SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday named former Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino, Sr. as the new chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
He will be the eighth administrator of the freeport, replacing Wilma Eisma who resigned on Tuesday.
Paulino Sr. was also one of those responsible for the Subic Bay Freeport’s economic miracle in 1992.
The former mayor took his oath of office in Malacañang before Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on the same day.
The new SBMA chief is expected to usher in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone into normalcy in face of
the waning COVID-19 pandemic.
In his first day at work, Paulino met with department managers of the Subic agency, as well as
officials of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce—marking sustainability of business operations as his priority.
“We need to chart a new course for Subic post-pandemic,” Paulino said on Wednesday. “As we all
know, the COVID-19 health crisis also made a deep impact on business and productivity in this
Freeport, so a lot of corrective measures need to be in place.”
“I intend to tap the cooperation and support of all stakeholders in the Freeport and in the surrounding communities so that we can attract more business, employ more people, and make full economic recovery as soon as possible,” he added.
He pointed out that he would pursue an inclusive policy so that SBMA programs and facilities would
benefit more residents in nearby communities.
Paulino also asked the SBMA board of directors to cancel the entrance fee to Remy Field, a popular sports venue here, so that residents, especially athletes and health enthusiasts, can use it freely. The SBMA previously charged an entrance fee of P20 for the upkeep of the facility.
Paulino was first elected mayor of Olongapo City in 2013 and later on won another two successive
terms. His son Rolen Jr., who is the incumbent mayor, succeeded him in 2019.