Port of Subic
The largest Naval Base outside the USA before being transformed into a commercial free port, Subic, just 210 kilometers northwest of Manila is a destination of historical significance.. It also promises a myriad of experiences, from majestic beaches with fascinating shipwrecks to a multitude of outdoor adventure.
The Aetas were the inhabitants of Subic before Spanish colonizers came. Their ancestral origin is traced to the foot of Mt. Pinatubo, a revered place they believe to be the abode of a god named Apo Namalyari.
Soon after, Juan de Salcedo, a Spanish conquistador discovered Subic in 1542. He reported that the area was a deep bay and was a strategic location as a port. There was an existing fishing village back then, called “Hubek,” which meant “head of the plow.” Historians say that Salcedo mispronounced it by calling it "Subig", and that was how Subic got its name.
King Alfonso II of Spain issued a Royal Decreee declaring Subig as a naval port in 1884. Subig later became “Subiq” and the letter "q", apparently of Spanish origin was transposed to "c", this was most likely done to avoid mispronunciation by the Americans.
In 1899, the Americans included Subic Bay as one of the locations to be visited by patrolling gunboats. Commodore George Dewy of the Asiatic Squadron, who battled the Spanish fleet in Manila declared Subic Bay as “having no equal in the Philippine islands.”
US President Theodore Roosevelt designated Subic and 70,000 hectares of its neighboring land as an American military reservation in 1903. It was the largest US Marine Corps training facility outside the mainland United States. After the Philippines gained its independence from the Americans, an agreement was signed granting the Americans use of the 16 military installations including Subic and Olongapo.
Today, Subic is not just a glimpse of the past, but it is also a solace for travelers with a thirst for adventure and an exhilarating getaway for groups of all ages.
