The government’s newly signed 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) is expected to further boost the growth of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) by promoting investments in emerging and high-impact industries.
On Tuesday, the Board of Investments (BOI) announced the launch of the SIPP following the issuance of Memorandum Order No. 47 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and its publication in the Official Gazette. The plan outlines the government’s strategic investment direction to support the domestic economy’s long-term growth.
APECO President and Chief Executive Officer Gil Taway said the priorities under the SIPP “reinforce our vision of transforming APECO into the country’s national defense hub, fishing capital of the Pacific, and clean energy hub.”
“These three strategic pillars directly support the Marcos administration’s goals of strengthening national security, ensuring food security, and advancing energy security,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The 2026 SIPP adopts an enhanced, future-focused three-tier framework that expands and identifies new economic activities across priority sectors.
Tier I promotes modern agriculture, advanced construction technologies, mobile healthcare, ecological zones, and climate-related initiatives such as carbon capture, waste-to-value and circular economy projects, and forest management for carbon credits.
Tier II focuses on strategic industries, including defense services, desalination, electric vehicle infrastructure, sustainable aviation fuel, and critical minerals processing.
Tier III targets frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, hydrogen and nuclear energy, and advanced research and development.
“What makes the 2026 SIPP particularly significant for APECO is that many of the economic activities we are actively promoting are among the country’s priority investment areas,” Taway said.
“APECO offers a unique platform where these priorities can converge through strategic investments and public-private partnerships,” he added, citing existing investments in the freeport zone that align with the SIPP’s objectives.
Taway said the 2026 SIPP provides a pathway for converting national investment priorities into concrete benefits for local communities. He noted that increased investments in priority sectors could generate jobs, expand livelihood opportunities, provide skills training, and encourage greater participation in economic development, particularly among Indigenous Peoples.
He added that aligning APECO’s development strategy with national investment priorities would help foster inclusive growth while supporting the country’s objectives of security, resilience, and sustainability. (PNA)
