CASIGURAN, Aurora — Usec. Gil G. Taway IV has been reappointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO), securing another three-year term to accelerate investments and infrastructure development in the government-run economic zone in Aurora province.
Taway’s reappointment is expected to sustain efforts to attract investors, strengthen infrastructure, and advance APECO’s development as an economic hub in the province.
Taway took his oath of office on October 12, 2026, at the APECO Corporate Campus in Casiguran before barangay captains from the municipality.
The oath-taking was led by Esteves Barangay Captain Eliseo E. Castaneda and witnessed by the mayors of Dinalungan Mayor Arvee A. Vargas, Casiguran Mayor Roynald S. Soriano, and Dilasag Mayor Romner A. Agustin as well as Indigenous Peoples’ chieftains from the area.
During Usec. Taway’s first term, APECO built an investment pipeline worth approximately PHP30 billion involving 15 prospective locators in renewable energy, defense, cold storage and warehousing, tourism, health, training and skills development, and digital connectivity.
His reappointment comes as APECO seeks to turn these investment prospects into operational businesses, completed infrastructure and jobs for residents of Aurora and neighboring communities.
APECO also pursued institutional reforms and a shift toward industrial and community-based development to restore confidence in the ecozone following its association with Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO).
Among Usec. Taway’s key accomplishment was delivering on his commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address nearly PHP800 million worth of abandoned infrastructure projects, including Underground Power Distribution Line, Central Water Supply and Reservoir, Sewage Treatment Plant, and road network projects inside the ecozone.
Under his leadership, the agency also completed 30 capital assets and secured an additional 20.9 hectares of land, including property intended for its airport development.
During the first three years of Usec. Taway, APECO has generated additional 135 positions within the agency and around 1,200 of jobs amid the infrastructure boom inside the ecozone.
Internally, APECO employees grew to 253, 60 of which are Indigenous Peoples. Of the 1,200 jobs created through the implementation of infrastructure projects, 1,060 were skilled workers and laborers, 100 were technical workers and engineering assistants, and 35 were engineers.
APECO likewise strengthened its engagement with Indigenous Peoples in the DiCaDi (Dinalungan-Casiguran-Dilasag) area, supporting their efforts to secure Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title through the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
The agency also generated savings through competitive bidding, reinforcing its efforts to promote transparency, fiscal discipline and the efficient use of public funds.
APECO has also strengthened coordination with national government agencies to advance investment promotion, project development and regulatory compliance. These include the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), particularly the Board of Investments (BOI) and its Supply Chain and Logistics Group; the Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC); the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPP Center); the Department of National Defense (DND); the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR); the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC); the National Development Company (NDC); and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), among other agencies supporting infrastructure, energy, aviation, telecommunications and environmental management.
For his second term, the APECO chief is setting his sights on transforming the agency into a strategic economic gateway along the Philippines’ eastern seaboard, anchored on infrastructure, defense, and tourism.
“We want the government to act as an entrepreneurial pioneer, using public resources to help unlock investments and deliver inclusive growth in areas that have long been underserved,” Usec. Taway said in Filipino during the 2026 State of APECO Address last October 12.
Within this year, two APECO locators are set to start their operations: Swiss firm International Workplace Group (IWG) and Freya Trading, Inc. will launch the operation of the Super Health Center and AuHarvest Training and Assessment Center, which has Australian equity, that will upskill the workforce in Aurora.
Meanwhile, negotiations between APECO and U.S. defense logistics company Anglicotech LLC are at an advanced stage, with construction of the company’s facility within the economic zone expected to begin soon.
Usec. Taway added that his second term will focus on turning investor interest into concrete projects that generate jobs for the people of DiCaDi and the entire Aurora province, while positioning APECO as the country’s gateway to the Pacific.
Since 2024, APECO has engaged more than 40 global companies to explore investment opportunities in its priority sectors, including renewable energy, defense, digital infrastructure, logistics, fisheries, tourism and industrial development. (Manny D. Balbin)
