By the Blocktec Editorial Team
The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) and Anglicotech Philippines Inc. have signed a memorandum of understanding to study an aerial and maritime drone center in Casiguran, Aurora. The initial investment is estimated at US$20 million, about P1.26 billion, on an indicative five-hectare site. The deal became public on November 12, 2026.
What The Agreement Covers
The MOU is exploratory. It sets out a plan to study a center of excellence for unmanned aerial and maritime drones inside the APECO freeport, to be developed in phases. Scope and schedule will be settled in further planning, so this is not yet a construction contract or a confirmed build.
The agreement was signed at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. APECO president and CEO Gil Taway IV and Anglicotech CEO David Cooper signed it during APECO's investment mission to the United States, held October 24 to 30, 2026.
Anglicotech is a Virginia-based defense logistics company that set up in Subic in 2024. It supports the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US defense department with logistics, C5ISR and foreign military sales work.
The Phases And The Numbers
Phase 1 would house facilities for testing and evaluating unmanned aerial vehicles and maritime drones, along with training for remote pilots and other operators.
Later phases could widen the scope considerably:
- Drone operations for logistics, disaster response, maritime surveillance, and search and rescue
- Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
- Eventually, drone manufacturing, systems integration and component production
The key figures at a glance:
- Estimated initial investment: US$20 million, or about P1.26 billion
- Site: an indicative five hectares in Casiguran, Aurora
- Phase 1: drone testing, evaluation and pilot training
Five hectares is about 50,000 square meters, roughly the size of seven football fields. The word "indicative" means the area is a working figure and may change once site planning is done.
Who Does What Next
Under the MOU, Anglicotech will prepare business and site development plans covering technical specifications, financing and timelines. APECO will coordinate with government agencies, identify infrastructure needs, and help the company with permits, ecozone registration and claiming incentives under the CREATE MORE law.
Taway described the hub as a building block of a defense and technology hub on the Pacific seaboard. The project lines up with the Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act and with the defense tiers of the Strategic Investment Priority Plan.
What Has Not Been Disclosed
No construction schedule, financing details or job estimates were released. Treat the P1.26 billion as an estimate for the initial stage only. The same ecozone is also studying a separate LNG power project in Casiguran, which suggests more activity in the area, though nothing about that project is settled either.
What It Means For Builders
For contractors, estimators and developers, this is an early-stage lead, not a bid package. The useful move now is to watch for Anglicotech's site development plan, since that is where building types, floor areas and schedules will first appear.
If it goes ahead, a Phase 1 campus would likely need hangars, training buildings and workshops on a remote Pacific-facing site in Aurora, a coastline exposed to typhoons. That raises a few practical questions for wall specs: how strong the walls need to be, what fire rating is required, how much insulation helps with heat, and how fast the walls can go up when hauling and skilled labor are limited.
This is where lightweight AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) can fit. Its blocks are lighter to haul than hollow blocks and are laid with thin-bed adhesive, so there is no thick plaster: walang palitada. Blocktec's AAC carries a 4-hour fire resistance rating and thermal conductivity of about 0.16 W/mK. A trained mason with a helper does about 10-12 m2 per 8-hour shift, and up to 20 m2 on straight runs. In Blocktec's own cost comparison, the wall system showed savings of up to about 21% versus hollow blocks, depending on the project.
Whether AAC suits a drone facility will depend on the final design and the engineer's requirements, which are still unknown. But for any remote build, comparing wall systems early, before drawings are locked, is where the savings are. Blocktec supplies from Metro Manila (Marikina), Subic and Laguna (Cabuyao), so logistics planning can start well before a project is announced.
Sources
- Context.ph: APECO, Anglicotech plan P1.26-B drone port in Aurora (Nov 12, 2026)
- Daily Tribune: P1.26B Drone Hub Proposed in Aurora Ecozone to Boost Defense and Civilian Capabilities (Nov 12, 2026)
- BusinessWorld: Casiguran ecozone to host P1.2-B port for aerial, maritime drones (Nov 12, 2026)
- The Manila Times: Defense logistics firm to develop drone port (Nov 13, 2026)
Planning a project in Aurora or anywhere with a remote site? Send your wall area or blueprints to sales@blocktec.ph or blocktec.ph for a free AAC wall-system estimate.