Press Release
November 23, 2008

Gordon leads celebration of Volunteers' Day in Subic

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon reiterated the importance of volunteerism to make a nation move forward to progress as he leads the volunteers of Olongapo in the celebration of Volunteers' Day and the 16th anniversary of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Monday.

Gordon said if not for the volunteerism of the people of Olongapo, Subic Bay would not have rose from the ruins of the former American military base and the ashes from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, altogether.

"It was the people of Olongapo, that did something about the bases. It's not Manila who did something about it. It was our volunteers. It was our vision, our values, our volunteerism that saw us through," he said.

Gordon recalled the hardships that the people of Olongapo went through when, aside from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, the US Navy started leaving the base after the Philippine Senate rejected terms for renewal of the lease of the base.

But the departure of the Americans, he continued, was not the end of Subic Bay.

Through the efforts of some 8,000 volunteers from Olongapo City, led by Gordon who was then mayor of the city, they have converted the Subic Bay not just into a commercial zone, but also the first Freeport zone in the country.

"We had more than 8,000 volunteers who protected and preserved the eight billion dollars worth of facilities and property from looting and destruction," Gordon said.

"We converted the base into a Freeport Zone. And we did that through volunteerism, shared values, sacrifice and unity among the people and the leaders of the city. If we were able to do that in Subic, we will able to do that in our country as well," he added.

On Monday, Senator Gordon, along with Olongapo mayor James Gordon, Jr. and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator Armand Arreza, will lead the volunteers of Olongapo in celebrating Volunteers' Day and the anniversary of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

There will be a tribute for the departed volunteers and the reaffirmation of commitment to volunteerism of new and old volunteers of Olongapo. The celebration will be held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center, Subic Gateway Park, Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

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