After years of exclusion, the Indigenous Peoples (IP) in Casiguran now give their approval to the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) for its leadership that welcomes an inclusive and consultative approach to development.
During the APECO Week launch on July 9, 2023, several indigenous and community leaders narrated how their long-held beliefs about the ecozone changed as they learned that Atty. Gil G. Taway IV would assume the role of APECO President and CEO in October 2023.
Building Trust Through Action
Admittedly, Jerome Gonzales, president of the IP Chieftains’ Association of Casiguran local government, was one of the many skeptical to associate with APECO in its early years, though he has credited the agency with winning his trust, particularly in its assistance to expedite long overdue Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) for IP communities, some of which have been on the docket for facilitation since as far back as 2007.
From Protest to Partnership
Even Barangay Captain Jesus O. Cezar of Dibet shared the same sentiment, recalling how, 18 years ago in 2005, he joined anti-APECO demonstrations and was skeptical of the agency’s commitment to indigenous inclusion. Now, he reflects on the agency’s progress in including indigenous voices.
Under Taway’s leadership, APECO made reforms to rebuild trust with the Dumagat or Agta and other indigenous groups in the area. Some initiatives under reforms include the establishment of an IP Desk at the APECO headquarters, holding quarterly consultations with indigenous communities, employment through programs like Bantay Gubat (forest stewardship), and assisting IPs in their CADTs.
The very person who now heads APECO’s IP Desk-Agta leader Regina Eneria-was herself a fierce opponent of the agency in the past.
“Ako po noon, matindi akong kaaway ng APECO. Totoo po ‘yon. Noon, galit ako sa APECO,” she said, adding that the absence of dialogue and transparency led to fear and uncertainty among her fellow Agta—fear that they would be excluded from development plans or worse, displaced from their ancestral lands.
“Pero tama po kayo Pres. (Taway), na ‘yong lupa, ang karagatan, bigay ni Lord para sa lahat. Subalit may mga tao Siyang itinalaga para mag-alaga doon para nandoon ‘yong respeto sa lahat,” she said.
“Hindi po masasabing hindi nakatulong ang APECO. Nakakatulong po siya talaga,” she added.
A New Era of Governance
Attending the event to support the agency’s new direction were Aurora IP Mandatory Representative Randy Salo and Casiguran IPMR Zyra Dela Cruz.
In his keynote, Taway pointed out that the change will not be limited to leadership within APECO. “The Bagong APECO is not just a change in leadership—it’s a change in mindset. We listen first, we always consult, and we act together with the communities,” PCEO Taway emphasized.
This transformative governance, as Taway calls it, is all about unity, mutual respect, and shared progress.
This renewal of partnership has marked Casiguran’s entry into a hopeful chapter in APECO’s 18th year in 2023 and beyond, signaling a future where development and inclusion progress side by side.
