BIZ BUZZ: Apeco ready to host first forum

The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) is setting the stage for its first business forum happening in Pasay City this weekend.

Apeco is partnering with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to host the 1st Apeco Business Forum from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23.

Kadin chair Anindya Bakrie will lead the 55-member delegation attending the event, with Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara—which manages assets valued at $900 billion—participating in the gathering.

“The group includes senior executives from sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, food and beverage, health care, finance, mining, shipping, aviation and technology,” Apeco said.

For Apeco president and CEO Gil Taway IV, the upcoming foreign business mission is a “historic moment” for the ecozone.

“The trust and confidence shown by Kadin and its members reflect the growing recognition of Aurora and the eastern seaboard as an investment frontier,” Taway said.

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Apeco envisions Aurora as an emerging transshipment and logistics hub linking Southeast Asia to the wider Pacific region and the ecozone as the country’s first national defense hub.

The event aims to identify areas of synergy between Apeco and Indonesian enterprises, positioning the Casiguran-based ecozone as a strategic staging point on the Pacific and offering Indonesian firms a gateway for exports to major markets, including Japan, South Korea and the United States.

All eyes will be on the business forum as Apeco aims to place Aurora in the global investment map.