SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— “It will always be my honor not only to be the first woman appointed to this job but also to be one leader who proved that, together, the stakeholders of Subic Bay will always be stronger and will always overcome.”
Thus, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chair and administrator Wilma Eisma delivered her valedictory in a statement as she stepped down from her post on Tuesday, March 1, citing health reasons as among the factors that pushed her to leave after five years of leading the agency.
With “a happy heart,” Eisma said she would leave the freeport that, with her team, she had ensured with a “a better, more sustainable future.”
It was with Eisma at the helm that the Subic freeport gained foreign investments and generated the most employment in all of its history, as well as world recognition as MICE hub, tourism and sports destination.
Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Subic Freeport maintained its stability and profitability.
Last year, the SBMA posted a revenue of P3.47 billion, capping the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic with an 8% growth in income and other major accomplishments in key performance areas.
A total of P16.67 billion in investments were registered from January to December 2021, representing 1,099% increase over the P1.39-billion
investment turnout approved by the Subic agency in 2020 and almost four times
the P4.38-billion investment forecast for the year.
Only last month, the SBMA placed among the top 12 finalists in the award for “Best in Tourism Practice During the Pandemic” during the 22nd National Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines.
Eisma said that as early as October 2021, she had submitted her notice of resignation to President Duterte “to focus on her health and family,” but the latter did not accept her decision.
Eisma was one of the first volunteers in the free port when now Sen. Richard Gordon served as SBMA chair and administrator.
Former Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino replaced her and was sworn in at Malacañang on Tuesday also. With media reports
