AIC Water Assistant Vice President and Head of Strategy Ramon “Shake” A. Tuason shared insights on infrastructure-led growth during the Cebu International Investment Summit. PHOTO CREDIT: Cebu Provincial Investment and Promotions Office
Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group is prepared to ramp up its presence in Cebu and help the province attract even more investments by helping close infrastructure gaps, specifically in water and transportation.
During the recent Cebu International Investment Summit (CIIS), Cebu’s flagship global investor summit that aims to connect world capital with real-economy opportunities in the province, AIC Water Assistant Vice President and Head of Strategy Ramon “Shake” A. Tuason and AIC Vice President and Head of Airports Rafael M. Aboitiz shared their insights on Cebu’s investment climate and AIC’s plans in the province.
At present, AIC has a significant presence in Cebu through its operations at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), water infrastructure investments including the MEZ2 desalination facility serving MEZ2 Estate and MCIA, and digital infrastructure initiatives that support connectivity and essential services.
Cebu has been enjoying healthy economic growth in the past years. To illustrate, Cebu Province’s economy grew by 7.3% in 2024, driven by continued expansion in the services and industry sectors, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Given this, “water security will play an important role in elevating Cebu’s position as an investment hub,” Tuason said during the summit’s “Sustainable, Resilient, and Investable Cebu” panel.
During his presentation entitled “Strengthening Cebu’s Progress through Reliable Water Infrastructure,” Tuason cited the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (a partnership between AIC water subsidiary Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc. and the Davao City Water District), the largest private bulk water facility in the Philippines, as an example of a successful partnership that helped address Davao City’s former water challenges.
“Addressing Cebu’s present and future water supply gap can help unlock Cebu’s economic and investment potential, and improve the quality of life of Cebuanos,” Tuason explained.
Meanwhile, Aboitiz, speaking at the summit’s “Beyond Tourism: Building Lifestyle Economies” panel, noted that Cebu’s next phase of growth depends on shifting toward higher-value, longer-stay tourism and experience-led travel.
In addition, “friction” across the visitor journey must be systemically reduced through infrastructure and digital solutions – and the award-winning MCIA is ready to meet these challenges.
MCIA, which is part of AIC Airports (MCIA, Bohol-Panglao International Airport, and Laguindingan International Airport), advances its initiatives with stakeholders through collaboration and a shared vision.
These include a complement of flagship programs, namely CEB Connects, MCIA’s seamless air-to-air transfer service designed to shorten connection times; CEB+, which strengthens air-to-sea connectivity to key island destinations; CEB Balik, which reinforces Cebu’s role as a primary gateway for overseas Filipinos returning to the Visayas and Mindanao; and AeroConnect, AIC Airports’ platform for stakeholder engagement and passenger communications.
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The CIIS, which ran from January 12 to 15, 2026, drew an estimated 200–250 global investors, senior executives, and decision-makers from key markets, positioning Cebu as an emerging economic hub for manufacturing, services, and infrastructure investment.
