The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport, also known as APECO, was established by virtue o
Republic Act No. 9490
otherwise known as the Aurora Special Economic Zone Act of 2007. It is being supervised and managed by the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority into a self-sustaining industrial, commercial, financial, and recreational center, with a suitable residential area, in order to create employment opportunities around Casiguran, Aurora, and to effectively encourage and attract legitimate and productive local and foreign investments. Anti-APECO advocates, which include farmers, fishers, and indigenous peoples, have cited issues of

land grabbing Land grabbing is the large-scale acquisition of land through buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and Multinational corporation, transnational companies, governments, and individuals. While used broadly throughout history, land g ...

as well as misspending and poor financial management.

Location

APECO is located in the municipality of Casiguran in the province of

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

, a coastal town in the eastern seaboard of the island of

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

in the Philippines. Aurora is enveloped within the provinces of Isabela,

Quirino Quirino, officially the Province of Quirino (; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis while Diffun is the most populous in the province. It is named after Elpi ...

, and

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

. It is esteemed as the only economic zone facing the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, an ideal starting point for the inflow of commerce in the northeastern quadrangle of Luzon. Aurora Province is a 328-kilometer land area facing the

ornamented with natural wonders. The ecozone was purposely situated in the bay area of Casiguran, a naturally protected enclave cradled by the Sierra Madre mountain range and the 12,000-hectare San Ildefonso Peninsula. Casiguran and

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are config ...

, the latter being the capital of Aurora, are among the oldest municipalities of Aurora with a combined population of about 53,000. Fishing and farming are considered the major industries of the province. Indigenous peoples from Casiguran are claiming around 11,500 hectares of APECO land as part of their ancestral domain.

Land area and infrastructure development

APECO has a total of 496 hectares in the mainland of Casiguran and an additional 12,000 hectares in the San Ildefonso Peninsula. Because of its pristine location and natural beauty, this special ecozone is being promoted as an eco-friendly and tourism ecozone. At present, APECO is undertaking Phase One development consisting of 25 hectares that includes the construction of a 3-star hotel and the administration building. The second phase will involve the construction of an infirmary building and other infrastructure facilities like telecommunications and BPO facilities.

Dumagat opposition

APECO was allegedly approved without consulting local tribal groups, particularly the Dumagat indigenous group, who have been in the area since the 1900s, subsisting on hunting, gathering and fishing. They are opposed to the development of APECO, and are asking the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to cancel the project. Their protests and concerns are the subject of the 2014 documentary ''"The March to Progress in the Philippines"'' by Ditsi Carolino. The non-governmental organization Task Force Anti-APECO (TFAA) has alleged that APECO has been converting agricultural lands without the required approval from the

Department of Agrarian Reform The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR; ) is an executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the redistribution of agrarian land in the Philippines. The secretary of agrarian reform is the head of DAR. List of the Secreta ...

and that no consultations were held with local government units and indigenous peoples in violation of the Indigenous People's Rights Act.

References

External links

'The March to Progress in the Philippines' documentaryArchive Website of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport AuthorityAurora Pacific Ecozone (APECO) Investor VideoThe Official Website of Philippine Senator Edgardo J. AngaraThe Official Website of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority
{{coord, 16.1981, N, 122.0661, E, region:PH_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Industrial parks in the Philippines Special economic zones Buildings and structures in Aurora (province) PEZA special economic zones

Location

Land area and infrastructure development

Dumagat opposition

See also

References

External links