The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority is positioning its sprawling economic zone in Casiguran, Aurora as a potential defense-industrial hub as the Philippines strengthens strategic infrastructure along its Pacific seaboard.
APECO welcomed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.’s call for key defense facilities facing the Pacific, saying such investments could advance national security while generating new economic activity.
APECO President and CEO Gil Taway IV said defense infrastructure could anchor industries spanning manufacturing, maintenance, logistics, and technology, creating an economic ecosystem around the country’s growing security requirements.
“Strategic infrastructure can support defense readiness while creating an ecosystem for manufacturing, maintenance, logistics, technology and other dual-use industries,” Taway said.
The 12,923-hectare APECO complex in Casiguran has direct access to the Pacific Ocean, Philippine Rise, and wider Indo-Pacific, giving the zone a potential strategic role as the government strengthens the country’s eastern flank.
APECO said its existing airstrip, extensive land area, and planned Casiguran International New Port could support industries requiring maritime access and proximity to Pacific shipping routes.
The zone sees potential beyond traditional logistics, energy, and fisheries investments, including maintenance, repair and overhaul operations, aerospace, unmanned systems, maritime logistics, warehousing, and research and development.
Developing these capabilities could allow defense spending to generate wider economic benefits while building domestic industrial and technological capacity, Taway said.
The proposed hub could also attract private-sector investments into industries serving both civilian and defense markets, particularly in areas where logistics, advanced manufacturing, and technology overlap.
“APECO hopes to be part of that national effort by developing a responsible industrial ecosystem in the Pacific seaboard that serves both the country’s security interests and its economic ambitions,” Taway said.
For APECO, the strategy would transform its geographic advantage into an industrial proposition, linking national security priorities with the long-term development of Aurora and the country’s Pacific-facing economy.
