By HENRY EMPEÑO | 

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will enforce restricted entry in all Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) gates as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a move that is, however, expected to cause some ramifications in the local economy.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the entry restrictions will be in effect starting 12:00 a.m. of March 16, until 12:00 a.m. of April 14, or while the nationwide State of Public Health Emergency declared by Malacañang is in force.

She said the SBMA board of directors unanimously approved the order late Saturday “in response to an immediate need to protect the safety and well-being of stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport in face of increased COVID-19 infection in nearby areas.”

Calling it a bitter pill to swallow, Eisma admitted that the restrictions “would hugely impact on business operations in the greater Subic Bay area.”

“But the welfare of everyone in the community should always be our primary consideration,” Eisma stressed in a statement on Sunday.

She added that the entry restrictions “serve as a safety and preventive measure to check the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the danger of infection that each of us face today.”

Under the entry restrictions guidelines, only those with SBMA-issued identification cards would be allowed into the zone. These include SBFZ residents, as well as locators, workers, and students.

The SBMA ruled, however, that SBFZ residents who come from Metro Manila and other areas with local COVID-19 transmission should undergo mandatory self-quarantine for 14 days under the supervision of the agency’s Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD).

Moreover, the business locators, employees, and students with ID can only enter the zone if they don’t show signs of possible COVID-19 infection and provided that they shall exit the Freeport after the conduct of business on the same day of their entry.

The same rule applies to accredited service providers, logistics enterprises delivering or picking up goods or supplies, port users, employees of government agencies in SBFZ, suppliers, manpower and logistics providers of ongoing SBMA projects, and emergency service personnel, Eisma said.

The SBMA had been progressively enforcing health safety measures since early last month when the coronavirus outbreak began spreading from China into other countries. These measures included a temporary ban on the entry of persons, vessels and aircraft coming directly from COVID-hit countries and thermal scanning and screening at Freeport gates.

Last week, the SBMA began disinfection protocols and enforced a one-door policy in SBMA offices after local transmission of COVID-19 was reported in Manila.

Meanwhile, Eisma urged all Subic business locators to conduct business with non-SBF enterprises via videoconferencing or teleconferencing, and encouraged SBMA clients to submit documents online to minimize personal contacts.

“These measures, like frequent handwashing and maintaining proper hygiene, may seem puny at first, but these actually enable us to keep safe and to be strong for others,” Eisma pointed out.

“Our system might be deficient and we might be ill-prepared for an emergency like this, but if we cooperate and support each other and exercise malasakit for our community, then we can survive this ordeal,” she added.

 

TOP PHOTO: Pedestrians pass freely through the Subic Bay Freeport main gate in this photo taken prior to the imposition of restricted entry starting March 16.