The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SMBA) continue to live up on its mandate to create employment opportunities for Central Luzon residents with thousands of job openings during the first six months of the year.

In its mid-year report, the SMBA said that the Subic Freeport is on the edge of doubling the 30,000 jobs lost after the US base pull-out as comparative statistic show. This premier freeport zone now has a total of 58,017 workers.

SBMA Chairman Felicito C. Payumo said that for the first half of the year alone, Subic Freeport locators have exceeded last year’s employment figure of 48,874 with additional job openings of 4,143 or about 8.5 percent higher than the total 53,017 employees as of June this year.

This figure is on top of the combined 5,000 employees of the SBMA and its subsidiary, the Freeport Services Corporation (FSC) for over-all total Freeport workforce of 58,017.

Statistics released by the SBMA showed that service-oriented companies in the freeport zone, particularly those engaged in various tourism-related businesses such as hotels/restaurants duty-free stores, trading and transportation, have posted the biggest number of employees with a total of 22,726 workers.

The manufacturing sector, despite the reported sudden slow down in its export earnings for the first six months particularly on electronic products, was able to maintain a high employment figure of 18,034 production workers. Payumo, however, expressed optimism that export performance of the freeport would do a rebound in the second half of this year.

Apart from these, the rising number of workers in the construction business has also been noted due to several on-going development and other infrastructure projects being implemented by private developers such as the Grande Island, Moon Bay Marina, Subic Techno Park Phase 2 project, the Greenwoods Park and the Subic Forest Adventure.

"The SBMA is confident that the number of workers compared during the US Navy days will be doubled before the year ends with the entry of new companies and expansion projects of existing locators," Payumo said.

Olongapo City remains the biggest source of workers with 27,722 or about 52 percent as Zambales shares 14.8 percent with 7,849 workers while Bataan and Pampanga contributes 6,596 (14 percent) and 1,090 (2 percent), respectively.

She is scheduled to leave for Bahrain at 12:05 after her activities in Hong Kong. She is expected to arrive there 4:35 pm.

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat. Kadarating ko lamang mula sa dalawang araw na mabungang pagbisita sa bansang Hapon. Ang una sa tatlong bansang nakatakda kong puntahan kaugnay ng aking paglakbay para sa pangkapayapaan at kaunlaran. Bukas pupunta naman ako sa Hongkong at kasunod nito sa Bahrain. I met the Filipino community in Japan and greeted them a Merry Christmas in behalf of all our people.

Sa Japan ay dumalo ako sa ASEAN Japan Summit kung saan ang mga lider ng ASEAN na tulad ko ay muling nagpahayag ng pagkakaisa tungo sa mas matatag na samahang pangkaunlaran at seguridad. Partikular nating itinaguyod ang pagpapalakas ng Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East Asian Growth Area o the EAGA. Hindi lamang sa larangan ng ekonomiya, kundi sa pangrehiyong seguridad lalo na laban sa terrorismo at transnational crimes. Nakipagpulong ako kay Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Nagpasalamat ako sa pinakamalaking pinagkakaloob na official development assistance ng Japan at karamihan nito ay mapupunta sa Mindanao, mainly sa Muslim areas. We also want to be Japan’s global human resource partner so that we can deploy Filipino workers to take care of Japan’s aging population and to handle the IT operations.

Nakipagpulong din ako sa bagong lider ng Malaysia, si Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. Ang Malaysia ang facilitator o pangunahing tagapagtaguyod sa isasagawang peace talks o sa pangkapayapaang sa pagitan ng ating pamahalaan at ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF.

Ang aking paglalakbay na ito ay magtatapos sa Bahrain na nagpahiwatig ng interest sa ating patuloy na paghanap ng kalutasan sa mga problema sa Mindanao. Katunayan, patuloy nitong sinusuportahan ang ating pagsisikap na mabigyan ng observer’s status sa OIC o Organization of Islamic Conference. Isa rin ang Bahrain sa mga nagtulak para makakuha tayo ng non-permanent seat sa United Nations Security Council. Ang Bahrain din ay isa sa mga observers sa ceasefire sa pagitan ng pamahalaan at ng MILF. Tatalakayin din namin ng King of Bahrain, ang iba pang mahalagang bagay tulad ng pagpapalago ng kalakaran, pamumuhunan at turismo.

Isa rin sa mga pangunahing dahilan ng pagbiyahe kong ito ay upang makaniig ang ating mga magigiting na OFW na alam ko na labis na nalulungkot sa panahong ito ng kapaskuhan. Ginawa ko ito sa Japan at gagawin ko rin sa Hongkong at Bahrain. Alam naman nating lahat na ang patuloy na lumalaking remittances ng ating OFWs ang isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan kung bakit nagpapakita ng kasiglahan ang ating ekonomiya. Magmula ng ako ay maging pangulo umabot na sa 17 billion dollars mahigit ang OFW remittances mula January 2001 hanggang June 2003.

Mahigit din sa dalawang milyong OFWs ang nagpunta sa hundred sixty-five overseas destinations mula July 2001 hanggang October 2003. Kaya nga ang pagbiyahe kong ito ay isa ring paraan para muli nating mapasalamatan ang ating mga OFW sa ginagawa nilang pagmamalasakit at pagsasakripisyo para sa atin at ang panahon ng kapaskuhan ang pinakamagandang sandali para gawin ang pasasalamat na ito.

At para naman sa kasiyahan at kapanatagan ng ating OFW personal kong ipinapaabot sa kanila sa biyaheng ito ang ilan sa mga nakasisiyang kaganapan dito sa ating bansa. Ang patuloy na pasigla ng ating ekonomiya na number six sa bente unong ekonomiya ng Asia-Pacific sa pag-angat. Ang pagtaas pamumuhunan 22%. Ang tumaas na registered investment sa BOI at mga economic zone.

Ang matagumpay na kampanya laban sa illegal na droga at ibang kriminalidad. Ang pagkakahuli sa mga pangunahing lider at kasapi ng mga sindikatong sangkot sa kidnap, carnapping, terrorismo at ang tagumpay ng mga programa ng gobyerno tulad ng agriculture modernization kung saan pinakamalawak na irrigasyon at doble ng ani ng high breed rice ang naganap. Pabahay pinakamalawak din na programa sa kasaysayan ng ating bansa. Health care kung saan higit kalahati na ng ating mga mamamayan ay sakop na ng health insurance, turismo at iba pa.

Gusto ko din bigyang liwanag ang ilang bagay na kanilang nababalitaan na maaring nakakagulo sa kanilang isipan. Ang kapakanan at karapatan ng ating mga OFW at ang kanilang mga pamilya ay prioridad sa aking administrasyon na kailan lamang ay naisabatas natin ang Overseas Absentee Voting Act kasunod nito ang Dual Citizenship Act.

Meron din provident fund ang gobyerno para magkaloob ng social services at emergency loans para ang ating mga OFW. Meron ng halos twenty five thousand enrollees sa provident fund na nasa Hongkong, Jeddah, Khatar, Milan at Rome. Tumatanggap na rin ng bagong account ang fund sa mga SSS offices at accredited banks sa Brunei, Saipan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Kow Zsu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi at Kuwait.

At hindi lamang yon, yung Anti-Money Laundering Law ay nakatulong din para hindi mahirapan ang ating mga OFWs sa red tape pag padala nila ng kanilang remittances sa ating bansa.

Mga kababayan, lahat ng pwedeng gawin ay ginagawa maisulong lamang ang kaunlaran at kapayapaan. Pero ang lahat ng ito ay patuloy lamang natin mapagtatagumpayan kung nariyan kayo at patuloy na sumusuporta sa akin. Sa mahigit na dalawang taon at kalahati sa aking panunungkulan bilang pangulo naging malinaw sa akin ang mga nararapat gawin para matamo natin nang tuluyan ang tunay na kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Huwag kayong bibitaw dahil kaya natin ito.

We are deeply saddened and regret to announce that Secretary Blas F. Ople passed away today of natural causes.

The Secretary was on a flight to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the State Visit of H.E. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo coming from the recently concluded ASEAN-Japan Summit in Tokyo, Japan, when the Secretary experienced difficulty of breathing, and subsequently lost consciousness. The Captain of the flight declared a medical emergency and diverted to Taiwan.

Efforts by medical personnel to revive him, on the flight and in hospital proved unsuccessful.

The Secretary died in the service for his country.

Our family members, led by Mrs. Susana V. Ople, are in Taiwan to arrange the return of the remains of the Secretary to the Philippines.

We would like to express our profound appreciation to the crew of the flight of the Secretary, the officials of Taiwan, the airport and airline officials in Taiwan, the medical staff of the Min Sheng General Hospital in Taiwan and most especially the officers and staff of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) led by Chairman Antonio Basilio in Manila and MECO Representative Espinosa in Taipeh, for their efforts on behalf of the Secretary.

We would also like to express our deep appreciation for the prayers and kind thoughts for the Secretary and our family at this most difficult time.

"The nation mourns the death of a great Filipino."

President Macapagal-Arroyo described him as "an architect of Philippine foreign policy in the finest tradition of enlightened and pragmatic diplomacy, a champion of peace, human rights, collective security and the rule of law."

"We will miss him and the world will miss him," she added.

Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Franklin Ebdalin said Ople was "very intelligent."

"I would even classify him as genius," Ebdalin said. "I do not hear him saying bad things against anyone. He was very kind to people."

Born on Feb. 3, 1927 to working class parents in the fishing town of Hagonoy in Bulacan, Ople was a man of numerous talents and a long chain of achievements.

He was a statesman, constitutionalist, legislator, civil servant, book author, publicist, university lecturer, journalist and freedom fighter.

He also sponsored, together with then Sen. Macapagal-Arroyo, the ratification of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Uruguay Round creating the World Trade

He authored one version of the Overseas Voting Bill which has since been enacted into law.

Then President Ferdinand E. Marcos appointed Ople as Secretary of Labor in 1967—later renamed Minister of Labor during the martial law regime. He held the post until early 1986 following the downfall of the Marcos in the historic EDSA Revolt of 1986. The following year, he was named a member of the 1987 Constitutional Commission.

As labor secretary, Ople was chief architect of the Labor Code of the Philippines which Marcos signed into law as Presidential Decree 442.

He also launched a national manpower development program through the National Manpower and Youth Council which has since been renamed Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

As a statesman, Ople lectured at seven high-level symposiums on politics, economics and finance sponsored by the Financial Times of London in different world capitals.

In 1975, he was elected president of the 60^th International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, becoming the first Filipino to hold that post. From 1983 to 1986, he was recognized doyen and spokesman of the world’s labor ministers.

He was elected assemblyman for Central Luzon, topping the winning slate of 16 candidates. He was voted Member of the Parliament for Bulacan in the regular Batasang Pambansa, and sponsored sectoral representation, the progenitor of the present party list representation in the House of Representatives.

At age 16, during World War II, he became a first lieutenant in the Del Pilar Regiment, Bulacan Military Area.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored today the need to institute reforms in government policies and programs with the view of uplifting the people’s quality of life.

Addressing overseas Filipino workers at the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibit Center in Kowloon, the President said her series of overseas travels is part of the changes needed in the pursuit of her economic and political objectives.

"Ours is an administration that has been working across continents to bring the message of the Filipino pride and pride in the Filipino’s bright future," the President said.

"In my two years and a half in the presidency, I have seen what changes are needed in my system (of governance). One of these is the establishment of a Philippine version of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)," Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo added.

She revealed that part of her preparations to attain the desired reforms is her decision to engage the expertise of the architect of the first ICAC as her adviser.

President Macapagal-Arroyo had a whistle stop in Hong Kong on her way for a state visit in Bahrain.

"After my meeting with you today, I shall leave for Bahrain. And in Bahrain, the meetings will also pursue the same thrust as what I sought in Japan. We shall widen the range of our diplomacy to reinforce our domestic policies and programs to uplift the lives of our people," the President told the OFWs.

During her two-day visit in Japan last week, the President said she worked for a "better deal for our OFWs and made more gains for peace and development in Mindanao."

She also said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has agreed to open formal negotiations next month for the entry of OFWs such as caregivers, midwives and nurses and information technology professionals into Japan.