The Aboitiz Group is looking to replicate LIMA Estate’s integrated approach to industry, infrastructure, and workforce development across the Luzon Economic Corridor, as the Philippines prepares to compete for investments in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging industries.
Aboitiz Equity Ventures President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz said the Global Technical Center of Excellence (GTCOE), which marked its first anniversary at LIMA Estate, shows how government, industry, and education can work together to build a workforce that supports investment.
“We believe we can bring this same approach across the Luzon Economic Corridor to build integrated ecosystems that can attract investment, create opportunities for our people, and position the Philippines for Pax Silica and the industries of the future,” Aboitiz said.
Established by AboitizPower and Japanese energy company JERA, the GTCOE has trained 2,000 participants since opening a year ago. Seventy-nine engineers have completed its basic operations and maintenance program, while another 17 are finishing training this month.
Aboitiz said workforce development must go hand in hand with reliable power, infrastructure, connectivity, education, and communities if the Philippines is to make investment locations competitive.
The approach is particularly relevant to the Luzon Economic Corridor, where new industrial capacity is expanding beyond established manufacturing hubs in Southern Luzon toward Central Luzon. Aboitiz Economic Estates is developing TARI Estate in Tarlac as part of this emerging industrial network.
He cited LIMA Estate, which also hosts Batangas State University, as an example of linking classroom education with actual industry requirements.
The group has applied a similar model elsewhere. In Balamban, Cebu, workers from fishing communities were trained into world-class shipbuilders through its partnership with Japan’s Tsuneishi, while Davao Light trained linemen to meet international standards.
Aboitiz said the objective is to ensure that investments in advanced industries translate into opportunities for Filipino workers.
“At the end of the day, this is about elevating Filipino skills and giving our people the capabilities to compete anywhere in the world,” he said.
The strategy could become increasingly important as the planned Pax Silica Industrial Hub seeks to position the Philippines higher in the global AI and technology value chain. The government has identified the hub as a strategic component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, with advanced manufacturing and logistics at its core.
