty-five nations, more than 45 surface ships and submarines, 17 nation-al land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are taking part in a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain cooperative relation-ships that are critical to ensuring the safe-ty of sea lanes and security on the world's interconnected oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in a series that began in 1971. "RIMPAC is not only the world's largest international maritime exercise, it also shows that like-minded nations who value a free and open Indo-Pacific want this opportunity to improve our coopera-tion with each other," said Aquilino. The theme of RIMPAC 2018 is "Ca-pable, Adaptive, Partners." Participating nations and forces will exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forc-es. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program in-cludes gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defense exercises, as well as am-phibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, diving, and salvage operations. Alexander emphasized the impor-tance of building relationships among in-ternational maritime partners by conduct-ing exercises such as RIMPAC. "We are all maritime nations," said Alexander. "We all prosper through trade and the majority of the trade goes through the Indo-Pacific region." This is an opportunity to build re-lationships ahead of a crisis, he said. This enables us to call our friends, partners and allies to work together to provide disaster relief, combat piracy, or a wide range of maritime contingency operations. This year's exercise includes forc-es from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indone-sia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Neth-erlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. "There are different uniforms, dif-ferent faces, and different cultures, but we share a common purpose here at RIM-PAC," Aquilino said. "I want to thank all the

PEARL HARBOR. Vice Adm. John D. Alexander, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, and multi-na-tional participants, answer questions about the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise during a press conference on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Twenty-five nations, with more than 45 ships and submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 people are participat-ing in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among par-ticipants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security of the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel James Lanari)

US Navy Kicks Off 26th RIMPAC Exercise

participating nations for sending forces to be a part of RIMPAC. The ships, aircraft and personnel have come a long way, and they represent a significant investment by their countries. Those countries are investing in the security and stability in this maritime region that has allowed all nations to enjoy unprecedented prosperity for decades." Israel, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC for the first time. Additional firsts include New Zealand serv-ing as Sea Combat Commander and Chile serving as Combined Force Maritime Com-ponent Commander, the latter being the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation will hold a component commander lead-ership position. The exercise will feature live firing of a long range anti-ship mis-sile (LRASM) from a U.S. Air Force aircraft, surface to ship missiles fired by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) fired from a launch-er on the back of a Palletized Load System (PLS) by the U.S. Army. This year marks the first time a land-based unit will partici-pate in the RIMPAC live-fire event. RIMPAC 2018 will also include international band engagements and highlight fleet innova-tion during an Innovation Fair. Additionally, U.S. 3rd Fleet's com-mand center will relocate from San Diego to Pearl Harbor to support command and control of 3rd Fleet forces in its area of re-sponsibility for the first time since RIMPAC 2002. Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pa-cific Fleet, RIMPAC 2018 is being led by Alexander, who is serving as Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. Royal Cana-dian Navy Rear Adm. Bob Auchterlonie is serving as CTF deputy commander, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Hideyuki Oban is serving as CTF vice commander. U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Mark Hashimoto is leading the Fleet Ma-rine Force. Other key leaders of the mul-tinational force include Commodore Pablo Niemann of Armada de Chile, command-ing the maritime component, and Air Com-modore Craig Heap of the Royal Australian Air Force, commanding the air component. This robust constellation of allies and partners support sustained and fa-vorable regional balances of power that safeguard security, prosperity, and the free and open international order. RIMPAC 2018 contributes to the increased lethality, resiliency, and agility needed by the Joint and Combined Force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all do-mains and levels of conflict. Details of RIMPAC activities and imagery are available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac. Media interested in covering the exercise should contact the RIMPAC Combined Information Bureau at (808) 472-5430 or rimpac.media@gmail.com. (From Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet)

SBIFF..................................................................................................from page 1

to turn into reality. “There had been many attempts to launch film festivals in Subic Bay, one even initiated by a former tourism secre-tary, but none materialized,” said Derrick Manuel, manager of Harbor Point Ayala Mall. In partnership with Harbor Point Ayala Mall, Festival Directors Vizcocho and dela Cruz-Bernal said they have la-bored since the latter part of 2017, attract-ing some 12 film outfits wanting to join the festival, but only six (6) films were chosen. “We did not charge entry fees for the participating film outfits and opened to the public the screening of the six (6) films with free admission for three (3) consecutive days, the duration of the festival at Harbor Point’s Cinema 1,” Vizcocho said. “We are happy that despite the rains, people from all walks of life took time to view the movies.” Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman & Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, a patroness of the Arts, expressed ap-preciation to Vizcocho and dela Cruz’ efforts in putting up the SBIFF. “Our vision in the long run is to have a film festival like Cannes in France,” Eisma said in her message as Guest of Honor in the Awards Night, “we look forward to next year’s Subic Bay Inter-national Film Festival.” The Awards Night at the final day of the festival saw the film Bhoy Intsik romp-ing-off with four awards, namely Best Pic-ture, Best Actor for RS Francisco, Best in Cin-ematography for Rain Yamson III and Best in Story and Screenplay for Ronald Carballo. Tessie Tomas won the Best Actress Award for her role as a widowed senior cit-izen bent on finishing her elementary edu-cation in Old Skool, which also won Best in Music for Nonong Buencamino and Best in Production Design for Romy Regala.

Best Director went to Dominic Nue-sa and Best Editing to Javier Abola, both for Ang Araw Sa Likod Mo. Isang Hakbang was given a special award as Best Ensemble and Elwood Perez, who was head of the panel of jurors, was giv-en the Master in Cinema recognition. The Aiko Melendez starrer Balatkayo and Rolyo of Carlos Morales earned nomi-nations but both failed to clinch an award despite the tight competition that caused the panel of jurors close to four (4) hours of heated deliberations before reaching a unan-imous verdict on the results. Joining Perez as jurors were Festi-val Directors Vizcocho, dela Cruz-Bernal, Director Emmanuel dela Cruz, lawyers Randy B. Escolango and Arleen Basas, of the Insurance Commission and POEA, respectively, Aura College President and CEO Edgar Geniza and Subicwater Presi-dent and CEO Benjamin “Bubong” E. An-tonio III.

Festival Director Vic V. Vizcocho, Jr. presents the Best Actor Trophy to RS Francisco for his role in Bhoy Intsik.

Zarianne E. Palma wows the crowd at the SBIFF Awards Night with her rendi-tion of “Never Enough” from the movie The Greatest Showman. Palma, an in-tern of Subic Bay News, is a member of Koro Colegio de Dagupan.