Aboitiz ecozones gear up for Luzon corridor
MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Economic Estates (AEE) expects the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) to drive investment demand in the near to medium term, particularly in semiconductors, advanced electronics and other high-value industries.
AEE president and CEO Rafael Fernandez de Mesa said Luzon has an advantage from its mature seaports, airports and road networks, as well as an existing base of thousands of companies.
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The LEC spans Subic, Clark, Manila and Batangas—areas that together account for about half of the Philippines’ gross domestic product.
According to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), about 200 economic zones are located within the corridor.
“Our view is that in the near to medium term, the demand will largely be driven in Luzon because of the maturity of its infrastructure,” De Mesa told reporters.
Paired with the Pax Silica initiative, the LEC presents an opportunity for the Philippines to host more semiconductor and advanced industries, he added.
AEE is particularly looking to attract higher-value technology companies, building on an existing locator base in electronics, automotive, semiconductors and food manufacturing.
“Now is the opportunity to capture more of that,” De Mesa said, adding that AEE sees potential to draw more companies from the United States and Europe alongside its traditional investors from Japan, China and Taiwan.
AEE currently operates four economic estates spanning 2,100 hectares in Luzon and Cebu, including the 1,100-hectare Lima Estate in Batangas and the 384-hectare Tari Estate in Tarlac.
The firm’s portfolio hosts 260 industrial locators and has generated more than 100,000 jobs.
As investment interest in the Luzon corridor grows, AEE is also strengthening its partnership with Peza to streamline the establishment of new locators.
The two parties have formalized the continuation of EaseBiz, an investor-support program that assists companies from site selection and Peza registration through the start of operations.
This dates back to 2022 and has supported 28 companies. Its next phase will align the service with Peza’s One Portal System and improve coordination throughout the registration process.
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Fernandez de Mesa said the program has “reduced significantly” the time needed to move investors toward operations.
While AEE sees Luzon driving demand in the near future, the company also sees opportunities to expand farther south as investment activity grows.
“As that develops and grows, naturally there will be further opportunities to expand that beyond Luzon into the Visayas and Mindanao,” Fernandez de Mesa said. INQ
