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The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority and Philippine Pharmaceutical Procurement Inc. are exploring the establishment of a pharmaceutical investment hub in the Aurora economic zone
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APECO president and CEO Gil Taway IV underscored APECO’s readiness to host high-value industries that require reliable infrastructure, streamlined regulation, and long-term investment support
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APECO has available land in Parcel 1 of the Aurora ecozone for a potential pharmaceutical hub, covering 496 hectares within the 12,923 hectares under its management
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PPPI is currently drafting its roadmap to develop a network of pharma hubs, including the ecozone in Aurora’s Casiguran town
The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) and Philippine Pharmaceutical Procurement Inc. (PPPI) are exploring the establishment of a pharmaceutical investment hub at the economic zone in Casiguran, Auroran.
APECO president and chief executive officer Atty. Gil Taway IV and PPPI president and CEO Maria Blanca Kim Bernardo-Lokin had an initial meeting on April 24 to discuss potential areas of collaboration between the two government-owned and controlled corporations.
The proposed initiative supports the administration’s push to strengthen the country’s healthcare systems, improve access to affordable medicines, and position the Philippines as a competitive hub for high-value industries, APECO said in a statement.
During the meeting, PPPI identified several potential activities for the proposed pharma hub in APECO, including research and development, clinical trials, and cold chain logistics and warehousing, among others.
Taway underscored APECO’s readiness to host high-value industries that require reliable infrastructure, streamlined regulation, and long-term investment support.
“We are building APECO as a complete, investment-ready ecosystem. For industries like pharmaceuticals that demand stability, efficiency, and scale, our ecozone provides the environment where they can operate and grow with confidence,” Taway said.
APECO has available land in Parcel 1 of the Aurora ecozone for a potential pharmaceutical hub, covering 496 hectares within the 12,923 hectares under its management pursuant to Republic Act No. 10083 or the APECO Act of 2010.
He added that APECO’s ongoing efforts to strengthen power supply, water access, and logistics connectivity are critical in meeting the requirements of pharmaceutical locators, particularly in research and development (R&D), cold chain storage, and distribution.
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For her part, Bernardo-Lokin said PPPI is currently drafting its roadmap in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry-Supply Chain and Logistics Group to develop a network of pharma hubs, wherein APECO is being eyed to be one of the potential pharma ecozones.
“We can position the Philippines as a competitive regional hub in Asia for global pharmaceutical firms, leveraging our strengths in R&D, clinical trials, and logistics. This collaboration with APECO not only strengthens our role in the global pharma value chain but also directly supports the administration’s priority of improving access to affordable, quality healthcare for all Filipinos,” Bernardo-Lokin added.
