Lenten Shows and sports events at Subic

According to Raul Marcelo, deputy administrator for business development of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), although religious activities form part of Subic’s time-honored Lenten tradition, they have also added some modern activities to appeal to a wider range of audience. Also, Visita Iglesia at the St. Augustine Cathedral in Iba, Zambales, egg hunting for children, healing concert, triathlon and biking for sports enthusiasts, and Santacruzan for the culture type were the Lenten activities. The traditional Lenten rites in Subic will include the Pabasa, which is the chanting of the life, passion and death of Jesus Christ; processions on Holy Wednesday and Good Friday; the Last Supper Mass and Washing of the Apostles' Feet on Maundy Thursday; the Stations of the Cross and Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday; Easter Vigil on Black Saturday; and the “Salubong” on Easter Sunday. Sports competitions are scheduled at the Subic Bay Freeport this summer which will start with the Annual Kick Sand Tournament organized by the Beach Football Association on April 16 to 17.

The next activities are Padyak Pinoy’s Le Tour de Filipinas 2011 on April 17, 19 and 20; the ITU Triathlon Asian Cup and the Subic Bay International Marathon on April 30 to May 1; the Subic Mountain Bike Festival on May 1; the Labor Day “Freeport Games and Sports” organized by the SBMA Labor Department, on May 1; the 1st Pinoy Cup Level 3 PPSA-Sanctioned Pistol Competition on May 26-29; and Gravity Games Asia’s Subic Bay Downhill Freeride on May 28. Special summer presentations are Subic Bay Auto Show on April 8; the Couples for Christ-FFL World Youth Congress, April 15-17; the “Farmers Market at the Waterfront” products fair, April 22; and the Subic Bay Grand Santacruzan and Serenade Night sometime in May. SBMA administrator Armand Arreza has announced that the SBMA will temporarily open the Kalaklan bridge to light traffic from April 16 to 24 to give way to the tourists and visitors going to the Subic Bay Freeport and other.

SBMA Tourism Department reported that overall visitor arrivals reached more than 5.5 million in 2010 (which was the highest in the last six years), a 33 percent increase over the 4.1 million total arrivals in 2009. [via pia.gov.ph]