*In photo (L-R): APECO President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV, Philippine Ambassador to Czech Republic, H.E. Eduardo R. Meñez
25 November 2024 Prague, Czech Republic - The Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic, H.E. Eduardo R. Meñez, expressed his full support for the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) in its push to become the country’s first national defense hub and in its new pivot towards industry development and tourism market diversification. Following the successful visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the Czech Republic in the first quarter of 2024, officials of APECO held consecutive meetings with the business sector in Prague and Brno from 25 to 28 November 2024. Since the assumption of its new management, APECO has aligned its development goals with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. 's development agenda for national security, food security, and energy security.
On the national security imperative, Ambassador Meñez emphasized that the development of APECO as a defense hub aligns with the Philippines's long-term security goals and is an opportunity to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Czech Republic given the latter’s long-established global position as one of the world’s pioneers and innovators in defense.
“APECO’s initiative is a crucial step toward strengthening our nation’s defense capabilities, in ensuring the security of our people," said Ambassador Meñez during the initial courtesy meeting with APECO representatives.
APECO’s significant move aims to enhance the Philippines's strategic position in the region and to contribute to national security efforts. Located in the northeast of the Philippines with direct access to the Pacific Ocean, it is strategically positioned to shelter various defense and defense-related industries while allowing them to engage in export activities due to its proximity to major shipping routes in the Pacific. Its potential to host defense installations, logistics, and manufacturing facilities as well as military training and exercises makes it a key component in the country’s broader defense strategy. With the recent enactment of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture Act (SRDP) APECO’s direction is seen as a significant advancement in ensuring territorial security and in promoting economic development of the Philippines.
Atty. Gil G. Taway IV, President and CEO of APECO, also noted that APECO’s development as a defense hub will spur economic growth in the region, create jobs and opportunities for local businesses, and provide infrastructure to support defense and logistics operations.
“APECO’s current direction not only strengthens the Philippines’s defense capabilities but also contributes to a more secure and prosperous future for the region. To invest in APECO is to develop the Philippines. It is about time we work together in developing the country’s national defense capability against threats to our sovereignty and territorial integrity, to resist those who skirt the norms of international order by throwing around their military weight. In working towards the development and enhancement of our defensive military strength, we are effectively supporting the strategic guidance and direction of Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro whose steady and able hand of leadership provides stability to external defense efforts. We stand ready to support this with the safe harbors of APECO and Casiguran open for our fleet and allies as part of our Archipelagic Defense doctrine,” said Atty. Gil G. Taway IV, APECO President and CEO.
The Embassy of the Philippines in Prague has been working closely with the Czech government, chambers of commerce, and business groups to explore avenues for cooperation, including in defense technology and capacity building. APECO's planned transformation into a defense zone presents an exciting prospect for the Philippines's strategic interests.
As the first investment mission in Europe, APECO is likewise expanding its reach to non-traditional markets and spur new investment opportunities. The Czech Republic has had initial relations with the Philippines when it was formerly part of the Eastern bloc as Czechoslovakia in the 1970s under former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. Formal ties with the republic came in the 1990s, and relations have warmed further in the past few years. APECO is capitalizing on these positive developments.
APECO is located in Casiguran, Aurora and was established through Republic Act 9490, as amended by Republic Act 10083. APECO is planned to be developed into and operated as a decentralized, self-reliant and self-sustaining industrial, commercial/trading, agro-industrial, tourist, banking, financial and investment center with suitable residential areas. It is a government-owned and controlled corporation whose purpose is to attract foreign investments, generate jobs, and improve social and economic conditions of the local community.
