A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Thursday for a new PHP16.6-billion (circa US$300-million) casino resort at Subic Bay, reported several Philippine media outlets.

The Subic Sun Convention Resort and Casino will be within Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone (pictured), commonly referred to as Subic Bay Freeport.

The property’s first phase is to open in late 2025, according to reports.

The site is in Central Luzon, about 170 kilometres (106 miles) northwest of the national capital Manila.

The project is due to feature hotel accommodation from the Ibis Styles and Mercure Hotels brands of the Accor Group, according to comment attributed to Eduardo Jose Aliño, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairperson and administrator.

Accounts said Ibis Styles Subic would offer 175 rooms and include a swimming pool, meeting space and a gym.

“Ibis Styles Subic is set to open in 2026 and is the first internationally-branded hotel in Subic,” stated Pablo Edgardo Puyat, chair and president of Sun Convention Resort and Casino Inc, as cited in one of the reports.

Mercure Subic would offer 250 rooms, and would also launch in 2026, according to one of the news sources.

The date of the casino launch, and how many tables and electronic games it would have, was not mentioned in the accounts.