Subic Bay Freeport—Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan bared his ten-point priority development plan before the officers and members of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) early this week.
Tan was guest of honor at the SBFCC Membership Meeting and CEO’s/President’s Forum held at the LeCharmé Suites-Subic where he gave an update about the developments and plans for his term.
Looking back at the past four weeks he spent as SBMA Chairman and Administrator, he said that he already learned an important lesson.
“Pressure and challenges are opportunities for us to step-up and rise. While it takes a lot of courage to believe in yourself, but strength doesn’t come from what you can do, but from overcoming the thought that you can’t do it. Adversity may have its way of challenging our inner strength, yet it is necessary to build our character as leaders. Thus, I stand before you today, guided by a clear purpose and direction for the Subic Bay Freeport,” he said.
During his speech, he challenged everyone that moving forward means letting go of “what’s no longer working,” which is not only applicable to the agency but to the entire Freeport as well.
With this, Tan said that his administration would be implementing a new strategic direction taken after his name’s initials, which is anchored on three economic thrusts, namely: J for jobs, or creating more jobs for the people; D for development, or encouraging more investors by making the Freeport a competitive business hub; and T for tourism, or making one’s stay at the Freeport relaxing while doing business.
He added that the development agenda is in support of the socioeconomic targets of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., which is in line with the “whole-of-society approach” of the national development.
His extensive update tackled the following points: (1) Implementation of “Ease of Doing Business; (2) Improvement of Investment Climate at the Freeport; (3) Increase Job Opportunities for the People; (4) Construction of the Corporate Center; (5) Adoption of Smart City Initiative; (6) Prioritization of Infrastructure Development; (7) Improvement of Public Transport Services; (8) Enhancement of Ground Maintenance and Street-lighting; (9) Reinforcement of Safety and Security within the Freeport; and (10) Creation of a Tourism Development Plan.
Meanwhile, SBFCC President Benjamin Antonio III, on behalf of the members of the chamber, expressed support and cooperation with the SBMA with Tan at the helm.
Likewise, Tan expressed commitment to uphold the agency’s partnership with the chamber by constantly improving and establishing a business-friendly environment.
The event culminated with a moderated forum between the members of the chamber and the SBMA Chairman and Administrator.
The SBFCC is an organization of businesses founded in 1995 to serve and represent the interests of its members, who come from more than 20 countries around the world. It represents 80% of the economy flow in the Freeport. (Dante M. Salvana)