For eight local government units (LGUs) in Zambales and Bataan, luck comes with a geographical advantage.
Olongapo City and seven other municipalities which are contiguous to the Subic Bay Freeport are set to receive a total of ₱178 million as their share in the revenues of the country’s premier Freeport.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said that the shares given to LGUs are intended to augment local resources and enable stakeholder communities to benefit from the operations of Freeport businesses.
Needless to say, this monetary windfall is for the towns’ development projects in health, education, peace and order, and livelihood generation.
These revenue shares that the agency received from the locators’ gross income, are intended to create a parallel development between the Freeport and its nearby LGUs. SBMA is highly committed to supporting our neighboring localities by helping them improve the living conditions of their residents.
The recipient local government units are Olongapo City, which will receive a net share worth ₱41.62 million; while the Zambales towns of Subic will receive ₱26.7 million; Castillejos, ₱16.18 million; San Marcelino, ₱21.37 million; and San Antonio, ₱15.13 million.
Meanwhile, in Bataan, Morong town will receive ₱15.73 million, Hermosa ₱19.06 million, and Dinalupihan ₱22.17 million. The LGU share is determined according to population (50 percent), land area (25 percent), and equal sharing (25 percent).
Chairman Aliño said the shares given by the SBMA to the neighboring communities would benefit almost 750,000 residents in these areas.
Over a period of ten years, LGU shares significantly increased by 118.94% from ₱81.3 million in 2014. This is attributed to the growing number of locators who continue to trust in the services accorded to them by the agency.
The financial assistance given by the Freeport to the contiguous towns will somehow make up for whatever disturbance or disadvantages these areas have to suffer due to the presence of big industrial and marine businesses near their communities.
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