Subic makes it to Green Destinations 2025 Top 100 Stories

December 5, 2025 | 5:56pm

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines – Subic’s flagship waste recycling program has made it to the Green Destinations 2025 Top 100 Stories, a global competition showcasing destinations that implement responsible, forward-looking tourism practices.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said the agency’s recyclables collection program was recognized among the “Good Practice Stories” in sustainable tourism during the Sustainable Destinations Forum 2025 in Dubai.

This marked the first time that SBMA received an international award for its sustainability efforts.

The winning story, “Recyclables Collection Program: SBMA’s Strategy to Implement Circular Economy,” depicts how the agency implements its circular economy strategy primarily through its biannual Recyclables Collection Event (RCE). 

The program initiated by the SBMA Ecology Center involves collaboration among stakeholders to manage waste, raise funds for charity and achieve carbon-neutrality goals. 

OIC-Senior Deputy Administrator for Regulatory Group Amethya Dela Llana said the RCE was conceived in line with SBMA’s vision of developing Subic into a Green Port City. Subic seeks to attain a 30 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040.

Dela Llana explained that through RCE, the SBMA turned Subic’s waste disposal problem into an integrated waste management system that creates resources, fosters community involvement, and supports social causes.

According to SBMA Ecology Center OIC Rossell Abuyo, the RCE allows Subic business locators, residents, as well as SBMA offices to donate or sell segregated common recyclables such as paper, plastics, metals, and hazardous wastes such as used oil, e-waste, busted bulbs, and expired medicines.

Proceeds from RCE are donated to various beneficiaries, including the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, local Ayta communities, and outsourced utility workers in the agency who receive groceries and other essentials from the program.

Dela Llana and Abuyo received the Top 100 Stories citation during the Sustainable Destinations Forum 2025 on October 28-29 at Expo City Dubai, where top stories were recognized across categories like Destination Management, Nature & Scenery, and Environment and Climate. 

Another Philippine entry, Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, won first place in the “Environment and Climate” category for its “Nature's Way” story on sustainability efforts, which include vermiculture, solar power, and sewage treatment.

The Green Destinations Top 100 Stories Competition, a project of the non-profit organization Green Destinations, has run annually since 2014 to promote sustainable tourism initiatives.

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