The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is urging ASEAN to expand its next generation of ports and industrial hubs along the Pacific coast, saying the shift would strengthen regional supply chains, improve trade connectivity, and reduce reliance on traditional maritime chokepoints.
Speaking at the 24th ASEAN Ports & Logistics Conference in Kuala Lumpur, APECO President and CEO Gil G. Taway IV said the bloc’s evolving trade patterns make a stronger Pacific presence a strategic necessity rather than an option.
“Most of ASEAN’s major export markets are reached through the Pacific Ocean, making it logical for the region to develop complementary gateways on its eastern seaboard,” Taway said.
He noted that seven of ASEAN’s 10 largest export markets, including the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and Mexico, are directly accessible through Pacific shipping routes.
Despite this, ASEAN’s port infrastructure has historically been concentrated around western gateways such as the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, leaving regional trade heavily dependent on a limited number of major ports and shipping corridors.
Taway said developing Pacific-facing ports would create alternative logistics routes, enhance supply chain resilience, and provide greater flexibility as cargo volumes continue to expand and geopolitical risks reshape global trade.
APECO is positioning the proposed Casiguran International New Port in Aurora as a strategic Pacific gateway capable of supporting transshipment, cold chain logistics, value-added processing, and export-oriented manufacturing.
The proposal also aligns with the Philippines’ broader ambition to become a more significant logistics and manufacturing hub by leveraging its geographic position along major Pacific shipping lanes.
Taway said the Casiguran project could also allow the country to capitalize on the emerging Arctic “Golden Waterway,” a potential Europe-Asia shipping route that could complement existing trade corridors and reduce dependence on chokepoints such as the Suez Canal.
The strategy could enhance the Philippines’ role in regional trade while opening new opportunities for investment, logistics, and export-driven industrial growth.
