Aurora ecozone makes pitch for manufacturing, defense locators

THE Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) said it is looking to bring in manufacturing, agro-processing, and defense-related locators to its Cagisuran economic zone, which it is positioning as a port that will help mitigate disruptions posed by geopolitical uncertainties.

Also in focus are “infrastructure and policies to boost commercial fishing, aquaculture, and marine exports,” APECO President and Chief Executive Officer Gil G. Taway IV said in a statement on Thursday.

APECO has also noted interest from defense-related manufacturing and services companies to potentially locate in the Casiguran ecozone, Mr. Taway said.

APECO is also offering partnerships for those seeking to explore for non-conventional energy sources like tidal and wave energy, hydrogen, wind, solar, and biomass, Mr. Taway added.

He noted that the upcoming Casiguran port is an alternative access point that reorients the country’s logistical footprint towards the Pacific.

Mr. Taway said the Casiguran port is “not meant to replace existing ports, but to complement them by serving as a backup lane for trade flows and a diversification point for shipping and logistics networks.”

Created by Republic Acts 9490 and 10083, APECO is tasked with developing and managing nearly 13,000 hectares of land in Aurora province. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz