Background The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (otherwise known as APECO) is a 12,923-hectare special economic

zone in the Municipality of Casiguran, Aurora. It was created in 2007 through Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9490, and amended in 2010 by R.A. No. 10083 (which lapsed into law). It was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Edgardo Angara, and in the Congress by his son, Representative Juan Edgardo Angara. APECO aims to attract foreign investors from the Pacific Ocean side to Aurora but has so far received much opposition from community members of the Municipality of Casiguran coming from the peasant groups, fisherfolk and indigenous peoples who claim that their respective rights and the laws on which these are anchored are being violated by APECO activities. On November 26, 2012, 120 marchers - mostly peasants, indigenous peoples and fisherfolks walked on foot from Casiguran to Manila. The marchers arrived in Manila on December 10, 2012, and stayed at the Ateneo de Manila University. On December 11, 2012, President Benigno Aquino III, together with some of his Cabinet members, namely, DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima, DBM Secretary Florencio Abad, DAR Secretary Gil de los Reyes, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje, NCIP Chair Brigida Zenaida Pawid, CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan, DA Undersecretary Emerson Palad, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang, and PMS Secretary Julia Abad, met the farmers, fisherfolks and indigenous peoples in a dialogue at the San Jose Seminary Covered Court at the Ateneo de Manila University in Diliman, Quezon City. Also present were the Ateneo de Manila University Administration led by Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, S.J., Jesuit Provincial Fr. Jojo Magadia, SJ, Theologian Fr. Catalino Arevalo, S.J., and scores of San Jose seminarians, faculty, students, and NGO supporters. The event was well-covered by the President's media corps and was covered live by ANC. The Casiguran Marchers Calls vis--vis the Presidents Response The President and his Cabinet members arrived at the venue at exactly 11:49 am. Father Joefran Talaban, parish priest of Casiguran, started the activity with a prayer. It was immediately followed by the sectoral issues presented by Aderlina Constantino (peasant sector), Alejandro Barcenas (upland farmers sector), Agta-Dumagat Chieftain Vita Banayag (indigenous peoples sector), Armand de la Cruz (indigenous peoples sector), Marlon Angara (fisherfolk sector), and Vicente Convicto (President, PIGLAS-CA). A summary of the issues and demands of the Casiguran Marchers was read by Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Executive Secretary of CBCPNASSA. After the presentation of the issues, President Aquino, and a couple of Cabinet members he asked to present, took the floor to respond to the calls of the marchers as shown below. Apended below are action of government vis-a-vis the various calls, with updates.

CASIGURAN MARCHERS CALLS 1. Distribute the 105-hectare school reservation of Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT) in Casiguran, Aurora to the fifty six (56) farmer beneficiaries. a. ASCOT through its Board of Regents headed by CHED shall immediately issue a Deed of Transfer in favor of the DAR for the distribution of said land to the farmer beneficiaries. b. The DAR shall issue Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to the farmer beneficiaries who have been tilling the land since 1960. c. The DA shall also provide support services such as farm-to-market roads and credit facilities to the farmers.

PRESIDENTS and CABINET MEMBERS RESPONSE CHED and DOJ are tasked to work on a proposal under which a kasulatan (agreement) by ASCOT and the farmers will be made wherein the subject land will be used by the farmers for a certain time, and the latter will be assured of their peaceful possession. DAR Secretary Gil de los Reyes also added that the proposed kasulatan will cite the terms of use of the agricultural rice lands by the farmers and that ASCOT cannot convert the rice lands to other uses.

UPDATES 1) USECs of DAR and DOJ, President of ASCOT, and CHED representative, met with marchers and support groups in Caritas Manila on December 15, 2012. The officials were told about the position of TFAA, its non-acceptance of usufruct and reiterated demand for land distribution. The lawyers of TFAA led by Atty. Chris Monsod impressed on the group that the CMU case cannot be used as justification for the non-distribution of CLOA to Casiguran farmers since the two cases are different. USEC Parungao of DAR asked for a copy of the TFAA position and said he will write the DOJ about it. 2) A meeting was held in DAR Central office on 18 February, with farmer-representatives of PAKISAMA, USEC Parungao of DAR and representative of ASCOT present. ASCOT Board claimed they have no jurisdiction to return the reserved land to the government and that it is the DepEds role. DAR would consult this with the legal team and get DOJs interpretation.

2.

Award Foreshore Lease Agreements (FLA) to the fishers in the Casiguran sound to at least two hundred (200) fisherfolk families who will be displaced because of the construction of the airstrip.

Commitment of Department of Agriculture, through DA Usec Emerson Palad (Sec. Alcalas representative): The rights of the fisherfolk shall be continuously protected and respected. The fisherfolks shall continue to enjoy rights to fish within the 15- kilometer zone or the municipal waters in Casiguran. The DA Secretary emphasized that the welfare and needs of the people, especially those who will be displaced and relocated, will be heeded. UPDATES 1) BFAR Director Atty. Asis Perez came to Caritas Manila Meeting on December 18, 2012. After describing their situation, Casiguran fishers reiterated their demands including the

a. Suspend the construction of the airport. b. DA shall process the identification of the fisherfolks and DENR shall

CASIGURAN MARCHERS CALLS award the FLA to the fisherfolks. c. Instruct the Municipality of Casiguran to proclaim the Casiguran sound as municipal waters.

PRESIDENTS and CABINET MEMBERS RESPONSE delineation of municipal waters. Director Perez was not amenable to the request but promised to set up payaw projects in Casiguran and to visit the Casiguran fishers on 27 December 2012. He did not come given a typhoon in Visayas region he had to attend to. 2) He was invited by TFAA to visit the area in time for a Fishers Conference in February, but he could not commit a date yet. The CADT will be awarded to the indigenous peoples, subject to the process, through NCIP Chair Brigada Zenaida Pawid. Their rights will be respected despite the APECO Law. The consultation process under the law shall be followed, as well as the concurrence of all the LGUs, before any project shall be made in the area. The 80% forest cover of Ildefonso Peninsula shall be maintained as a natural protection against typhoon in the area. No structures shall be made by APECO within the area. UPDATES 1) NCIP Chair Pawid, committed on December 11, 2012 dialogue in Ateneo, in a meeting with the IP marchers that the NCIP will facilitate the release of CADT for the San Ildefonso area (11,900 has) since the survey here has already been finished. The mainland area, which was having problem with the Mayor re survey, will later be addressed. 2) On December 17, 2012 Commissioner Conching Calzado visited the marchers in Caritas Manila, where they were billeted, and asked them to send NCIP a resolution on their wish to go ahead with the CADT distribution covering the San Ildefonso Peninsula, and to name their leaders. The resolution was sent to NCIP a couple of days later. Commissioner Calzado said that NCIP can conduct a field validation in January. As of this writing, no field validation has yet been conducted. 3) In February 2013, a meeting was called by Chair Pawid in NCIP central office and told the IP leaders of Casiguran that the issue is already in the Supreme Court and that they cannot proceed unless the APECO issue is settled there. And this update practically reversed the earlier commitments.

3.

Issue the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) to the AgtaDumagats claim of their Ancestral Domain. Suspend the operations of APECO on the ancestral domain due to lack of consent from the AgtaDumagats and respect their ancestral domains in accordance with the IPRA.

a.

4.

Renewal of Integrated Social Forestry (ISF)

The ISF stewardship contracts, which will expire in 2014, shall be renewed regardless of whether or not APECO is there.

CASIGURAN MARCHERS CALLS contracts to 98 upland farmers whose contract will expire in 2014.

PRESIDENTS and CABINET MEMBERS RESPONSE

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje also assured that the ISF contract for Certificate of Stewardships of the upland farmers shall be renewed for another 25 years. The rights of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) shall also be cancelled. APECO cannot remove the residents in the peninsula. UPDATES: There was a report from Casiguran upland farmers that DENR representatives visited their place on February and were told that they would be having a census. There was an attempt by the Provincial board to levy a 10-year back taxes from the farmers which the DENR Centro Casiguran declared invalid.

5.

Stop the release of the budget and suspend all the activities of APECO.

The NEDA shall review the APECO Project within one week, together with the representatives from the Casiguran Marchers. The investigation will also include whether or not there was consultation in the area, concurrence from the LGUs, and undue payments, if any. The COA shall also audit the APECO project. UPDATES: 1) The NEDA called for a meeting in its office in Makati on December 18, 2013. The meeting was chaired by Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of NEDA and attended by a delegation from APECO led by Malcolm Sarmiento and a delegation from Task Force Anti-APECO (TFAA) led by Former NEDA heads, Solita Monsod and Ciel Habito, Christian Monsod (legal counsel), and representatives of the Casiguran Marchers (5) and support groups including the religious(7). Secretary Balisacan shared that he told the President that the review could take 2-3 months. (Subsequently, the news reported that the President extended the review two to three months.) He also shared the outline of the investigation and the rationale for the APECO and that the meeting was just a start of the consultation process. TFAA representatives took turns on raising issues as follows: feasibility of the APECO project given the location, the viability of the various projects introduced (e.g., fish cages, seaweeds; mangroves destruction, etc) and the issue of inclusive growth.

a. The COA shall audit the expenditures of APECO since the start of its operations. b. A high-level body shall be created which includes the sectors affected by APECO and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to review APECO feasibility.

CASIGURAN MARCHERS CALLS

PRESIDENTS and CABINET MEMBERS RESPONSE 2) NEDA called another consultation on February 19, 2013 in Casiguran, Aurora, and was attended by 200 representatives of TFAA, all residents of Casiguran, and a score of representatives from APECO. Both parties had five speakers. The APECO representatives zeroed in on the jobs created and will be created by APECO and other opportunities APECO will bring to Casiguran citizens. Aside from the freedom they enjoy in their present livelihood, the TFAA representatives from different sectors explained in details and figures the income they receive from coconut, rice, vegetable farming and from fishing contrasting them to wage earned by APECO workers and the amount being offered by APECO on their landholdings. 3) TFAA wrote the Office of the President on 28 December to include COA in the review process but no response has yet been received by TFAA. A follow-up was made and TFAA representative was notified on 12 March that COA sent a reply via registered mail which has not been received to date. 4) On January 16, 2013, TFAA also sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) asking for TFAA's participation in the on-going legal review of APECO. The first report to the President has been filed by the DOJ Secretary. In addition, the DOJ Secretary committed to our involvement in the process and TFAA is awaiting notice.

6.

Declare the Municipality of Casiguran as Protected Area.

a. Issue an Executive Order (E.O.) declaring the entire municipality of Casiguran as protected area. Several questions and clarifications were also made by APECO Representative Malcolm Sarmiento, Atty. Christian Monsod, AKBAYAN Representative Kaka Bag-ao, and some members of the marchers. Finally, the commitments made by the President were summarized by Fr. Xavier Alpasa, Executive Director of Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB). The dialogue was ended by a prayer led by Fr. Joefran Talaban.