The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is considering additional financial relief measures for stakeholders in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone following a public consultation held on May 11, 2026 at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center.
SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services Atty. Ramon O. Agregado said the temporary relief measures, outlined in Board Resolution No. 26-04-1768 and approved on April 21, were designed to assist affected stakeholders amid the country’s ongoing energy crisis.
The measures were implemented in response to Executive Order No. 110 signed by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which placed the country under a State of National Energy Emergency due to disruptions in global oil supply caused by the continuing conflict in the Middle East.
Among the approved relief measures are a 50-percent reduction in Road Users’ Fees (RUF), suspension of the Environment and Tourism Administrative Fee (ETAF), free renewal of SBMA electronic IDs for workers, reduced fees for physical ID renewals, and the implementation of the Economic Relief Assistance Program (ERA4) for locators.
Agregado explained that the RUF applies only to Class 3 vehicles such as trucks and heavy equipment that regularly use roads within the freeport. He noted that the fee has remained unchanged since 1997 despite rising costs of maintenance, services, and materials.
“Notwithstanding the above, the SBMA Board of Directors likewise approved in the same Resolution to defer the implementation of the programmed increase or adjustment of the RUF,” Agregado said.
Meanwhile, ETAF payments for tourism-related establishments in the freeport have also been temporarily suspended under Board Resolution No. 26-04-1789 effective April 24, 2026.
Covered establishments include hotels, inns, condotels, restaurants, wellness centers, spas, golf courses, beach resorts, and theme parks, among others, except duty-free shops and retail stores.
To further ease the financial burden on workers, SBMA launched the e-ID renewal system and waived renewal fees for employees opting for electronic IDs instead of physical cards.
The Board also approved a reduction in renewal fees for physical SBMA IDs from ₱200 to ₱130 through Resolution No. 26-04-1788, pending favorable review by the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel.
In addition, the ERA4 program approved under Resolution No. 26-04-1784 allows qualified locators to defer 50 percent of their monthly lease rental or sublease share payments for up to six months beginning May 2026.
Under the program, locators without past-due accounts as of April 30, 2026 may pay only half of their monthly billings from May to October 2026 without incurring penalties for late payment.
The government earlier cited the worsening global fuel crisis, triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions in oil supply, as among the reasons for declaring a national energy emergency.
