en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is advancing a comprehensive transportation infrastructure plan to connect the Luzon Economic Corridor, proposing to build a cross-Luzon railway, supporting expressways, an international airport, and a seaport through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, aiming to directly link the Casiguran Economic Zone with the western hub.

APECO President and CEO Gil Taway IV told the media on July 16 that the investment promotion agency is preparing proposals for the four infrastructure projects to apply for funding from the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF), managed by the PPP Center, which will provide financial support for feasibility studies of potential PPP projects. The core project is the "East-West Railway Project," aimed at connecting Aurora Province on the Pacific coast of Luzon westward to key nodes of the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), including Clark and Subic Bay.

APECO Business Development and Marketing Department Manager Gene Angelo Ferrer noted that the railway and its supporting expressway are the critical missing links to achieve the complementary relationship between APECO and the LEC. Taway believes that securing public funding for feasibility studies is a prerequisite to attracting private capital. Another project applying for PDMF is the Casiguran International Airport, with APECO expecting to tender for the air traffic control tower and passenger terminal by the end of July, with an estimated total cost of 60 million pesos. Cebu Pacific and boutique airline Sunlight Air have expressed interest in launching flights once the airport becomes operational. For the new Casiguran International Port project, APECO is exploring funding from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to accelerate the feasibility study. The LEC is a multilateral infrastructure and investment initiative supported by the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and partner countries, aimed at coordinating public and private investments to drive economic activity in the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas corridor.