SUBIC BAY

Departments > Ecology Center

Regulatory Building, Rizal Highway corner Labitan Street, Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Divisions

• Administrative Unit

  Tel. No.: +6347.252.4370 / 4426

  
  
  The Administrative (or Admin) Unit provides over-all administrative, logistics, planning, and information support to the day-to-day operations and activities of the EC Department Head and technical staff.
  
  Specifically, it is tasked to prepare the Department’s management plans and yearly budget as well as consolidate regular accomplishment reports of the different divisions, coordinate trainings/workshops and handle other HRD concerns, maintain the Center’s Database system, Web Site, Library and Archive, handle office upkeep, maintenance and improvement, prepare news and information for distribution to various media outlets, receive guests and business calls, keep and update the schedule of the Department Head’s meetings and appointments, distribute/file correspondence, and process documents relative to the travels of the Department Head and the technical staff. The Unit is also responsible for maintaining office supplies, facilities and equipment, including the conduct of physical assets inventory. The Unit also handles the coordination of all ISO-related matters for the whole department, as well as initiate the storage and archiving of office documents and the disposal of valueless records. (Note: In the absence of personnel to handle any of the administrative tasks described above, some of the personnel from other divisions are designated to assume admin functions and thus, perform multi-tasking functions for the Department).

• Policy & Monitoring Division (PMD)

  Tel. No.: +6347.252.4416 / 4435

  
  
  The PMD oversees the formulation of environmental policies and guidelines and in monitoring of existing locators in the pre-construction, construction and operations stage in their compliance to environmental standards based on the issued environmental permits and clearances or submitted Environmental Mgmt Plans. It also leads the Department in responding to environmental hazard calls and pollution incident reports. To enforce environmental regulations, the Division initiates the issuance of Notice of Violations, warning letters and conducts hearings relative to such.

• Regulatory Permitting Division (RPD)

  Tel. No.: +6347.252.4059 / 4156 / 4321

  
  
  The RPD leads in the processing and issuance of environment-related permits and clearances such as Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC), tree trimmings, environmental clearance for accreditation purposes, and others, as well as the conduct of inspection prior to permit issuance, for verification purposes. The Division leads in the evaluation and review of project proposals, as well as in the processing and issuance of environmental permits and clearances to incoming and existing locators and endorses the request for environmental permit or clearance to the concerned government agencies (e.g., tree-cutting permit from the DENR, etc.), if necessary.

• Social Development Division (SDD)

  Tel. No.: +6347.252.4155

  
  
  The SDD is tasked to ensure compliance on DAO 2017-15: Guidelines on Public Participation under the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System for Environmentally Critical Projects (ECPs) in relation to the review of potential investment proposals and expansion projects of SBF Locators to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of the projects to local communities.
  
  The division shall enhance linkages with LGUs, GAs, NGOs, POs, national and international agencies, etc. to increase local community participation on environmental protection and development, and provide assistance on matters pertaining to various community or social issues and concerns and in the implementation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects or activities or initiatives of the SBF Locators. It also undertakes environmental education programs for locators, workers and communities in the Freeport.
  
  SDD also handles the implementation of existing SBMA social or community development programs, e.g., Indigenous People’s Development Plan (IPDP), Social Fencing or Community-Based Forest Management Programs, Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Association (IFARMA) Programs, Joint Management Agreement (JMA) with IPs, Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development Plans, etc. within the Freeport Zone.
  
  Further, the division is in charge of the preparation of a Relocation Action Plan (RAP)/Property Acquisition and Compensation Plan (PACP), Social Development Plans (SDPs), etc., as needed, for the effective management of local communities and various stakeholders within the jurisdiction of SBMA, and facilitate or coordinate the conduct of periodic census and tagging, Detailed Measurement Survey (DMS), socioeconomic and perception survey, etc., of the local communities located within the jurisdiction of SBMA for proper identification and management of these stakeholders as part of the RAP preparation and implementation.
  
  SDD is also the lead division who assists the Environment Management Representative (EMR) and members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the implementation of the ISO14001:2015 or Environmental Management Systems (EMS) within the SBFZ.

• Protected Area Division (PAD)

  Tel. No.: +6347.252.4656

  
  
  The PAD is in-charge of monitoring ambient water, bio-physical and air quality within SBFZ. The Division conducts research and updates environmental statistics (water and air quality, flora & fauna, etc.). The PAD implements and manages biodiversity conservation programs (wildlife conservation such as marine turtle conservation, bat conservation, etc., forest fire prevention, ecotourism site enhancement, etc.) and manages forest and marine areas through the implementation of the Protected Areas Management Plan (PAMP). The Division, in coordination with the PMD and RPD, responds to hazard calls as needed, conducts site inspection on proposed projects, and provides recommendations on proposed projects, as part of the evaluation process required prior to permit issuance. They also lead in the evaluation of special permits that may significantly or adversely impact Subic Freeport resources and its environs, such as research permits, movie shootings, fishing tournaments, and utilization/use of various forest resources (e.g., bamboo/buho, cogon, felled trees, etc.), in coordination with the RPD. They network with other environmental and research agencies.
  
  PAD is likewise responsible over forest and marine protection, forest development activities like nursery establishment and maintenance, and reforestation of denuded lands. It is also the lead division in the preparation of forest and marine policies on protection and conservation, and preparation of programs, activities and budgets in accordance with the Subic Bay Protected Area Management Plan. It plans and implements a range of ecological studies related to forest and marine management and conservation.
  
  PAD is responsible over the department’s terrestrial and marine environmental operations and projects centered on wildlife management issues and biodiversity monitoring to sustain or improve environmental and ecological integrity of the SBF forests and bay.
  
  Moreover, it promotes the protection and proper management of coastal environment to a broader and more measurable output of providing policy guidance, technical assistance and support information for coastal resource management.
  
  It also plans and implements an educational program or public information whose purpose is to provide either direct or indirect education to the general public or to specialized groups concerning protected area management and conservation, and relevant programs.
  
  This division also reviews and provides written comments on environmental assessment reports, environmental management plans and monitoring reports of proposed and existing development projects and recommends measures to improve them.
  
  It manages and maintains the Land Resource Information System, a GIS-based resource database and mapping management.
  
  Under the PAD are three (3) specialized groups, one of which is the Tree Nursery Group which is responsible for the raising and maintenance of planting materials needed for reforestation and tree planting activities of the SBMA and other requesting agencies. The Group also facilitates the department’s donations of seedlings to various government and non-government agencies, civic organizations and schools coming from Olongapo, Bataan and Zambales areas.
  
  Another specialized group under the PAD is the Pastolan Forest Conservation Group (PFCG) which is in-charge of the overall maintenance, expansion and protection of the SBMA Reforestation Area in Mt. Sta Rita. The Group constructs fire lines and fire breaks, collects planting stocks, performs planting activities, monitors and patrols the reforestation area.
  
  Still another specialized group under the PAD is the Monitoring Services Group (MSG), members of which were trained in environmental field monitoring, be it terrestrial or marine/aquatic. As such, they assist in the biodiversity monitoring function of the division and also serve as guide to students and researchers doing field work on the flora and fauna of the marine and forest ecosystems of the Subic Freeport.
  
  (Note: Majority of the personnel working under these specialized groups are indigenous peoples (IPs) - either from the Magbukun Ayta Tribe of Sitio Kanawan or from the Ayta Ambalas of Sitio Pastolan. Hiring of IPs, which was initiated during Gordon administration and continued by Chairman Payumo, has been loosely considered as gesture or expression of goodwill, social responsibility and affirmative action of SBMA towards the marginalized IPs who have recognized ancestral claim for much of the Freeport’s pristine territories. However, Ecology Center endeavored to institutionalize the hiring system to be systematic and productive for both parties - with SBMA benefitting from the indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSP) of IPs, and the IPs being given the chance to earn a living doing what they know best - continuously applying indigenous knowledge in their everyday life, the very thing found to be an important catalyst to sustainable development due to their direct connection to resource management and conservation.