APECO positions Aurora as Pacific investment, logistics hub

The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is positioning its Casiguran ecozone as a strategic investment destination designed to support resilient supply chains, diversified logistics, and future industrial expansion in the Philippines.

In a briefing at the National Press Club in Intramuros, Manila on April 30, APECO President and CEO Undersecretary Gil G. Taway IV, through Public Relations Chief Kris Crismundo, presented the ecozone’s updated investment direction anchored on national priorities for food security, energy security, and national security.

Established under Republic Act Nos. 9490 and 10083, APECO oversees nearly 13,000 hectares in northern Aurora, with its main site in Casiguran and a satellite office in Parqal, Aseana City, Parañaque to engage investors.

The agency highlighted its geographic positioning along the Pacific seaboard as a key advantage, describing the area as a potential gateway for industries seeking alternative routes outside traditional western Philippine trade corridors.

APECO is also targeting three key investment pillars: defense-related industries, fisheries and marine-based industries, and clean energy development. It said it is drawing interest from firms exploring expansion in manufacturing, logistics, and strategic services.

Building a Pacific-facing logistics alternative

APECO acknowledged its delayed development in previous years but said reforms over the last three years have helped strengthen coordination with national agencies and local communities.

It also admitted current infrastructure gaps, including the absence of a seaport and commercial airport, but framed these as part of a long-term buildout strategy with private sector partners.

In its investment pitch, APECO positioned itself as a “redundancy node” in global supply chains, offering an alternative logistics route to complement existing hubs in Metro Manila, Batangas, and Subic.

It cited increasing vulnerabilities in global trade systems due to geopolitical tensions, port congestion, and chokepoint disruptions, underscoring the need for diversified supply routes.

Integrated port-airport industrial vision

The ecozone’s flagship projects include the planned Casiguran International Seaport and Casiguran International Airport, envisioned as an integrated intermodal logistics system linking sea, air, and land transport.

APECO said the infrastructure cluster will support cold storage, agro-processing, manufacturing, and export-oriented industries, creating a value-adding ecosystem within the zone.

It is inviting companies dependent on East Asian supply chains but serving global export markets to consider locating in Casiguran as part of their expansion strategy.

Investment partnership push

APECO emphasized that its long-term success depends on early investor participation in shaping the ecozone’s development.

“We are offering a space designed to give companies options, not limitations; access, not congestion; and connectivity, not isolation,” the agency said.

APECO said it aims to evolve from a developing ecozone into a Pacific-facing industrial and logistics hub built through public-private collaboration.