Subic visa-free for 14 days

Subic visa-free for 14 days

MANILA (Reuter): President Fidel Ramos said yesterday the Subic freeport zone in the northwestern Philippines would be made a visa-free area for foreigners visiting for up to 14 days.

Ramos said the move was to promote foreign investments and attract tourists to the former U.S. naval base and its surrounding municipalities.

Government officials said the starting date for visa-free visits had not yet been fixed.

Subic, turned over to the Philippines by the United States in 1992, is fast becoming a favorite tourism and investment destination for Asians, especially people from Taiwan. More than 52 Taiwan companies have reserved space in an industrial estate being developed inside the duty-free area.