Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, is ramping up investments in Cebu to support the province’s fast-growing economy and help address infrastructure gaps, its top executive said at the Cebu Investment Forum 2025.
AIC President and Chief Executive Cosette Canilao told participants that Cebu was entering what she described as “the most transformative decade,” underscoring the need for bold and collaborative infrastructure projects.
“Cebu is surging ahead,” Canilao said during a panel titled “Infrastructure Investments Driving Progress: Is Cebu Ready?” at the forum organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry as part of Cebu Business Month. “We believe infrastructure is not just a physical enabler but a foundation for inclusive growth.”
With Cebu’s gross domestic product reaching ₱1.01 trillion ($17 billion) in 2023, accounting for nearly 75% of Central Visayas’ output, the province’s key sectors include tourism, manufacturing, IT-business process management, and real estate, Canilao noted.
Tourist arrivals in Cebu reached over 3 million in 2024, while the IT-BPM sector employs about 15% of the Philippines’ national workforce, she added. Cebu’s population is projected to hit 3.8 million by 2030.
AIC highlighted the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) as a model public-private partnership project.
Operated by AIC’s Cebu Airport Corp since 2024, MCIA saw passenger volume rise 13% year-on-year to 11.3 million in 2024, boosted by both domestic and international traffic.
MCIA was recently named Asia-Pacific’s Best Airport in the 5 to 15 Million Passengers Per Annum category by Airports Council International and ranked seventh in Skytrax’s 2025 list of Most Improved Airports globally.
AIC’s portfolio in Cebu also includes two industrial estates: the 63-hectare MEZ2 Estate in Lapu-Lapu City and the 540-hectare West Cebu Estate (WCE) in Balamban, home to shipbuilding and heavy industries.
MEZ2 Estate hosts 44 locators with a workforce of 14,000, while WCE accommodates 17 global firms employing over 14,000 skilled workers.
Both estates hold 5-Star BERDE District Certification, marking them as the first in Visayas and Mindanao to receive this recognition for sustainable industrial development.
Canilao was joined on the panel by Duros Group of Companies Chairman Rafaelito Barino and Vivant Corp CEO Arlo Sarmiento, moderated by The Camden Trading Group Vice President Gretchen Choa.
Business News Asia
