The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) of the Philippines is seeking investors to develop a seaport in Casiguran valued at about US$83 million, positioning the project as a potential transshipment hub on Luzon’s Pacific side.
“We are looking for investors to develop a world-class seaport in our ecozone,” APECO president and CEO Gil G. Taway IV told delegates at the Arangkada Philippines Investment Forum.
Taway said the project framework is based on a 2011 feasibility study financed by Korea Eximbank, which put the seaport cost at about US$56 million. Adjusted for inflation, that equates to roughly US$83 million, or around ₱4.7 billion.
The agency argues the Pacific-facing port would shorten routes to major Asia-Pacific markets and help ease congestion on the country’s western seaboard. “You can build infrastructure anywhere, but you cannot move geography. APECO’s location is our greatest strength,” Taway said, highlighting Casiguran Cove’s natural harbor, shielded by the Sierra Madre range and the San Ildefonso Peninsula.
To complement the port plan, APECO is also courting partners for its air gateway. The ecozone currently has a roughly 1.3-kilometer airstrip serving chartered flights; the authority has acquired additional land for expansion and, in the long term, “envisions an international airport catering to A320s,” Taway said.
Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established under Republic Act 9490 in 2007, later amended by Republic Act 10083 in 2010. The ecozone covers about 12,743 hectares in Casiguran, Aurora. Its mandate includes managing and promoting investments, trade, and development within its jurisdiction.
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