In a virtual time warp, authentic 19th century Principalia Mansions and original Bahay na Bato (Stone Houses), stand resplendent around a cobblestone plaza and streets paying tribute to the magnificent craftsmanship of our forefathers.
These structures carefully and painstakingly taken down from different parts of the country and rebuilt, “brick by brick”, “plank by plank”, are replete with memories with colorful stories.
Walking along the cobblestone streets or riding one of the caruajes (horse- drawn carriages), one has to constantly remind one’s self that he is in the present somehow trapped in the past; not just peeking through a looking glass but walking, touching, living amongst history’s silent witnesses.
The structures, at least 100 years old, are restored to its former grandeur creating a museum of Filipino architecture.
Located in Bagac, Bataan, significant in Philippine history for the World War II Death March, this “village” of heritage houses is designed to replicate Hispanic town settlements.
At Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, the legacy of our forefathers and the beautiful Filipino traditions live on.
It is a step back into a majestic past, reliving the age- old traditions and practices distinct to our culture, without leaving the luxury and comforts of the modern world.
At the Paseo de la Escolta, there are currently 17 gues rooms with airconditioning, a modern bath with hot and cold showers, a 21” flat screen TV and DVD player; or you may choose to stay in any of the 18th and 19th century guest houses.
Each villa has airconditioned rooms, hot and cold showers, living areas, and dining facilities, affords each guest the ultimate experience of living out history without leaving the present.
The Filipino culture, being a melting point of many influences, is complex yet distinct. Experience the uniqueness of authentic Filipino-Hispanic cuisine at the Marivent Café where dishes are cooked and server the traditional way.
Taberna del Señor Pepe offers a variety of Spanish tapas, deli items, cocktails and cigars handrolled right before your eyes while El Museo (The Museum) offers a glimpse into the past with the artifacts and items on display.
The Candaba House, originally built in 1780 can accommodate a small group for 20 persons to as much as a groups of 200 persons. The Baluiag House 2 can accommodate functions for 30-80 people.
Instituto de las Bellas Artes, has function rooms for small groups of up to 40 people and a wide ballroom. La Plaza Mayor and El Centro serve as the resort’s outdoor social activity centers.
Both areas may be used for receptions and events and can accommodate 500-1,200 persons.
A showcase of Filipino talent, ingenuity and craftsmanship, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar takes pride in the past… And keeps its faith in the future.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 10 percent of our population in the Philippines is composed of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
“Imagine that. Ten percent,” Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President Benigno N. Ricafort said who seemed perplexed by the statistics.
“That’s about 9 million PWDs from the more than 80 million Filipinos living with us today,” he added.
Ricafort, who has embedded the practice Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR in the mindset of each CDC employees , pushed the CDC beyond its mandate to transform this former United States military installation into a magnet for investments and development.
Thanks to the vision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who helped transform this Freeport into one of the top investment destinations in the Southeast Asian region, the last 10 years saw a robust growth in and around the Clark .
The President’s vision became a reality, nay, a legacy as the CDC focused on development thrusts, particularly on infrastructure development, which was Clark ’s magnet for international and local investors.
The CDC also has the Clark CSR programs as another legacy – a legacy that aims to improve the quality of life of PWDs and other indigent people of Pampanga.
“This is another legacy that I want for Clark – the CDC’s care and commitment to pursue sound and meaningful CSR programs that are beneficial to surrounding communities in the province of
Pampanga ,” Ricafort said.
“It’s not enough that we live our day to day lives worrying and complaining about a variety of woes when just outside the four walls of our homes could be a neighbor who is in dire need of an artificial leg, or perhaps the old lady at the sari-sari store by the corner may have poor vision because she is suffering from cataract,” Ricafort said.
According to Ricafort, there are many Filipinos whose living conditions “are far worse than ours. Far worse than the trivial wretchedness we keep ranting about every day.”
It is for this reason, Ricafort stressed, that the CDC forged ties with the Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF) to provide H.E.L.P. – Health, Education, and Livelihood for Pampanga.
“In Clark , we have put our acts together and stopped complaining… We’ve decided to HELP,”
Ricafort said.  
The CDC, Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF) and their various partners in service have decided to HELP.
Ricafort noted that the CDC and the KDF’s goal is to return to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) the “dignity of being able to live a productive life amidst their disabilities by restoring their physical capabilities whether they are amputees, cataract patients, or afflicted with harelip and other facial deformities.”

The Subic Forest Watershed Reserve (SFWR) is located in the west-central portion of the major Philippine island of Luzon, 160 km by road northwest of Manila.
It is at the northern portion of the Bataan Biogeographic Zone, which noted high biodiversity and endemism. This secondary growth, low land dipterocarp forest covers approximately 9,800 hectares of which 3,000 hectares is closed canopy.
The forests were protected from overexploitation for over 50 years while under the jurisdiction of the former US Naval Facility.
It is a priority site of the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS). The SFWR lies entirely within the bounds of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) under authority of Republic Act 7227 of 1992.
A Memorandum of Agreement was executed between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the SBMA in 1992, which delegated to the SBMA the enforcement of environmental policies, rules and regulations within the Freeport, provides for management jurisdiction over this protected area.
A wide range of habitats are present in the forest due to the terrain, presence of streams, fringing grasslands and other breaks in the canopy. It is possible to draw an imaginary line through the rainforest, running water, grassland and mangrove habitats that blends into the marine seagrass and coral reef habitats. This represents the major habitats to the tropics.
The preliminary results of the forest biodiverstiy survey revealed 745 plant species. Of these, 3 are included on the endangered species list while 4 are potentially threatened. Thus, the urgency of preserving the Subic forest then is highlighted.
The forest is dominated by white lauan, apitong, guijo, palosapis, which are ecologically and economically important tree species. Recently, a rattan palm previously found only on Mt. Arayat was discovered.
Fifteen percent of the Luzon bird species are found in the Subic forest which comprises ten percent of the whole Philippines. Monkeys loiter at the roadsides. Monitor lizards, snakes, birds of prey, jungle fowl and signs of wild boar foraging are common at the forest fringe. There are 27 endemic vertebrates.
An approximately 10,000 individual fruit bat colony and herd of feral water buffaloes also live within the SWFR. At the southwest portion of the reserve is a well maintained network of paved roads which links two piers to a complex of 6 groups of earth-covered, concrete ammunition bunkers referred to as the Naval Magazine area.
These bunker groups are enclosed in fences. The Naval Magazine in turn is linked by a two-lane road to the rest of th Freeport zone and a narrower road to the municipality of Morong, Bataan. This is slated for low-impact, eco and adventure tourism-oriented development.
Some 150 families of Aetas, an indigenous cultural community, live within SFWR.
A school, a windmill-driven water pump and recreational area are present. They have access to the SBMA Health and Welfare department. Medical and dental missions visit them every now and then. Livelihood opportunities include manual labor at the freeport, SBMA Forest Rangers and forest guides for various eco-tourism activities.
Several entrepreneurs have small variety stores offering staples and canned goods.
The community uses the resources of the forest and the adjacent bay. The Pamulaklakin Forest Trails, which is operated by their self-help organization, provides seasonal livelihood through cultural demonstrations, forest tours and picnic areas.
Ecotourism has tremendous potential given the variety of flora and fauna, presence of streams, waterfalls and trail systems. The road system in the Naval Magazine is ideal for cycling and bird watching.
Horse trails traverse sectionsof the forest. The Jungle Environmental Survival Training (JEST) camp school established by an Aeta to train Americans retained much of its staff and offers treks of up to several nights into the forest. The Philippine Military and Police forces also train in this area.
The western side of the Grande Island and Chiquita Island have the highest coral cover in the bay with up to 75 percent living corals. There are 75 species of fish present in Subic Bay. Important reef fish species comprise 96.25 percent.
The world’s rare and endangered Olive Ridley turtle, Hawksbill, Dugong or Seacow inhabit the Subic Bay. Six species of seagrass are growing in the marine preserved areas of Triboa and Ilanin Bays. There are 156 animal species (vertebrates) and 568 species of insects.
The next time you visit Subic, try to remember some of this information and share it to others, particularly to kids, to instill good values of a clean and green environment.

He said that income in seaport operations by the SBMA rose to P319.73 million in the first seven months of the year, thus exceeding the agency’s revenue target of P316.29 million for the entire 2009.

The amount, which also represented a 15.7-percent growth over the 2008 record, was P3.43 million more than the revenue target for this year and was derived mostly from vessel lay-ups in Subic Bay, as well as wharfage fees on imported products.

According to figures from the SBMA, total seaport income from January to July was composed of P131.23 million in vessel charges, P91.67 million cargo charges, P21.56 million processing fees, P34.62 million in SBMA shares for port-related services, P35.6 million leases and rentals, and P5 million in other charges.

The SBMA also said that the record collection was boosted in particular by a total of P68.3 million in fees paid by laid-up vessels, P39.8 million in wharfage fees on grains, wheat, fertilizer and rice, and P21.5 million in wharfage fees on imported petroleum products.

The P319.73-million collection in the first seven months of 2009 exceeded by 169.7 percent the target for the same period, SBMA data showed.

Hernandez averred that despite the global economic slowdown, the SBMA Seaport Department will breeze through with its collection targets this year.

“For the remaining quarters of 2009, it is a foregone conclusion that the targets will be surpassed,” Hernandez asserted, as the Subic seaport “has consistently recorded banner revenues” in recent months.

“June 2009, which brought in P60.69 million, is worth highlighting because it is the seaport’s highest monthly record thus far—ever since the SBMA was created in 1992,” Hernandez added.

In early July, Hernandez also reported that the SBMA earned some P276.49 million from seaport operations in January to June 2009. This total also slightly surpassed the seaport revenue posted in the entire 2008.

Hernandez said the growth in seaport revenue “only goes to show that the SBMA is on the right track in its effort to market the Port of Subic to more shippers, importers, brokers and cargo forwarders.”

Hernandez also attributed the surge in seaport income in some part to recently completed infrastructures like the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) and the Subic Port Development Project, which increased Subic’s container cargo capacity to 600,000 TEUs.

“These have made the SBMA’s marketing strategies for the port very effective, thus enabling us to greatly enhance Subic’s performance as a logistics hub,” he said.

Meanwhile, SBMA seaport manager Perfecto Pascual said that monthly collections in the first seven months of 2009 had thus far surpassed all previous records since 1993.

He said the actual collections by the SBMA Seaport Department stood at P37.62 million in January, P41.57 million in February, P51.01 million in March, P44.49 million in April, P41.07 million in May, P60.69 million in June, and P43.24 million in July.

Pascual added that Subic’s seaport income had started to surge since his department began making revenue forecasts in 2006.

That year, the SBMA seaport achieved 94.75 percent of its P201.46-million goal, followed by a 93.54-percent completion of the P233.21-million forecast in 2007, and the chart-busting record of 121.05-percent in 2008 when Subic posted actual revenue of P276.24-million against a forecast of P228.2 million, Pascual said. Rey Garcia

President Arroyo inaugurated recently the George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center—the only one of its kind in the Philippines—located at the Subic Bay Free Port Zone.

The $30-million George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center is a 100-bed tertiary hospital owned and operated by George Dewey Medical College Inc., a five-year-old nursing college. It sits on a 12-hectare facility, perched on top of a hill surrounded by a lush forest.

“The center is our response—the Philippines’ response—to the challenge posed by our neighbors like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia for leadership in medical tourism,” Dr. Carmen Dinglasan, George Dewey president, said.

President Arroyo was welcomed by Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Dante Ang, The Manila Times executive editor Dante Ang II, University of the Philippines Prof. Solita Monsod, George Dewey Center president Dr. Carmen Dinglasan, Rep. Mitos Magsaysay of Zambales, Gov. Enrique “Tet” Garcia of Bataan, former governor Vicente Magsaysay of Zambales and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator Armand Arreza.

Dinglasan said the George Dewey center can help make the Philippines a preferred health-care destination. The center was established in response to the challenge posed by leading medical-tourism providers such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Located at Villa Amorosa, Upper Cubi, inside the free port, the center has the potential to become a leader in medical tourism. Many of its medical staff were trained in the United States and Europe, and are some of the best in their fields of specialization in the country. Many of the doctors are speakers in international conventions.

George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center is part of Villa Amorosa, a self-contained health resort for retirees, medical practitioners and medical students. The medical-tourism project will employ 200 medical staff and health-related workers, and would need another 300 for its shopping areas, sports complex, restaurants and condominiums when they open in 2010. It is the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Dinglasan said the center’s edge over other premier medical and wellness centers in the country is location.

“GDMWC is a tertiary hospital like the Makati Medical Center, Medical City or St. Luke’s but it is in the correct environment where you will have real healing and rejuvenation. Because you know what happens in Manila is that it is so crowded, it’s polluted and very stressful,” she added. “So what we did was to place an excellent medical center in the correct environment. That’s our big edge over other premier medical and wellness facilities.”

The center also has numerous programs that are prohealing and prorejuvenation, and not only for taking care of the sick, Dinglasan said. “We want to give them passion for life because some of them are losing interest in life. So we try to combine all other remedies.” One of the center’s major services will be heart care, since there is no cardiac-surgery facilities around Northern Luzon, she added.

The George Dewey center will also become a training center for other doctors who already have specialization in various fields but still want to specialize in something that is very modern.

Its medical college offers Nursing. Beginning school year 2010, two additional courses will be offered: Radiology and Medical Technology. Other courses such as Dentistry, Ophthalmology, Physical Therapy and Medicine will be introduced in 2011.

The $30-million center, Dinglasan said, currently employs 200 medical staff and health workers. It still needs another 300 employees for its future expansion.

Because of its proximity to Central Luzon and Northern Luzon, she added, the center can serve the medical and health needs of residents from Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, La Union, Ilocos provinces, Cagayan Valley provinces and the Clark Economic Zone.

At present, among the services patients can avail themselves of are cardiac surgery, joint and hip replacement, reconstructive surgery, corneal transplant, refractive surgery and multifocal intraocular lens implantation, stem-cell rejuvenation, sleep disorder therapy, transplant surgery, laboratory analysis, pain management, fertility clinic and dental implants.

The center can also serve as a health resort for retirees seeking medical treatment. It caters to persons seeking medical treatment or checkup or having concerns about their well-being.

When fully developed, the 12-hectare health and wellness center will have boutique stores, mini-groceries, a sports complex, a 500-unit condominium, a business center, restaurants, coffee shops, a conference center and places of worship for people of all beliefs.

SUBIC and Clark’s self-sustaining business environment has resulted in surprising yet modest growth tallies for the first half of the year for the two economic zones as both continue to display resiliency and further beating the odds.

Citing a recently released study on the ongoing impact of the global financial crisis on foreign direct investments (FDIs) in Asia, particularly in the Philippines, the Nomura Research Institute (NRI) of Japan disclosed that Subic has topped all other investment-promotion agencies throughout the country by posting a 13.6- percent increase in committed investments based on year-on-year figures for the first quarter of 2009.

On the other end of Central Luzon’s “New economic corridor,” its counterpart, state-owned Clark Development Corp. (CDC), likewise displayed strong performance in the area of FDI as it has lured both local and foreign firms to put in 36 new projects with P1.05 billion worth of fresh investments in the first six months of the year.

According to the first version of the NRI study, FDI commitments secured by the SBMA for the first quarter amounted to P1.5 billion. On the other hand, all of the other Philippine investment promotion agencies (IPAs) reported a year-on-year decrease in commitments for the same period, the NRI said.

A noted economist told NewsCentral that despite the modest growth displayed by both ecozones (Subic and Clark), “it’s still growth no matter how one puts it.”

He said compared with other neighboring Asian countries which continue to reel from the global economic slump, Subic and Clark remain as the Philippines’ “best bet” in terms of luring more foreign investments for the country.

With its air, sea and land transport facilities, which are now rapidly shaping up as world-class infrastructure developments, the vision of making Central Luzon as the premier investment and economic destination for the country has remained “very much achievable,” he said.

Seaport
Revenue collections by the seaport department of the SBMA in the first seven months have already exceeded the agency’s target for the entire 2009.

SBMA deputy administrator for operations Ferdinand Hernandez said collections from vessel lay-ups in Subic Bay, as well as wharfage fees on imported products, boosted seaport revenue to a total of P319.73 million, or P3.43 million more than the revenue target for this year.

The amount also represented a 15.7-percent growth over 2008 figures, Hernandez pointed out.

Airport

The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) continues to attract more passengers as the airport posted a 21-percent increase in international passenger volume in the first five months of 2009 despite the global downturn in the aviation industry caused by the economic slowdown.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano said the DMIA posted a 21-percent increase in international passenger volume from the period January to May this year compared with the figures posted in the same period in 2008.

Based on a report by the CIAC Corporate Planning Department, 251,719 international passengers passed through the DMIA from January to May this year compared with 208,858 in the same period in 2008, or a difference of 42,861 passengers.

Investments
The NRI, which prepared a presentation for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), observed that the Philippines, like other Asian countries, is reeling from a decrease in FDI commitments due to the economic slowdown.

However, the NRI noted that the Subic free port, which is being managed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), posted a 13.6-percent increase in committed investments based on year-on-year figures for the first quarter of 2009.

This made the SBMA the only IPA in the country that turned out a positive
figure.

According to the first version of the NRI study, FDI commitments secured by the SBMA for the first quarter amounted to P1.5 billion.

According to SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, the agency signed up a total of 30 new projects worth P1.5 billion for the first quarter of this year, bringing to 966 the total number of registered investors here. The new projects, meanwhile, are expected to generate some 580 new jobs.

Subic’s investment generation this year was recently boosted further by new investment pledges by South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin, which bared new capital infusions worth a total of $86 million.

Hanjin officials said the new investments would be for the production of ship components at the Subic facility and would be committed in two parts: $29 million starting September this year, and $57 million next year and onward.

Arreza said the growth in investments here was made possible by a self-sustaining business environment created in Subic over the years by the SBMA that was directed toward various industries that require less dependence on foreign markets.

He added that among the industries that kept the local economy afloat was tourism, which has become a major economic driver for Subic Bay, and which has also created various downstream businesses that benefited communities in the Subic Bay area.

The figures on FDI commitments in the Philippines formed part of a study by the NRI for the proposed development of the Philippine Investments Promotion Plan (PIPP).

The PIPP seeks, among others, the creation of an interagency body “to oversee the implementation and monitoring of all programs, activities and projects to improve investment climate” in the country.

The network of IPAs, including the SBMA, “is tasked with formulating and developing strategies to position the Philippines as among the prime investment destinations in Asia,” the NRI said.

The same study pointed to the negative impact on FDI generation in other Asian countries. These included Thailand, which posted a 26-percent decrease in capital commitments; Vietnam, with a 67-percent decrease in capital realization; India, with a 28-percent decrease in FDI realization; and even China, which suffered a 21-percent decrease in FDI realization.

Compared with its Southeast Asian neighbors, however, the Philippines “has attracted far less FDI than the peer Asean countries,” the NRI study found out.

“Really, there’s good news in Clark amid the crisis…and we are even preparing for the economic upturn,” CDC president Benigno Ricafort said.

At least 15 of these are in the services sector, seven each in information technology (IT) and commerce, three in industrial, one each in aviation and housing, and the rest provide institutional support.

“Clark free port was making a strong showing as an investment destination,” Ricafort said.

Texas Instruments poured in $1 billion. It has completed its $300-million building, targeting to hire at least 3,000 workers once it hits full operations.

Singapore Airlines Engineering Co. and Cebu Pacific pooled $10 million for an aircraft-maintenance facility at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.

With the Global Clark Gateway Logistics, valued at $1.2 billion, and the Clark International Airport Corp. Terminal, valued at $1.3 billion, the free port’s main zone has only 300 hectares left for industrial and commercial development.

“These are signs of steady growth,” Ricafort said.

At least 22 projects are expected to be back on track with the lifting in July of the height restrictions on buildings constructed in the western part of the free port.

Revenues
In terms of revenues, the 417 Clark locators here remitted P1.84 billion in income taxes of employees, customs duties and business taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in 2008.

Subic Bay Free Port has remained one of the top revenue-earning free port and economic zones in the country with a P2.2-billion tax collection during the first six months, up by 21 percent year-on-year.

Arreza disclosed that based on the revenue-collection reports of the BOC, the total cash collections derived from payment of customs duties and taxes significantly went up by 21.84 percent higher compared with last year’s P1.8 billion.

Arreza said the revenue collection from January to June this year increased by over P395 million.

New growth area
The CDC has also turned to the Sacobia subzone to be the new growth area.

Called the Next Frontier (Clark Special Economic Zone), this spans a total of 10,000 hectares, 2,477 hectares of which will be used for ecotourism projects, agro-industrial projects, light industries and community-development projects.