By Jomarc Angelo M. Corpuz
Boosting the Philippines’ competitiveness for the next wave of global investment will require more than factories or infrastructure alone. It will necessitate the development of full ecosystems that allow businesses, people, and communities to succeed together.
This is what Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) demonstrates as it builds ecosystems that bring together businesses and partners across infrastructure, energy, industrial development, education, and talent to create greater value than each could deliver on its own.
“Talent is only one part of the equation. To attract investment and help it succeed, we need the whole ecosystem around it—reliable power, infrastructure, connectivity, industry, education, and thriving communities,” Aboitiz Group President and CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz said.
Through Aboitiz Economic Estates, the LIMA Estate in Batangas provides a working example of how these elements can be brought together around opportunities where they can collectively create greater long-term value.
LIMA has evolved from a traditional industrial park into a larger mixed-use economic estate where companies operate alongside infrastructure, utilities, schools, workforce development programs, and growing communities.
Fully acquired by Aboitiz in 2014 at about 384 hectares, LIMA has since expanded to approximately 1,100 hectares, with a longer-term pathway toward 1,600 hectares. It is now home to more than 200 companies, supports around 75,000 jobs, and has attracted over P128.9 billion in cumulative investment.
Its industrial base includes electronics, automotive components, precision manufacturing, and consumer products, with locators from Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and other major economies. These businesses are supported by power distribution, water and wastewater systems, roads, digital connectivity, and transport infrastructure.
Energy and talent as significant parts
The Global Technical Center of Excellence (GTCOE) within LIMA adds another layer to this ecosystem.
Established by AboitizPower and its strategic partner JERA, GTCOE strengthens the technical capabilities of Filipino energy professionals and helps develop the workforce needed for an increasingly complex energy sector.
A year after opening, the center has trained around 2,000 participants from AboitizPower and JERA. Its Basic Operations and Maintenance Program has produced 79 graduates, with another batches completing training in the coming days.
“Through our partnership with JERA, we bring together knowledge, experience, and practical expertise. We share what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t. We learn from each other and get better at what we do,” Mr. Aboitiz said. “And that kind of exchange builds more than technical capability—it builds trust.”
LIMA also creates opportunities to connect education more closely with industry. With Batangas State University present within the estate, AEV sees potential to bridge classroom learning with the technical and professional skills increasingly required by employers.
A collaborative model
The same ecosystem building approach can be seen across AEV’s broader portfolio.
At West Cebu Estate in Balamban, Cebu, Aboitiz Economic Estates has helped create an industrial ecosystem where global businesses, infrastructure, and skilled local talent can grow together. Its longstanding relationship with Japanese shipbuilder Tsuneishi demonstrates how international investment can create opportunities for local workers to develop increasingly specialized skills.
Today, the 540-hectare West Cebu Estate supports more than 14,000 workers across shipbuilding and other industries. Aboitiz Economic Estates is also expanding its industrial platform into Central Luzon through the 384-hectare TARI Estate in Tarlac, strategically connected to Clark, Subic, and Luzon’s major expressway network.
For AEV, the value of an estate, beyond providing industrial land, is in creating a platform where different capabilities across the portfolio and its network of partners can come together to support investors throughout their growth.
Therefore, across its investments in LIMA, Cebu, and Batangas, AEV’s role as portfolio manager is to help create the conditions where its businesses can grow, work with the right partners, and contribute to larger economic opportunities.
“No single company or institution can build that ecosystem alone,” Mr. Aboitiz said. “The government creates the conditions and direction. The private sector brings investment and capability. Our partners bring knowledge and expertise. Universities bring learning and discipline. And local communities make all of this possible.”
This collaborative model can extend beyond Aboitiz’s existing estates into strategic growth areas such as the Luzon Economic Corridor, where integrated ecosystems can help attract new industries and create more opportunities for Filipino workers.
More than building estates or individual businesses, AEV is dedicating to helping develop connected ecosystems across the nation that attract investment, strengthen industries, create higher-value jobs, and allow communities to grow alongside enterprise.
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