THE Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) has formally entered into a partnership with the Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC) to begin developing the country’s first national defense hub.
The goal of the partnership will see the transformation of APECO into a thriving defense industry hub, covering a sprawling 25-hectare expanse within the economic zone.
PADC, the principal proponent of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture Program (SRDP) of the Philippines and a catalyst behind the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), found APECO as a strategic location in the East given its natural location.
APECO will soon become the epicenter of PADC’s Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) operations, moreover, the assembly site for various air assets, including that of the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard.

PADC’s investment in APECO shall also house its new flagship drone program, aiming to introduce new defense capabilities for the AFP and the key allies of the Philippines.
Having primarily focused on ecotourism in recent years, APECO now looks to catalyze rapid growth by including light and medium industries in its investor portfolio.
The partnership between APECO and PADC marks a significant shift in APECO’s direction as recently appointed President and CEO Atty. Gil Taway IV stated, “This collaboration is born out of a shared vision and a common commitment to the development and security of our nation. The primary goal of this partnership is to establish facilities for aerospace, aircraft, and drone equipment. These facilities are essential components of our Self-Reliant Defense Posture Program, a program dedicated to strengthening our national defense capabilities.”
The partnership marks a new dawn for APECO, fittingly rising in the East, as it pivots toward supporting the Marcos Administration’s thrusts of National Security, Food Security, and Energy Security.
With its new leader at the helm, APECO hopes to realize its long overdue potential by simply doing things differently. As part of the strategy, there will be a revisiting of APECO’s master plan, which supposedly guides the development and would transparently reflect the performance of the APECO administration.
At the heart of this renewed vision is the promotion of agri-aqua and public infrastructure initiatives, as well as targeting investors in the aforementioned industries of national defense, food production, and energy generation.