The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is positioning itself as a strategic gateway for Indonesian exporters to reach Northeast Asia and the U.S. West Coast, highlighting its location in Casiguran, Aurora as the Philippines’ closest direct access point to the Pacific.
Speaking during the 1st APECO Business Forum hosted in Pasay City for a delegation from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), APECO president and CEO Gil G. Taway IV emphasized the ecozone’s advantage as a logistics and trade hub in the Indo-Pacific Corridor.
“Your nearest gateway facing Japan, Korea, and the United States West Coast is in APECO,” said Taway, noting that the ecozone offers Indonesian businesses reduced shipping time and costs, while also serving as an alternative route amid global trade disruptions.
Taway also promoted joint opportunities in agro-industrial processing, halal-certified food production, coconut-based pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, cold storage, and renewable energy. He stressed the potential for APECO to support regional supply chains and serve as a defense and logistics hub in line with the Philippines’ modernization plans.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, guest of honor at the event, acknowledged APECO’s transformation under new leadership, commending the agency’s alignment with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s development priorities in food security, energy, national defense, and eco-tourism.
Under Taway’s administration, APECO has revived nearly PHP800 million worth of stalled infrastructure and launched new facilities aimed at meeting investor needs. Taway described these reforms as part of a “story of redemption,” steering APECO away from past controversies and toward a shared economic vision with regional partners like Indonesia.
“APECO is your new gateway to the Pacific,” he told the visiting delegation.
