Less than a two-hour drive from the national capital, this former United States naval base, in fact the largest U.S. military installation outside of the American mainland, was ceded back to the Philippine government in 1992 after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension of a mutual defense treaty with the United States.
Then Olongapo City Mayor Richard Gordon lobbied for the turnover of the facility and its conversion into a freeport.
Aerial view of former Subic Naval Base, with Olongapo City in the background (USDOD photo)
Today the freeport as well as the surrounding city by the bay offers a variety of recreational attractions suited for family and friends alike.
Strictly speaking, the place called Subic actually refers to the town in Zambales that lies just across the northwestern edge of Olongapo City, comprising the eastern shore of the Zambales cove that faces Subic Bay.
View Subic on Larger Map
But nowadays when people talk of Subic, the term almost always refers to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ), the former U.S. naval station that is actually an independent geographical entity covering a very large area, the main portion of which lies south and southeast of Olongapo City, extending all the way to Morong in the province of Bataan.
View Subic Bay Freeport on Larger Map
So strictly speaking, the title of this entry should have been Overnight in SBFZ ...
Anyway, after the usual travel planning, my wife and I decided to do Subic on the weekend just before my birthday. And though we didn’t really plan it, it just so happened that it falls on the same weekend when the annual Sibit Sibit boat races in Olongapo were to be held.
Sibit Sibit is an annual festival held in Barrio Barreto that depicts Olongapo’s rich and colorful heritage. Sibit Sibit refers to the small banca (native paddle boat) used in the ancient fishing villages from which Olongapo was ultimately born.
So after drafting out our itinerary, which I will be sharing at the end of this series, we also decided on where we would be staying once we get there ~ at Herbie’s Mansion, which is conveniently located along the Subic waterfront, near the central business district.
Although there are cheaper places to stay around the freeport and in Barrio Barreto, we decided on Herbie’s mainly because I wanted to catch the sunset and some action at night by the waterfront, without having to drive around unfamiliar territory at night.
The entire freeport area is such a huge place where one can easily get lost especially in the dark. Trust me, I already did ... get lost, even as I was driving with the aid of a GPS unit.
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