CLUSTERS OF farmers, fisher folk and indigenous peoples from Casiguran, Aurora gathered in front of the Senate on October 21 to await the results of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) budget hearing.
They were joined by supporters of the anti-Apeco movement—students and citizens alike who believe in the cause against the project. Abbo Hernandez, the premier of the Christian Union for Socialist and Democratic Advancement (Crusada), and Ateneans for Agrarian Reform Movement (Afarm) Chair Ace Dela Cruz were present along with other members of Crusada.
After almost nine hours of waiting outside for the results of the Senate sub-committee budget hearing, the crowd rejoiced when Senator Sergio Osmeña III announced that he thinks Apeco should get zero budget for 2015 and will only receive caretaker funds.
Created through Republic Act No. 9490 back in 2007, Apeco aims to boost social, economic and industrial development in Aurora and nearby provinces. Apeco was envisioned to attract businesses or investors through tax incentives provided by the government with over 12,923 hectares in Casiguran.
It has, however, been accused of not properly keeping track of where funds go to. Aside from this, Apeco is also accused of infringing on certain laws and rights of Casiguran residents.
Budget hearing
On the day of the project’s budget hearing, Osmeña asserted that Apeco should only get maintenance funds for its budget allocation in 2015, according to a Rappler article.
Osmeña called the Apeco’s proposed P251.3-million budget a “waste of money,” since the economic zone and freeport is insufficient in bringing economic growth to the country. He argued that Apeco should only receive a “caretaker budget” of around P40 M, which is the budget it is working with this year. Apeco’s 2014 budget is P48.5 M, just enough for maintenance and some personnel. However, Osmeña added that even this current budget is a waste of funds.
Osmeña commented that Apeco should learn from the Subic and Batangas ports, both of which shippers still refuse to use despite inadequate ports in Manila. “The government has spent a lot on the port of Subic and Batangas and yet both are only 10 to 20% utilized,” said the senator. Commission on Audit (COA) reports had also accused Apeco of bad financial management and lack of documentation of fund allocation.
Rico La Viña (AB PH ‘14), the former premier of Crusada and a political officer of Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), looked into the latest COA report as well as the state of the projects being implemented in Casiguran. He explained that P335 M of the funds could not be properly accounted for, meaning the money has to either be returned or justified.
COA also issued a notice of disallowance after discovering an irregular amount of P335 M. “You only get a notice of disallowance after they issue a note of suspension on the money,” La Viña remarked, “So what does this implication mean? It means that if you combine the notice of suspension that has been offered before and the notice of disallowance right now, that’s P400 million that they can’t properly account for. That’s more than the actual budget of Apeco itself.”
During the hearing, La Viña posed the question of why Apeco’s funding should continue if its money could not even be properly explained. In the presentation at the Senate was a COA report from the years 2010 to 2013, which included different observations for each year. The observations exposed the Apeco’s inability to properly inventory fiscal products, and either the lack or late submission of vouchers. La Viña explained that all of these are things any decent man or company would be able to account for.
“That’s one of the reasons why we’re fighting against Apeco: Because if we feel like we are dealing with hundreds of millions of pesos here, we think it’s also a matter of where should this money go to.”
Updates on Apeco
Last December 10, 2012, the Ateneo community joined the Casiguran locals on a march in hopes of convincing President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to cease the budget allotment for Apeco.
Aquino himself arrived on December 11, 2012 on campus with his cabinet secretaries to hold a meeting with the marchers. Despite his power of vetoing its budget allocation, Aquino refused to block the project. He explained that as a chief executive, he has to execute the law.
Instead, Aquino offered the compromise of having the premises of Apeco examined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and that he would base reconsiderations, if any, on the findings.
Since the march, NEDA still continued to insist that the government should invest more funds in Apeco to maximize its economic benefits. In an article published in Rappler on May 2013, Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said that based on preliminary findings, the government should invest more to the project for its benefits to be realized.
In spite of its many promises of economic progress and equal opportunities for both investors and the Casiguran residents, both the natives and many supporters have called for the project’s cancellation.
Fr. Xavier Alpasa, SJ, the executive director of SLB, argued that the project should be scrapped since none of the businesses in the zone has reaped profits; Balisacan explained that the reason for this was due to lack of facilities. On the other hand, former NEDA Director-General Solita “Winnie” Monsod urged that a total suspension be implemented until all issues have been rectified.
Law violations
Besides its failure to rationalize its excessive budget, Apeco also defied many laws and rights of the Casiguran residents. It did not have a proper feasibility study prior to its passage in spite of its impact on the environment, and on the livelihood of the locals.
There was also no consultation with local government units and indigenous peoples. “If we’re passing a law, which should affect the land of the people living there, they have to consult and get their approval,” La Viña noted in a mix of English and Filipino.
Josephine Colye, a long-time resident of Casiguran, shared that they are primarily fighting for their land. “Nagtatanim po kami sa bundok, kaya ‘yun po ang ipinaglalaban namin: Ang lupain namin na ipinagtibay namin para mabuhay ang aming mga anak. (We farm on the mountain so that is what we are fighting for: Our land that we have cultivated to provide for our children).”
For Linda Bitigan, who is among the many indigenous natives of Casiguran, opposing Apeco means retaining their people’s livelihoods. “‘Yun ‘yung alam naming trabaho kung hindi mangisda lang at magtanim sa bundok. ‘Yun ang [aming prayoridad] at masaya na kami doon. (That is the job we know, which is fishing and farming on the mountain. That is our priority and we’re happy there).”
The Agrarian Reform Law (Republic Act No. 6657) and the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (Republic Act No. 8371) have also been violated by the implementation of Apeco, which had attributed to its controversy.
A number of farmers as well as residents of Casiguran had been displaced due to its various projects, such as the housing built on irrigated and flood-controlled land, and the construction of the airport strip. In their presentation, La Viña also showed that it had only been used as “the world’s most expensive rice dryer.”
Results and outcome
Alpasa approached the mass of cheering Casiguran people and supporters to summarize what had happened inside the Senate. He recounted that Apeco was not able to finish their presentation because in the beginning, Senator Osmeña criticized the rationale of the project.
Prior to the announcement of the results, Bitigan expressed her hopes and prayers that they would prevail in the end. “Sa palagay ko, may pag-asa ako na hindi mananalo sila, kasi ang pagkakaalam ko, ang kabutihan [ay] hindi nananalo sa kasamaan. Atsaka sa maraming sumusuporta sa amin, ‘yun ‘yung nagpapalakas sa loob namin, sa mga anak namin. (In my opinion, there is still hope that they won’t win because from what I know, goodness doesn’t win in evil. Also, with all the support we have, that is what strengthens us and our children.)”
Another hearing will be held on today, October 23, to continue the discussion of Apeco and its proposed master plan. However, Casiguran locals as well as anti-Apeco supporters have seen the worst pass, and will continue with the fight.
Photos by Miguel Mendoza
Updated on October 23, 2014 at 3:53 PM.
