SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ,Philippines – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently conducted a briefing on standard safety procedures for companies in the maritime and shipbuilding sector in this freeport.
SBMA director Norberto Sosa led the briefing even as he urged concerned companies to do their share to keep the industry safe and erase the perception that the Philippines is a disaster-prone country.
“We are being known for maritime disasters. I do not want that to continue,” Sosa said.
“There should be visible management commitment to safety,” he added.
Sosa said there are lessons to be learned from recent accidents in the shipbuilding industry, citing the tragedy at the Keppel shipyard which killed five workers and left 17 others injured.
“We should always prevent accidents. However, if prevention fails, we must be prepared for emergencies and we should be able to manage crises,” he said.
He said the SBMA has likewise organized a committee to conduct safety inspections of the different shipyards and drydocks in the freeport.
Meanwhile, SBMA deputy administrator for corporate communications Knette Fernando clarified in a separate statement that the accident at the Keppel shipyard did not happen in this freeport but in another special economic zone in Subic town.
Fernando said the misidentification of Subic Freeport has caused some confusion even among investigators looking into the probable cause of the accident.
“Now, there are reports that some investigating bodies want to summon SBMA officials to shed light on the matter. Of course, they wouldn’t know anything about it,” she said.