CASIGURAN, Aurora — The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is positioning itself as a potential player in the Indo-Pacific defense supply chain, offering U.S. companies an alternative hub on the Philippines’ eastern seaboard with direct access to the Pacific Ocean.
The ecozone’s pitch was presented during the recent visit of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) delegation to the Philippines, which coincided with the U.S. Aerospace, Defense, and Security (ADS) Mission from August 11 to 14.
APECO officials — President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV, Deputy Administrator Angelo Gabriel D. Mantuano, and Business Development and Marketing Division Manager Gene Angelo P. Ferrer — highlighted the zone’s potential for logistics, warehousing, and defense-related maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) for ships and aircraft.
Taway stressed that APECO is not competing with traditional hubs like Subic but aims to complement them. “APECO offers a strategic location where U.S. defense companies can find room to grow, not in competition with Subic, but in complement to it,” he said.
APECO’s natural harbor and operational airstrip — with plans to secure a Permit-to-Operate (PTO) from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines — are among its key assets. Officials say these facilities could support aircraft MRO services and potentially attract defense manufacturing investments.
“The defense sector is a natural fit for us, given our location and resources,” Taway said. “This is a step toward positioning APECO as not just a local ecozone, but a strategic player in the wider Indo-Pacific landscape.”
The US-ABC mission brought together leading U.S. companies across sectors to explore opportunities in the Philippines, emphasizing the country’s growing role in regional security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
For APECO, the engagements were an opportunity to present itself as a future-ready site for aerospace, defense, and security projects aligned with U.S.-Philippines strategic interests. — JASON DE ASIS