The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is seeking potential investors to inject funding for two transportation projects that will seamlessly connect the Casiguran-based economic zone (ecozone) to the global investment market.

Speaking before delegates and members of the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC), APECO President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gil Taway IV said the investment promotion agency is looking to tap domestic and foreign investors for its seaport and airport projects.

Taway said the APECO Seaport project forms part of the agency’s push to be a key transshipment hub, leveraging the ecozone’s strategic position as the gateway to the Pacific Ocean.

“We are looking for investors to develop a world-class seaport in our ecozone. Partner with us in building a new and critical logistics hub in the eastern part of Luzon,” he said during the 2025 Arangkada Philippines Investment Forum last week.

The APECO Seaport is envisioned as the first modern logistics facility on the country’s eastern seaboard.

In 2011, South Korea’s export credit agency, Korea Eximbank, conducted a feasibility study on the seaport project, which was projected to cost $56 million.

Adjusted for inflation, Taway said the cost of building the seaport would be around $56 million or ₱4.7 billion.

Taway is also seeking an investment partner for the proposed APECO International Airport, which is considered a vital link for cargo and passenger movement.

In June, APECO secured 12 additional hectares on top of the existing 1.3-kilometer stretch of airstrip to prepare for future developments.

The agency aims to secure a permit to operate from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) before the end of the year to get the green light for full commercial operations.

APECO is seeking investments to fund the ₱150 million upgrade of the airstrip into a proper runway, ₱60 million for a three-storey traffic control tower, and ₱30 million to construct a passenger terminal and an administration building.

“In the long term, we envision an expansion for an international airport catering to A320s,” said Taway.

For the first phase of the airport project, APECO is targeting commercial operations for up to 40-seater aircraft by next year.

Without disclosing a timeline, the agency stated that the second phase will enable the airport to conduct night operations, the third phase will allow it to serve domestic jet aircraft, and the fourth phase will open it up for full international operations.

Apart from transportation projects, APECO is positioning itself as a manufacturing hub for the defense sector.

Taway said the ecozone’s location makes it ideal for companies producing defense equipment, logistics systems, and advanced manufacturing for both domestic and export needs.

“The relatively low population density in the area makes even sensitive production such as ordnance a possible industry in APECO,” he said.

The agency is engaging the private sector for investments in clean energy such as solar, wind, tidal, biomass and even small modular reactors.

It is also looking to foster investments in retirement and wellness facilities, sports tourism in the form of sports complexes, stadiums, and training centers, as well as film and entertainment production companies.

As an investment promotion agency, APECO offers investors and locators within its ecozone various tax incentives, including tax deductions and fiscal and non-fiscal benefits.

With its location outside Metro Manila, APECO enjoys the longest tax incentive periods under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act.