SUBIC BAY FREEPORT FACT FILE

HISTORY

• 1800's - Used as a Fort by Spanish government.
• 1901 - Selected as site for a US Naval Base, eventually became one of the US Navy's most important bases in the Asia-Pacific region.
• 1992 - The area occupied by the US Naval base was returned to the Philippine government. In the same year, under the Bases Conversion Law, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone was created.
• PRESENT- Since its creation, the Subic Bay Freeport has evolved into a thriving international community, generating billions of pesos' worth of investments.
  
  

LOCATION

• " Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) is located southwest of the Luzon Island in the Philippines. The harbor is sandwiched by the Zambales Mountain Range at the east, and the Subic Bay at the west, and opens up to the South China Sea.
• SBF is 110 kilometers north of Manila. Manila Bay and the Bataan Peninsula separate SBF from Manila.
• The mountain ranges around the Subic Bay area and the deep natural harbor provide excellent and protected anchorage. In addition, these features make SBF naturally sheltered from typhoons, as well as from the effects of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
• SBF belongs to Region III or the Central Luzon Region. It is one of the points in the growth triangle and is an engine for economic development in the region. SBF is a supplier of services and products for the Central Luzon Development Program (CLDP), a regional growth area composed of the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, and Zambales.

CLIMATE

• Like the rest of the Philippines, the climate in SBF is tropical. There are two seasons:
          • Dry, from November to May
          • Rainy, from June to October
• The climate is without extremes. Average temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius.
  
  

POPULATION

• The population in SBF is estimated at 3,000.
• Right next to SBF is Olongapo City with a population of approximately 194,260.