Subic bay news vol 14 no 04 20.00Php

Tapas Bar and Restaurant 2nd Floor Subic Gas Bldg 724, Dewey Avenue, Subic Bay Freeport Zone 8.2 km Subic Freeport Expressway Expansion opens SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The 8.2-kilo- meter expansion project for the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) that was designed to provide better, faster and safer access to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone was formally opened on Friday, Feb. 19, by the project developer and high-ranking government officials. The project, which began in July 2019, was inaugurated by Executive Sec- retary , Public Works Secretary , Transportation Secretary , Presidential Spokesperson , Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chair- man and Administrator Wilma Eisma, Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC) President Jose Ma. Lim, Met- ro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) President Rodrigo Franco, and NLEX Corp President J. Luigi Bautista. 2nd District Representa- tive Joet Garcia, Hermosa, Bataan Mayor Jopet Inton, and MPTC spokesperson Ro- mulo Quimbo Jr. were also present in the occasion. The expressway project, which SUBIC EXPRESSWAY INAUGURATION. Top-ranking government officials led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Public was touted to further accelerate eco- Works Secretary Mark Villar, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, and SBMA Chairman nomic growth in the Subic Bay Freeport Wilma Eisma headlined the opening of the newly completed 8.2-km Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) on Friday, Feb. 19. and surrounding communities, was built at a cost of P1.6 billion. Chairman Eisma, who welcomed China’s debt to PH now over P800 billion, Beijing should guests in the inauguration rites, acknowl- edged the heavy support of the national start paying up - Sen. Hontiveros government in Subic’s development as a premier investment and tourism cen- Senator Risa Hontiveros has reiterated her of investigative journalist Jarius Bondoc. del Rosario had said that livelihoods of ter and said that the project is another call to have the Chinese government pay He arrived at the number by multiplying 350,000 fisherfolk have been negatively af- reparations for the value of the wealth the 1.2 million tons of fish that are usually fected by China’s presence in the WPS. testament of President Duterte’s “strong and marine life stolen in the West Philip- caught by Chinese vessels in Zamora and “Patuloy ang panghihimasok ng support and love for the Subic Bay Free- pine Sea due to Beijing’s adventurism in Panganiban reefs annually, with Seafdec’s Tsina sa gitna ng pandemya. Bilyon-bilyong port Zone.” the disputed waters. estimated value per ton of fish catch in the pisong halaga ng yamang dagat ang kanil- Eisma thanked Medialdea and “Time to pay up. Dati nang uma- South China Sea at P76,710. ang sinisira, habang iniinda ng mga Pilipino the other top officials in the Duterte yaw ang Chinese Embassy nang naningil Last year, Hontiveros filed Senate ang napakamahal na presyo ng isda, at iba Cabinet for further pushing development tayo ng mahigit sa P200 billion dahil sa Resolution 369 to have China foot the bill pang bilihin,” the senator said. here. paninira ng Tsina sa WPS mula 2013. Pero of our COVID-19 response by paying the The senator emphasized that Fili- She also requested support for ngayon, umabot na sa higit walong daang over P200B worth of reparations owed to pinos have the legitimate right to demand bilyon ang halaga ng paninira nila sa ating the due to its activities in the reparations. In fact, Japan already paid the a proposed interchange that will benefit likas-yaman, kaya patuloy ang ating pan- WPS. She said this amount should now be Philippines reparations for, among others, three industrial parks at the Tipo area, gangalampag, ” Hontiveros said. updated to include the recent computa- the destruction of Manila during World pointing out that these industrial proj- The senator cited the P231.7 bil- tions. War II. The United States also paid the Phil- ects signal the continued trust of foreign lion worth of ruined reefs for seven years, "We cannot take back the marine ippines after the USS Guardian gashed cor- investors in the Philippines under the as published by the international journal resources that China has destroyed in the als around the Sulu Sea in 2015. Duterte administration. Ecosystem Services last year. The value WPS. Habulin natin ang Tsina sa utang “We have to find a way to make The SFEX capacity expansion per coral reef was pegged at P18 million, nila. Huwag nating sanaying naabswelto China pay. Kung ang ibang bansa nagbayad, project entailed the construction of two and this amount was multiplied by 1,850 na lang sila palagi sa mga pang-aabuso bakit ang China, hindi? Dahil sa ‘special re- hectares of reef ecosystems in Panatag and nila sa ating bansa. Hinaharass na nga nila lationship’ na naman ba? Huwag na nating additional expressway lanes, two new Spratlys that have been damaged by China. ang ating mga mangingisda, sinisira pa ang hayaang lumobo pa ang kanilang utang bridges at Jadjad and Argonaut Road, Additionally, there has been a to- ating likas-yaman. Let’s not allow China to dahil sa huli, ang Pilipinas at ang Pilipino tal of P644 billion looted fish catch since get away with this,” Hontiveros said. nanaman ang lugi,” Hontiveros concluded. see, New Subic BayFreeport, page 02 2014, according to recent computations Former Foreign Secretary Albert U.S. Military Turns Over C-130 Hercules Aircraft to Philippine Air Force aircraft will continue to be a steady work- counterterrorism efforts. The Philippines is horse for the Philippine Air Force for years to by far the largest recipient of U.S. military come,” said CDA Law. assistance in the Indo-Pacific region. Since The United States, as a longstanding 2015, the United States has delivered more ally of the Philippines, continues to provide than Php37 billion ($765 million) worth support to the AFP through both grants and of planes, ships, armored vehicles, small expedited sales of arms and munitions to as- arms, and other military equipment to the sist with urgent logistical and HADR require- Philippines, while also training side-by-side ments, bolster long-term AFP modernization with our Filipino allies. goals, and buttress maritime security and

Chargé d’Affaires John Law and representatives from the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group turn over the first of two C-130H Hercules Aircraft to be delivered under a recent transfer to Philippine Secretary of National Defense and the Philippine Air Force on February 18. Manila– Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) John cal capacity for military and civil support op- Law, alongside representatives from the erations, including humanitarian assistance U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ Joint and disaster relief (HADR) and distribution of U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG), COVID-19 supplies. on Thursday turned over the first of two The C-130H Hercules is capable of a C-130H Hercules Aircraft to be delivered maximum payload of 19,000 kilograms, with under a recent transfer to Secretary of Na- a flying range of over 1,900 kilometers. The tional Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Phil- 220 Airlift Wing at the Philippine Air Force ippine Air Force (PAF) leadership. Brigadier General Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in The United States delivered this Cebu will own and operate the aircraft. tactical airlift capability worth Php1.54 bil- “The C-130 is a proven aircraft and lion ($32.2 million) to the PAF through the demonstrated its reach and capability to de- Foreign Military Financing grant program to liver COVID-19 supplies across the country strengthen the Philippine military’s logisti- over the past year. We hope this additional Subic Bay News www.subicbaynews.com 02 EducationUSA New Subic BayFreeport...... continued from page 01 NEO achieves net-zero hosts First Virtual carbon energy with Community College Fair AboitizPower’s Cleanergy Leading green office developer NEO achieved net zero car- bon energy with 5-star certifications under the Advancing Net Zero Philippines (ANZ/PH) program, which verifies a de- velopment’s net zero carbon energy emissions. The proper- ty manager earned the certifications for three of its office buildings, namely One/NEO, Four/NEO, and Six/NEO, un- der the ANZ/PH pilot program and anticipates receiving the same 5-star certifications for the remaining four buildings of its portfolio. The Advancing Net Zero Philippines program is the Philip- pine Green Building Council’s (PhilGBC) rating scheme to as- sess a building’s energy performance in line with the global campaign Advancing Net Zero of the World Green Building Council. Net zero energy is defined as “the conservation and optimization of the energy use in projects, and the use of the renewable energy for the project's remaining operational energy demand.” NEO is also making greater strides in pushing ener- gy efficiency for the Philippines as Seven/NEO will be repre- senting the country in the upcoming ASEAN Energy Efficiency Awards. The NEO office portfolio, which are all rated 5 Stars under the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excel- lence (BERDE) certification system, also won Outstanding Awards from the Department of Energy during the 2020 En- ergy Efficiency Green Building Awards last December 7. These achievements are rooted in NEO’s commit- ment to energy efficiency and conservation practices that benefit both the environment and NEO’s tenants in cost sav- ings and a sustainability advantage. NEO regularly promotes energy efficiency through events and programs exclusive for their tenants through their innovative tenant engagement campaign called #theNEOway. All common areas of the buildings use LED lights, which have notably proven more SUBIC EXPRESSWAY INAUGURATION. An NLEX Corpora- energy-efficient and economically sustainable than conven- tion bus breaks the ceremonial ribbon during the formal tional light bulbs. Manila— EducationUSA, the U.S. government’s offi- opening of the newly completed 8.2-km Subic Freeport The entire portfolio is powered by 100% renewable Expressway (SFEX) on Friday, Feb. 19. energy from AboitizPower’s Cleanergy. Since 2013, NEO and cial resource for students interested in pursuing high- AboitizPower have formed a partnership that ensures the er education opportunities in the United States, will and a new two-pane tunnel. operations of NEO buildings using renewable energy. NEO’s host a Virtual Community College Fair on Tuesday, NLEX Corporation President Bautista said this seven intelligent office facilities are supplied with 14.5 MW February 23, at 7:30 p.m. The fair will feature 10 of will increase road capacity from one lane in each direc- of geothermal energy from the power company’s renewable the United States’ top community colleges for inter- tion to two lanes in each direction, and thus will accel- subsidiary AP Renewables, Inc., specifically the MakBan Geo- national students. erate business activities and facilitate the flow of goods thermal Plant located in the provinces of Laguna and Batan- The virtual event will provide an opportunity and services in and out of Subic. gas. AboitizPower, together with its partners, is the largest for high school students, parents, and school adminis- operator of renewable energy in the Philippines based on “One of the key drivers of economic growth is installed capacity. trators to interact with community college admissions a network of high-quality roads. The NLEX Corporation NEO remains the most prominent office portfolio officers and learn how they can take advantage of this through NLEX, SCTEX, and the soon-to-be expanded owner, developer, and manager in the Bonifacio Global City lesser known, more affordable path to a U.S. degree. SFEX not only intends to accelerate development, but central business district through its green buildings. With More than half of all U.S. graduates at some also hopes to encourage travel convenience and road their world-class property development standards, coupled point attended a community college, a smaller school safety,” Bautista added. with a 24x7, reliable energy source, renowned multinationals that generally offers two-year Associate’s Degree pro- Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry such as Coca-Cola, Deutsche Bank, Oracle, Procter & Gamble, grams. For a number of reasons, they are now becom- Roque described the SFEX expansion as one of the key Fujitsu, and JPMorgan Chase are equipped to run their local ing increasingly popular for international students. operations in an efficient and uninterrupted manner. This projects under President Duterte’s Build-Build-Build partnership further supports the Advancing Net Zero Energy First, they cost a fraction of most four-year program and a testament that, under the Duterte Ad- Rating Scheme’s pillars to reduce the use of fossil fuel-based universities. The College Board estimates that during ministration, the government is working non-stop to electricity through the use of renewable energy. the 2019-2020 academic year, tuition and fees for provide essential services to the people. Through his message, Chief Executive Officer Mr. community colleges were $3,730 per year on average, Thanking the MPTC for initiating the project, Raymond Rufino expressed the group’s firm resolve to con- compared to $10,440 for public four-year schools and Roque said the SFEX expansion has significantly has- tinue its climate conservation measures. He shares: “The se- $36,880 for private four-year schools. Second, they tened travel from Manila to the Subic Freeport and pro- verity of our current climate crisis requires a commensurate offer credits and guaranteed transfers to many of the vided motorists an alternative and faster route in and response and commitment from real estate owners, devel- top schools in the United States. Third, many students opers, and managers: NET ZERO. This is a difficult and ambi- out of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. tious commitment for NEO as we are a real estate company find the transition to studying and living abroad is much The SFEX, which is also known as the Subic-Ti- based in an emerging market. However, we firmly believe smoother when starting at a community college with a po Expressway or NLEX Segment 7, connects the Subic that we can and must play our part in this global collective ef- less rigorous study schedule. Finally, they have more Bay Freeport to the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac fort. By being a pilot partner of the Philippine Green Building flexible application requirements and timelines. Expressway (SCTEx), which in turn links with the Tar- Council for its Advancing Net Zero (ANZ PH) Certification Pro- First Lady Jill Biden, who has been a teacher at lac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway. gram and achieving 5 Star Certifications for One/NEO, Two/ Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) for 12 NEO, and Three/NEO, we have demonstrated that Philippine years, has said that community colleges are “one of developments can be Net-Zero. NEO has joined the World America’s best-kept secrets.” NOVA will be at the fair Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commit- NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC ment and encourages all other real estate firms to heed the and has guaranteed transfer agreements with dozens call and join us in going Net Zero.” of top-notch U.S. universities. As their energy partner, AboitizPower is also in full Marga Dumlao, a Filipino graduate of NOVA, Notice is hereby given to the public that an support of NEO’s sustainable management practices. First said “My two years at NOVA allowed me to build new EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE Vice President for Commercial Operations Mr. Juan Alejan- bridges, open doors to new opportunities, and taught dro Aboitiz talks about the shared advocacy between the me so much more than I had ever expected. Those are WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS IN FAVOR OF CAR- two firms: “Our partnership with NEO spans 8 years of forged memories I’ll cherish as long as I live.” LOS C. MIJARES , was made and executed by commitment toward nation-building. AboitizPower believes Interested students, parents, counselors, and legitimate heirs and full-blooded siblings of An- that sustainable development is anchored on building an en- tonio S. Mijareswho died intestate on Septem- terprise consciousness around the conservation of resourc- administrators can find out more information and reg- es, alongside the practice of socially responsible programs ister here: bit.ly/EdUSA-CCFairReg. ber 3, 1999 in Olongapo City and his legal wife for the communities we serve. We applaud NEO’s response EducationUSA provides free advising services Carolina R. Cabigting who died on November to climate emergencies and as a partner, we are committed to prospective international students in more than 25,2019 as per Doc. No 277, Page No. 57,Book to aligning our energy products and services to help them 170 countries, and offers student resources and tools in the notarial registry of fulfill their sustainability journey.” to navigate the Five Steps to U.S. Study: researching No.VII Series of 2021 schools, identifying financing, completing the applica- Atty. Kristine Carmela F. Gonzales-Camarao. tion, obtaining a student visa, and preparing for de- All interested parties, credi- parture. There are more than 4,500 accredited high- tors,and persons having money claims against er education institutions in the United States, and an the decedent are hereby required to file their EducationUSA adviser can help students define their claims with the court appointed executor of their priorities to narrow their options and plan their college estate. 1 careers. EducationUSA does not offer scholarships but can assist students in identifying scholarship and finan- cial assistance opportunities. You can also find more information about Ed- NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC ucationUSA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/edu- cationusa.philippines, on Instagram at @educationusa. Notice is hereby given to the public that an philippines, and on Twitter at @EducationUSA_PH. EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH WAIVER AND QUITCLAIM, was made and executed by the sole and only surviving heirs of the late Willard C. Smith who died on Novem- ber 13, 2018 in Olongapo City as per Doc. No.80 Page No. 17 Book No 57 Series of 2021 in the notarial registry of Atty. Dorentino Z. Floresta. All interested parties, credi- tors,and persons having money claims against the decedent are hereby required to file their claims with the court appointed executor of their estate. 1

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Notice is hereby given to the public that NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT AND PAR- TITION OF ESTATE was made and executed by Notice is hereby given to the public that a WAIV- the surviving children of the deceased spouses ER OF RIGHTS was made and executed by OFELIA ALEJANDRO D. JARDIN and MILAGROS FAU- JARDIN - MURCIANO and EDNA JARDIN- RAMIREZ, RA-JARDIN who both died intestate in Olongapo First Parties and ANDRES FAURA JARDIN, Second Parties both co owners of a parcel of land with 108 City on December 27, 1985 and March 26, 1987 square meters more or less located at #11 Blk. 3 Ad- as per Doc. No. 94 Page No. 88 Book No LXXVII amos st., Gordon Heights, Olongapo City as per Doc. 8C Fontaine Ext., East Tapinac, Olongapo City Series of 2016 in the notarial registry of Atty. Se- No.443 Page No. 090 Book No XI Series of 2018 in the TEL. 251- 3104 CELL: 0917 503-8350 / 0928 503-8350 gundo E. Mangohig. notarial registry of Atty. Segundo E. Mangohig. 0932 879-8350 / 0917 879-8350 All interested parties, creditors,and persons All interested parties, creditors,and persons [email protected] having money claims against the decedent are having money claims against the decedent are hereby email: hereby required to file their claims with the court ap- required to file their claims with the court appointed ex- www.subicbaynews.com pointed executor of their estate. 3 ecutor of their estate. 3 Subic Bay News www.subicbaynews.com 03

AROUND CENTRAL LUZON Aeta students receive learning materials Obstacle-in-a Box at SM City Olongapo Central

Traverse Wall. Using only the handholds Wall Through obstacle Aeta students from CDC-OB Montessori Pagsasarili Family Care Program receive and footholds. electronic learning materials from Clark Development Corporation and Converge ICT Solutions Inc. (CDC) CLARK FREEPORT ZONE -- Aeta students Executive Officer Dennis Anthony Uy ex- from CDC-OB Montessori Pagsasarili pressed optimism over their partnership Family Care Program received electronic with CDC. learning materials from Clark Develop- "It is a great honor to partner ment Corporation (CDC) and Converge with CDC in this kind of CSR for Indige- ICT Solutions Inc. nous Peoples. We see that these young The materials include 60 learning people, our next generation will be our tablets and nine Large Format Displays future," Uy added. (LFDs), which will aid student-beneficia- Meanwhile, Mary Grace Mar- ries to efficiently continue their educa- quez, a parent of one of the students of tion via e-learning module even amidst the Pagsasarili program, thanked CDC the current pandemic. and Converge for the aid provided to During the turnover of learning them. materials, CDC President Manuel Gaer- “I thank CDC and Converge for lan urged parents of the student-bene- having my child as one of your program ficiaries to continue giving value to their beneficiaries. I also hope that you carry children’s education. on with initiatives like this so that you Rope Climb. Move your body up the rope Exercise Station where you can do push “We have seen the improvement can reach and help more people,” she and ring the bell at the top. ups, pull ups and inverted row of the students through this program. said. Despite all the limitations that CoviD-19 event dubbed as “Learn to be a Ninja We started from 50 and now we have 80 Aeta Pagsasarili Family Care Cen- has caused the past months, the Pilipi- 101” from February 4-19, 2021. Then on students and counting. The students are ter was created through the partnership February 20-21, 2021 is the leader board lucky to have OB Montessori as partner of CDC and OB Montessori. nas Obstacle Sports Federation (POSF), and I hope the parents will continue to It is part of the state-owned the governing sports association for event which is the Ninja obstacle-in-a guide their children to help uplift their firm’s CSR which was launched in July Obstacle Sports / Obstacle Course Rac- box official competition. life in the future. I hope there will be 2019 to provide an early childhood and ing in the Philippines, and Obsztacle Atty. Alberto Agra, President of more kind-hearted company like Con- adult learning program for Indigenous Sports Team, an Olongapo City based POSF said, “Anyone, whether able-bod- verge to help us with our corporate so- Peoples from nearby communities of the active lifestyle community group man- ied, Para-Athletes, youth and kids, se- cial responsibility (CSR)", Gaerlan said. Freeport. (CPIA 3) aged to execute its plans and programs niors and masters can use the Boxes.” For his part, Converge ICT Chief by collaborating with the local govern- “There will be a series of qualifying races ment of Olongapo and SM City Olonga- from February till May and by June the po Central. Federation will have five National teams, DILG Citizen Satisfaction Index System POSF is a member of the World Obsta- Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Ninja, Ad- cle Course Racing (OCR), the interna- venture Racing, Parkour and OCR and tional body for obstacle racing, as well Ninja for the Para athletes.” as the Asia OCR. The objective is to in- The Obstacle box is a 12-in-1 ob- troduce Obstacle Sports, OS Fitness and stacle box facility, there are 8 obstacles Cross-training benefits to all sports en- with 4 exercise stations. This is part of thusiasts and sustainability for a more the obstacle for all, everywhere initiative vibrant and active community. of POSF. The fourth box that the feder- The two groups will be con- ation has delivered and assembled. The ducting free obstacle box instruction, first three was in Alabang, Laguna and sports training, games and challenges Boracay. and mini competition during the pre- DA allots P943-M for agri inputs, livelihood projects in Bataan

Department of the Interior and Local Government inks a Memorandum of Agreement with President Ramon Magsaysay State University for the implementation of the Citi- zen Satisfaction Index System in Zambales. (DILG Zambales) IBA, Zambales-- Department of the In- different services provided by local gov- terior and Local Government (DILG) ernment units in partnership with local inked a Memorandum of Agreement resource institutions,” she explained. with President Ramon Magsaysay State Under the agreement, CSIS will University (PRMSU) for the implemen- be implemented this year in the munici- tation of the Citizen Satisfaction Index pality of Botolan. System (CSIS) in Zambales. For his part, PRMSU President DILG Provincial Director Armi Roy Villalobos said the state university Bactad said CSIS is a mechanism pio- had been an active partner of the DILG neered to generate relevant citizens’ when the program was implemented in feedback on the local governments’ ser- 2018 and 2019. vice delivery performance. "PRMSU is known as an institu- “It was developed to serve as a tion that extends its services on surveys, tool for drawing applicable information researches, and empowering community for evaluating citizen satisfaction in the engagement,” he added. (PIA 3)

Agriculture Secretary (2nd from left) visits one of the pilot farms of 1Bataan Agriculture Innovation and Technology Center. (1Bataan) DINALUPIHAN, Bataan -- Department of from left) visits one of the pilot farms Agriculture (DA) has committed about of 1Bataan Agriculture Innovation and PhP943 million this 2021 for agricultural Technology Center. (1Bataan) inputs and livelihood projects in Bataan. “There are four key strategies During his visit at one of the pi- in order to transform the agriculture in- lot farms of 1Bataan Agriculture Inno- dustry in the country. These are consol- vation and Technology Center (1Bataan idation by using disruptive technology, AITC), Secretary William Dar assured of modernization through the use of inno- his agency’s support to the agricultural vation and technology, industrialization initiatives of the province. and education and training that pro- He also praised the provincial motes career system for agriculture. government for being a visionary by pi- 1Bataan AITC is a public-private loting the 1Bataan AITC in Dinalupihan partnership between the provincial gov- town which will be greatly beneficial to ernment and Israeli company Agrilever. farmers. (PIA 3) Agriculture Secretary William Dar (2nd Branch: 1677 Rizal Ave., West Tapinac,Olongapo City IN THE NAVY

Subic food firm thrives after pandemic losses

Steve Costello (center) explains to SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma and SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment Renato Lee how the matcha flavor is infused in the Mount Mayon pili nuts. SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Difficult times pro- fused, and re-analyzed the market instead. vide new opportunities to those who per- “James and I said, can we look at severe. This in a gist is the story of Subic some markets that might be opening? And Superfood Inc., which manufactures and one of the biggest ones was online retailer. exports gourmet pili nuts from its factory So, we talked to Healthy Options in Ma- here in Subic. nila, which was one of our great accounts,” CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas . Volunteers tend to rescued green sea turtles at Naval Air Sta- During a visit of the factory by Steve recalled. tion (NAS) Corpus Christi, Texas. Sailors, civilians and family members worked with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) At the moment, they noted that Texas Parks and Wildlife department and the National Park Service to transport the Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eis- Healthy Options was expanding. “We said, turtles to safety. The NAS Corpus Christi environmental team lead the multi-agency ma on Tuesday, brother-entrepreneurs ‘Guys, you got to go online.’ They went wildlife protection effort and rescued more than 600 turtles. (U.S. Navy photo) Steve and James Costello shared how online and they put us in all their stores. Superfood, which sells products under And we realized, boom! We exploded with the Mount Mayon brand, survived the them,” Steve said. Covid-19 pandemic and now plan to thrive Aside from this, Subic Superfood in the years ahead. also tried other cost-cutting measures “We are looking at possibly having upon seeing that there was still a lot of our best year ever in 2021, and again in nuts in the warehouse. The brothers sold 2022 by the way the projections look. So, them at “buy-one-get-one” option, then we’re quite excited, we got other things cut about half of the staff and stayed with stirring up,” James Costello said. the regular team, and then came up with “This is great news for Subic, two 40-foot container of nuts going to Or- which just goes to show that our response egon. to the pandemic—the strict compliance to “What’s important is keeping flex- health and safety protocols, all the relief ible and finding new ways to do things,” measures given to business locators, and Steve stressed. the cooperation by stakeholders have re- Subic Superfood, Inc. began to sulted in a climate that is more favorable process pili nuts from Bicol into gourmet to economic recovery,” Eisma said. snacks in 2008. The firm has five flavors: “The truth is that even as some Himalayan Pink Salt, Kyoto Matcha, Ecua- companies have been adversely affected dorian Cocoa, Chiang Mai Chilli Lime, and by Covid-19, Subic Freeport also recorded Kerala Coconut Curry. new investment projects and even expan- The Subic firm has won multiple sion by existing businesses,” she added. awards for these products, including the According to the Costello broth- “Snacking Dior” award in Paris, France in ers, who are both trained biochemists, the April 2018 for the Himalayan Pink Salt fla- company adopted the motto “Survive and vor, and a three-star Michelin award and Thrive” last year at the onset of the pan- Supreme Taste award from the Interna- demic. Now they have retained it as theme tional Taste and Quality Institute in Brus- for 2021. sels, Belgium for the Kyoto Matcha flavor. Steve explained that Superfood’s In September 2018, Subic Super- PACIFIC OCEAN. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wil- sales suffered during the pandemic when food got a two-star Michelin award for the bur (DDG 54) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the Japan Maritime Self-De- the firm’s biggest markets—Duty Free Himalayan Pink Salt flavor, and three stars fense Force Towada-class replenishment ship JS Hamana (AOE 424) and French Philippines (DFP) in Manila and casinos for the Ecuadorian Cocoa flavor. It also Floreal-class light frigate FNS Prairial (F731). (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Japan and hotels in Macau—stopped placing or- received the Best Foreign Entry and the Maritime Self-Defense Force) ders. DFP used to account for 30 percent grand award of Supreme Champion for the of Superfood’s income, while the Macau Great Taste award out of 12,561 entries. importers 20 percent. In 2019, the company again re- Because of plunging sales, their ceived Great Taste Awards for its Kyoto partners in Hong Kong told the brothers to Matcha Premium Pili Nuts, Kerala Coconut shut the Subic facility down. But they re- Curry, and Natural Pili Butter.

PORTSMOUTH, Va.--Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) chaplain, Lt. Cmdr. Diego Londono, administers the Imposition of Ashes to Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Hood, an NMCP chaplain, during NMCP’s Ash Wednesday service, Feb. 17. Ash Wednes- day is a Christian holiday which marks the beginning of the season of lent. (U.S. Subic Superfood entrepreneurs Steve and James Costello show SBMA Chairman Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Ariana R. Torman) Wilma T. Eisma and SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Invest- ment Renato Lee the iconic Mount Mayon packaging .