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Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority and the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement to fast-track infrastructure projects in Aurora Province
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Flagship projects to be fast-tracked include the Casiguran International New Port and Casiguran International Airport, positioning APECO as the country’s “Gateway to the Pacific”
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The PPP Center will provide technical assistance covering project development, structuring, feasibility studies, business case preparation, procurement, and evaluation of unsolicited proposals under the PPP Code
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The PPP Center will also assist APECO in determining eligibility for support under the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF)
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APECO will establish a dedicated PPP unit to coordinate project development and implementation
Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement on May 21, 2026 to accelerate the development of key infrastructure projects in Aurora Province through a PPP scheme.
Undersecretary Gil Taway IV, APECO president and CEO, said in a press release the agreement is expected to accelerate two projects – the Casiguran International New Port (CINP) and the Casiguran International Airport – that are key to the ecozone’s development as the “Gateway to the Pacific.”
The Aurora ecozone is located in the town of Casiguran.
Taway and PPP Center executive director Rizza Blanco-Latorre formalized the partnership at the signing, with APECO administrative and finance manager Rexzon Balacano and PPP Center deputy executive director Assistant Secretary Eleazar Ricote also present as witnesses.
“The PPP Center’s technical expertise will be critical in ensuring that APECO’s priority projects are properly structured, bankable, and aligned with national development goals,” Taway said.
Under the agreement, the PPP Center will provide end-to-end advisory support, from feasibility studies and business case preparation through procurement structuring and the evaluation of unsolicited proposals — all governed by Republic Act No. 11966, the Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines.
The center will also assess APECO’s eligibility for financing support under the Project Development and Monitoring Facility, a government fund designed to help agencies develop investment-grade project packages.
APECO, for its part, commits to opening its project documents to PPP Center technical teams, establishing a dedicated PPP unit to manage development and implementation, and ensuring sustained coordination throughout the project cycle.
Blanco-Latorre said the agreement is part of the national government’s broader push to expand private sector participation in infrastructure under the PPP Code.
“Ultimately, this collaboration is about creating bankable, inclusive, and future-ready infrastructure that will unlock economic opportunities not only for Aurora, but for the broader Luzon growth corridor,” Blanco-Latorre said.
The signing followed a two-day PPP capability workshop the Center conducted for APECO on May 19 and 20, which produced Project Concept Notes for four priority developments: the CINP, the Casiguran Airport, a pharmaceutical hub, and a national defense hub, a portfolio that signals APECO’s intent to diversify well beyond traditional ecozone manufacturing into strategic national industries.
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