The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has authorized the Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation (SBITC) to collect wharfage fees on its behalf, streamlining payment procedures for port clients.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño and SBITC Head of Management Services and Government Affairs Henry Dungca formalized the arrangement through a Memorandum of Agreement signed July 29 at SBMA’s Building 662.
Under the agreement, wharfage fee payments will be processed through SBITC’s online payment platforms, reducing face-to-face transactions, travel to the SBMA cashier, and waiting time for port users.
Aliño said the system would simplify doing business at the Port of Subic while strengthening public-private cooperation to secure revenues for port operations, infrastructure, and future investments.
Dungca said SBITC would ensure transparent and accountable remittance of collected fees, while the partnership would improve service speed and the overall experience of port users.
SBMA regulates activities within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, while SBITC, a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), operates the New Container Terminals 1 and 2. The company was granted a 25-year concession extension last October, allowing it to operate the terminals until 2058.
The initiative follows a payment collection model similar to that of the Philippine Ports Authority, where port operators collect government fees on its behalf, and supports Subic’s continuing development as a major logistics and trade hub.
