Subic Bay overview

Once the home of the major US Navy base in the Philippines, Subic Bay has evolved into a commercial and industrial centre. With ambitions to create an upper-class playground for Filipino elite, modern Subic now houses casinos, hotels and golf courses, all constructed following the departure of the Americans in 1992. The bay’s conversion into the Subic Bay Freeport zone was for many Filipinos the true beginning of independence. Numerous beaches dot the coastline along the Olongapo peninsula which is a three-hour drive north of Manila. Downtown Subic still features many of the bars and clubs that catered to marines on R&R, and despite the efforts of the mayoral office, the area is remains a bland concrete sprawl. Countless shipwrecks offer excellent diving trips in Subic Bay, while Mount Pinatubo is easily accessed. If you can get in, a visit to the jungle-clad former base is rewarding, if mildly intimidating.