The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is pushing for the Casiguran International New Port that faces the Eastern Seaboard of the Philippines, as well as utilizing the Pacific maritime trade routes.

APECO President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV presented the agency’s plans at the Philippines Ports & Logistics 2026 in Parañaque City on 11 March, citing that global geopolitical tensions highlight the vulnerability of traditional maritime trade routes.

Taway said that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East underscores structural risks in the global shipping industry, particularly along the heavily used western maritime corridor connecting Asia to Europe through the waters in the Middle East.

“The traditional western maritime corridor remains the backbone of Asia–Europe trade, but it is also exposed to multiple geopolitical chokepoints. Recent tensions in the Middle East highlight how concentrated global trade routes remain vulnerable to disruption,” Taway added.

Major maritime chokepoints along this route include the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Suez Canal.

Against this backdrop, Taway said the Pacific trade corridor is becoming more strategically important for global logistics.

To position the Philippines within this evolving maritime landscape, APECO is pushing forward with its flagship infrastructure project, the Casiguran International New Port, a greenfield port development located in Aurora province.

“APECO offers itself as a new gateway, a new trans-Pacific gateway. I would say that even without wars, even without these geopolitical realities or risks, this new gateway that is being offered by APECO is very significant for everyone to consider,” Taway said.

Facing the Pacific Ocean, the proposed port is envisioned to serve as a new maritime gateway that will support manufacturing, logistics, and export activities connecting the Philippines to the broader Asia-Pacific economy and to the rest of the world.

“APECO’s location gives the Philippines a strategic vantage point in the Pacific corridor. By developing a modern port here, we create an additional gateway that strengthens the country’s role in regional and global supply chains,” he said.

“By strengthening infrastructure on the Pacific side of the Philippines, we contribute to a more resilient maritime network and create alternative gateways for global trade,” he added.

The Philippine Eastern Seaboard refers to the country's coastal regions facing the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Spanning the entire eastern length of the archipelago, it includes parts of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Historically less developed than the western seaboard, this region is now a focal point for national security and economic expansion with Aurora province being positioned as a major maritime and logistics hub to provide direct access to Pacific trade routes.