SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - Despite heavy rainfall, almost all the top officials of local government units (LGUs) in Zambales, as well as Olongapo City and neighboring communities in Bataan, came to witness the turnover of leadership to new Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano G. Salonga and Administrator Armand C. Arreza.

Outgoing Administrator and CEO Alfredo Antonio said "Continuity is what will sustain and push Subic onward and forward. The transfer from one administration to another should not in anyway get in the way of Subic’s growth and progress, and the welfare of its stakeholders."

He added "although significant as it is, today’s change should be as seamless as possible, as we move from one chapter to the next."

During his first speech as administrator, Arreza said, "the SBMA flag to me is more than just a symbol of these things – for I will always see it as a personal reminder of the awesome spirit of volunteerism that has made Subic what it is today."

He added "I am fortunate and grateful that my three predecessors – Senator Richard Gordon, Chairman Felicito Payumo and Administrator Alfredo Antonio – have dutifully answered the same call – the call of sacrifice, service and love of country ­ to the best of their ability," adding that he has them to thank for "for the foundation that has been laid before me and upon which I now seek to build further."

Newly-installed Chairman Salonga stated that his job requires minimum words and maximum work, joking that being the last guy to speak in the turnover ceremony "deprives" him of all the good words to say. Salonga, former president of the Subic Shipyard and Engineering Corp., replaced former Ayala Land executive Francisco H. Licuanan III, who resigned the chairmanship last August.

Arreza, a former undersecretary at the Department of Tourism (DoT), took the place of Alfredo C. Antonio, who served as holdover administrator for the past two months after his appointment to the Monetary Board.

The new appointments received warm welcome from local government executives, SBMA employees, and the business community in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Among those who witnessed the turnover rites were: Zambales officials led by Gov. Vicente P. Magsaysay; Rep. Mitos Magsaysay; Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon Jr. Other Zambales mayors also attended the rites.

Antonio also assured SBMA employees and investors in Subic of the competence of the new managers.

"As I turn over the reigns of the SBMA, I am confident that the new team will stir Subic Bay Freeport to greater heights," Antonio said.

Meanwhile, Salonga and Arreza vowed to "make service the mandate of the SBMA" and to "create an environment in Subic where business is easy and expeditious."

The new officials are expected to bring into Subic extensive experience in business management and financial operations, and initiate more investorfriendly policies, SBMA officials said.

Salonga, a graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York and former executive chair of Westmont Bank, is an acknowledged figure in port management, having served as top executive at two shipyards in Subic, Zambales and Bataan. This would be a plus factor for Salonga in view of the ongoing Subic Port Development Project, according to SBMA officials.

Arreza, meanwhile, has extensive experience in global business, having variously served as chief operating officer, operations director and senior consultant for several multinational firms. He also earned a master’s degree in business administration, major in finance and operations management, from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Arreza had also served as financial controller and analyst at the SBMA from 1993 to 1996, and as member of the SBMA board before his appointment as administrator.

The Subic business community, meanwhile, has pinned high hopes on the Salonga-Arreza tandem, warmly welcoming the duo last Thursday night at a meeting hosted jointly by the Taiwanese-controlled Subic Bay Development and Management Corp. (SBDMC) and the Japanese-owned Subic Techno Park Corp. (STEP).

SBDMC chairman Joseph Chou said Taiwanese investors welcome the new SBMA officials "with fresh hopes that they will promote the business success of the Freeport."

Chou also pledged support to the new administration’s policies and projects, particularly efforts to make Subic investors more competitive in the world market.

STEP president Ichiro Tsuji, meanwhile, expressed optimism that the professional management of the Freeport will continue with the administration of Salonga and Arreza.

In the same forum, SBDMC president Jeff Lin thanked outgoing SBMA officials for the support they gave the Taiwanese businesses.

Lin said that Antonio’s stint with the SBMA saw "a revival of Taiwanese investments in Subic."

He added that seven new investors from Taiwan had located to the Subic Bay Industrial Park, injecting some $120 million in committed investments, in less than a year that Antonio was SBMA administrator