PH, US, allies discuss Luzon ammo depot

MANILA, Philippines — The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) is open to hosting a planned US-linked ammunition facility in its Casiguran site, a proposal that has drawn sharp criticism from China, which earlier warned the move could “backfire.”

This proposed facility, being explored by a US-led intergovernmental defense group, could complement planned private-sector defense investments in the ecozone, according to Apeco president and CEO Gil Taway IV.

Among these is Virginia-based Anglicotech LLC, a defense supply chain firm with existing operations in Subic, which supplies equipment to both the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Department of Defense.

“We have been consistently meeting on a monthly basis, talking about their business plan,” Taway said of ongoing talks with Anglicotech.

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Alliance project

The recently proposed ammunition facility, however, is not privately funded.

It is being advanced under the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience, a 16-member alliance that includes the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines, among others.

In a March 20 joint statement, the group said it was assessing potential funding for an ammunition assembly and production line in the Philippines, specifically for a 30mm-by-173mm load, assemble and pack capability.

This potential expansion has drawn criticism from Beijing, which warned that such a move could destabilize the Asia-Pacific and “backfire,” amid ongoing tensions with Manila over the South China Sea. /das