By HENRY EMPEÑO | 

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — President Duterte’s order that effectively relaxed the admission and stay of foreign visitors who enter the Subic Bay Freeport Zone through its seaports is expected to further boost the nascent cruise ship tourism in Central Luzon, a niche sector that was successfully tapped early this year by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic authority is now looking forward to host overnight stays for cruise ships arriving in Subic because of the new measure that allowed foreign nationals to stay in the zone without visa for a maximum period of 14 days.

“This is definitely a game-changer for Subic, as well as Region 3 because it would facilitate the arrival of more cruise ships in Subic and boost the economy of the whole Central Luzon region,” Eisma enthused during a media event here on Thursday.

She explained that under the new EO, foreign nationals arriving through cruise ships can simply present marine vessel tickets, along with their passports, in order to be eligible for a 14-day visa-free stay in the zone.

“This arrangement is less complicated, and thus we foresee that the resulting ease of travel would make Subic Bay even more popular as a cruise ship destination,” Eisma added.

Executive Order No. 72 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on December 18 had included Subic’s piers and wharves as points of entry for businessmen and tourists who could stay in the zone without visa for 14 days.

This amended EO 271, which was signed by President Ramos in 1995 to provide for the uncomplicated access of foreign nationals to specified areas in the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone through the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA).

EO 72 noted that piers and wharves in Subic Bay “have emerged as new destinations for international cruise ships, as shown by the number of cruise ship arrivals in 2018” and that it was “anticipated that there will be a continued increase in cruise ship arrivals in Subic Bay in 2019 and onwards.”

Because of this, there was a need “to allow foreign nationals granted the visa-free privilege under the said EO to depart from the Subic Bay piers and wharves, besides the SBIA,” the EO also indicated.

Eisma said that with the no-visa privilege extended to Subic seaports, the SBMA expects the local tourism industry to flourish under a program of complementation among local tourism sites.

Last September, the Region 3 Development Council recognized Subic’s cruise ship program for having “accommodated cruise ship arrivals in February to June 2018 with an estimated value of more than P85 million of economic activity.”

Eisma said the SBMA had long lobbied for the amendment of EO 271 in order to allow cruise ship passengers to extend their usual one-day tours in Subic and other tourism attractions in Central Luzon.

“Now with Subic as anchor destination, tourism could further penetrate into neighboring areas in Central Luzon,” she also said.

 

TOP PHOTO: SBMA workers welcome passengers of a cruise ship docked in the Subic Bay Freeport. SBMA Chairman Wilma Eisma says more cruise ship arrivals could be expected under EO 72, which made Subic seaports eligible as no-visa entry points for foreign nationals. (Jun Dumaguing)