10/07/2025
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๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
CASIGURAN, Aurora โ Once among the most vocal critics of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO), several Indigenous Peoples (IP) leaders in Casiguran are now expressing strong support for the agency, citing inclusive reforms and a renewed commitment to meaningful engagement under its current leadership.
During the opening ceremonies of APECO Week 2025 held on July 9, local IP chieftains and community leaders shared their shifting perspectives, crediting APECO President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV for ushering in what many now call โtransformative governance.โ
Jerome Gonzales, President of the IP Chieftainsโ Association under the Casiguran LGU, admitted he was once hesitant to work with APECO. However, the agencyโs recent effortsโparticularly in assisting IP communities in securing long-pending Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs)โhave changed his view.
โIf I had doubts before, only 20 percent of it remains. APECO took the lead in helping process our ancestral domain titles,โ Gonzales said. โThis is a step toward inclusive development, and we look forward to stronger partnerships built on trust and negotiation.โ
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๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฎ๐ญ
One of the most striking testimonies came from Barangay Dibet Captain Jesus O. Cezar, who openly admitted to participating in anti-APECO rallies when the economic zone was launched nearly two decades ago.
โI was one of APECOโs staunchest critics,โ he said. โToday, Iโm deeply grateful for the respect and trust being extended to our indigenous communities.โ
The turnabout in public sentiment is attributed largely to the leadership of Atty. Taway, who assumed office in October 2023 and implemented sweeping changes to foster dialogue and transparency. These reforms included:
โข The creation of an Indigenous Peoples Desk within APECO;
โข Quarterly consultations with IP communities;
โข Support for CADT processing and documentation;
โข Expansion of livelihood opportunities through the โBantay Gubatโ environmental stewardship program, employing locals to help protect ecological areas within and around the economic zone.
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๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ
Regina Eneria, now head of APECOโs IP Desk and an Agta leader herself, once fiercely opposed the agency.
โI was one of APECOโs strongest critics because of the lack of consultation in the past,โ she recalled. โBut dialogue changes everything. Now, I see how APECO is helpingโespecially in giving our children a better future through education and jobs.โ
She emphasized the spiritual and cultural significance of land and seas to the Agta people, saying, โThese lands are given by God for everyone, but He also entrusted some to protect and care for them.โ
๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
Present at the event were Aurora IP Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Randy Salo and Casiguran IPMR Zyra Dela Cruz, both of whom expressed their support for the agencyโs new trajectory and lauded its leadership for championing inclusivity and sustainable progress.
PCEO Taway summarized APECOโs new approach: โThe Bagong APECO is not just about leadership changeโitโs a change in mindset. We listen first, we always consult, and we move forward together.โ
This evolving relationship between APECO and the IP communities of Casiguran marks a significant shift from the years of tension and mistrust that once surrounded the project. Today, both sides appear committed to building a shared future rooted in unity, mutual respect, and collective growth. (Ja*on de Asis)
