Aurora Ecozone Taps Virginia Firm to Chase US Grant Money for Ports and Airports
Apeco has signed a deal with Virginia-based Planate Management Group to scope out infrastructure projects it can pitch to the US Trade and Development Agency for grant funding. The 12,923-hectare zone in Casiguran, Aurora wants an airport, a seaport and defense-industry facilities — and Planate is doing the groundwork for free.
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The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority is making its first move to land US government money for a planned airport, seaport and defense-industry facilities. Apeco signed a memorandum of agreement in Washington with Planate Management Group, a Virginia-based engineering and infrastructure consulting firm, to identify which projects can be submitted to the United States Trade and Development Agency for possible grants.
Under the deal, the two will produce a white paper mapping the investment pipeline and infrastructure opportunities across the 12,923-hectare ecozone in Casiguran, Aurora. It will cover ports, airports and defense infrastructure, plus recommendations and a roadmap for building them out. Apeco said Planate will complete the work at no cost to the authority.
Apeco president and CEO Gil Taway IV framed the study as a pitch document. The agreement, he said, reflects a commitment to a “research- and evidence-based blueprint” that shows investors Apeco's growth potential, adding that it puts forward data backing the zone as a Pacific-facing base for businesses eyeing Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific.
The USTDA already has projects running in the Philippines, including a feasibility study for the proposed Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite, an expansion of Subic Drydock Corporation's ship repair facility and security system upgrades at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Planate brings more than a decade of Indo-Pacific work, with regional offices in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Guam and Thailand, and contracts with several US federal departments.
Planate vice president for government affairs James Wilhelm said the MOA “opens a clear pathway for US and Philippine investment in Casiguran” and reflects enduring US-Philippine ties. Apeco has been working the room: it pitched opportunities to American companies on a US mission from Oct. 24 to 30, then visited Canada from Nov. 2 to 6 to court defense-related industries, clean energy and data center projects.
TopicsApeco · Planate Management Group · USTDA · Gil Taway IV · James Wilhelm · Casiguran, Aurora · Subic Drydock Corporation · Sangley Point International Airport
Source: business.inquirer.net
Written by Paparazzi with AI. Not financial advice.
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