Plans to speed up the Subic Bay Port Development Project, a $215-million venture funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), have b

Plans to speed up the Subic Bay Port Development Project, a $215-million venture funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), have been "temporarily called off" after what was described by local news media as objections to the project from "multi-sector groups" and some investors opposed to its implementation of the project, who cited "economic and environmental concerns."

Fishermen from Morong, Olongapo and Subic town claim that reclaiming some 29 hectares of land for the port will have adverse environmental consequences and render them jobless.

A spokesperson for the Subic Resort Owners Association claimed that the dredging that would be required for the reclamation work would affect local beaches and "kill their businesses."