GORDON PAYS TRIBUTE TO SUBIC VOLUNTEERS

Senator Richard Gordon paid tribute to the thousands of volunteers of Olongapo City who sacrificed and worked hard to preserve the facilities of Subic Bay after they were abandoned by the US navy and who finally transformed Subic into a thriving commercial and industrial zone.

He declared that the spirit of volunteerism, which transformed Subic into an economic and industrial hub, could also transform the Philippines into a modern and thriving nation.

In a privileged speech in the Senate, Gordon declared that the historic turnover of Subic Bay by the US to the Philippines on 24 November 1992 “marked the beginning of the conversion of one of the largest military facilities outside the continental United States, one that represented the latter's military power in Asia for almost a century, into a premiere economic hub and Freeport.”

Then city mayor of Olongapo, Gordon recalled that the timing of the turnover “could not have been worse” as Subic and Clark Field, a US airbase in Pampanga, and surrounding areas, were devastated and covered by volcanic ash from Mt. Pinatubo that exploded a month earlier.

“Yet we did not despair,” declared Gordon adding that “neither did we cower in fear nor blame the national government for the situation we were in. Despite the twin disasters wrought by man and nature, guided by a shared vision, the people of Olongapo took a leap of faith to save our deserted and devastated community. Bloodied but unbowed, we marched to Congress and lobbied for a Freeport in Subic. True to the unconquerable soul of the people of Olongapo, like Invictus, we took charge of charting our own fate.”

To preserve the base facilities for use in the Freeport, some 8,000 people volunteered, including street vendors, professionals employed by the US navy, lawyers, Filipino students and scholars from the United States, to protect the facilities, thus preventing massive looting and conserving the facilities for the community and country.

“In doing so, the Filipinos of Olongapo while doing their duty preserved their dignity and dogged determination guaranteed prosperity and a future for their children,” Gordon declared. The conversion of Olongapo into a industrial and commercial development zone also benefited not just surrounding provinces like Bataan, Pampanga and Zambales, but the entire Central Luzon by encouraging the establishment of allied industries and decongesting Manila.

Subic became a hub for multinational corporations from all over the world, providing more than 70,000 jobs and attracting foreign investments that help develop the countryside. “Because of our hard work and confidence, we have over 300 companies in Subic Bay who have invested over $3 billion in three years,” said Gordon.

Gordon said that Olongapo volunteerism is an example for the Filipinos to emulate nationwide. “I have therefore been preaching the gospel of volunteerism all over the Philippines as a way of galvanizing reform and modernization in the entire country,” he concluded.