Apeco acquires more land for planned airport

From left: Deputy Administrator Angelo Gabriel Mantuano, President and CEO Gil Taway IV, Edward Chua Cham and Magdalena Chua Cham. The Chua Cham’s donated and sold a total of of 12 hectares of land to Apeco. (Photo is from Apeco)

MANILA, Philippines — The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) on Wednesday said it has acquired an additional 12 hectares of land in the province. This is a major step for the development of its existing airstrip into a commercial airport.

In a statement, Apeco said the land is located in Barangay Esteves, Casiguran. It will enable the transformation of its current airstrip into a fully operational airport. This is expected to boost accessibility, trade and investment in the remote northeastern Luzon corridor.

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Gil Taway IV, president and chief executive of the agency, said they signed an agreement with the landowners last June 17. They are Edward Chua Cham and Magdalena Chua Cham.

Under the agreement, the Chua Cham family donated 5.2 hectares of land covering half of the Casiguran airstrip. They also sold an additional 6.8 hectares to the ecozone developer.

Generous sale and donation to Apeco

“Their contribution strengthens our capacity to realize inclusive economic development for the people of Aurora,” Taway said in a joint statement.

“Their generosity is a testament to the growing public support Apeco’s current direction, a powerful vote of confidence in our goal of Bagong Apeco,” he added.

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Taway said Apeco’s ability to expand its operations depends heavily on the amount of land it controls.

He also said that the Chua Cham property was acquired at half the cost of earlier purchases. He described this as highly advantageous to the government.

For his part, Chua Cham expressed his family’s support for the vision of the ecozone. It is seen as a catalyst for development in the province.

“We believe that the development of the Apeco Airport is not just a project for Casiguran, it is a project for the Filipino people. This is our small way of contributing to nation-building,” he said.

The Apeco Airport is considered a critical infrastructure component of the ecozone’s development plan.