Subic Bay Freeport – The Department of Agriculture (DA), with the help of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), is eyeing to establish a Bio-Safe facility inside this Freeport zone to secure agriculture, fisheries, and fertilizer supply chains against smuggling and disease.
In recent meeting between the two agencies at the Boardroom of the SBMA Administration Building here on 23 March 2026, the SBMA and the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement Unit discussed the latter’s mandate to establish a Bio-Safe facility or an examination facility here.
The said facility is part of the Philippines’ implementation of the P1-billion Bio-Safe biosecurity program for 2026, which aims to examine all agricultural projects before they are even allowed entry through the piers and going through Bureau of Customs (BOC) processes.
Undersecretary Carlos Carag of the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement Unit met with SBMA officials, citing that the DA is mandated to establish such facilities at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), the Port of Subic and the Port of Davao as part of the first phase of the said program.
The Bio-Safe biosecurity program aims to strengthen border controls, enhance on-ground enforcement against smuggling, and prevent food supply disruptions and price shocks.
Some of its core objectives include the prevention of disease outbreaks, which specifically targets transboundary animal diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF) and Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) to prevent supply shocks and price spikes.
Another objective is to strengthen border control that will enhance the detection rate of agricultural smuggling and tightens sanitary/ phytosanitary filters on imports; and economic protection, which aims to avoid massive industry losses, such as the estimated ₱200 billion lost due to past ASF outbreaks.