The Commission on Audit (COA) said the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) displayed “a shift from past inaction” and a foundation for more consistent progress, following the completion of some of its long-delayed infrastructure projects.

In a statement Tuesday, APECO said the audit body highlighted in its 2024 Audit Observation Memorandum the investment promotion agency’s (IPAs) infrastructure push as a key step toward making the ecozone investment-ready.

APECO was able to complete three projects, including the initial phase of Sewage Treatment Plant, Fire Station, and Central Water Supply and Reservoir (CSWR) Project.

The completed projects amounting to PHP100 million were delivered within less than a year.

“These infrastructure achievements are not only structural. They are symbolic. They represent our renewed focus on tangible progress — progress that directly impacts the lives of our people and the confidence of our investors,” APECO president and chief executive officer Gil Taway IV said.

APECO also reopened its administration building for its own use after easing out a Philippine offshore gaming operator locator that had occupied its facility, forcing its employees to operate from three makeshift offices made from container vans.

Projects nearing completion include Phase 2 of both CSWR and Underground Power Distribution Lines (UPDL), which would provide basic utilities for future locators. The UPDL is designed to be a more reliable and disaster-resilient power infrastructure.

APECO is also completing ready-for-occupancy and ready-for-fit-out office units to attract industrial and tech-based locators.

The IPA is likewise tapping into tourism and community development, with its refurbished Boat Café, beachfront Dome Tent and the upcoming Grand Lagoon Project.

Underutilized assets such as executive villas and APECO Residences have also been temporarily reopened, generating nearly PHP200,000 in revenues in just one month before being closed again for full rehabilitation.

Following the transfer of its Manila satellite office to Parqal in Parañaque City, APECO reported PHP1.45 million in savings from office relocation and another PHP5.3 million in expected cost reductions once a satellite office becomes fully operational.

“These completed and ongoing projects demonstrate to our stakeholders, especially potential investors, that APECO is open for business and ready to support sustainable, long-term development,” Taway said.

He added that APECO’s infrastructure push reflects a broader strategy of transforming the ecozone into a fully functional, investor-ready ecosystem aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s national thrust of security in three fronts: food, energy and national security.

“Every pipe laid and beam raised is part of a bigger story. We’re building more than infrastructure — we’re building trust, opportunity and a better future for Aurora,” he said. (PNA)