You are on page 1of 1

Neil Don M.

Orillaneda
A.B. Political Science

Philippine Foreign Policy

September 17, 2015

Reaction Paper APECO

Atty. Dianne Junasa

In Casiguran, Aurora lies a land of unspoiled and virgin beauty home to the APECO, a
project that guarantees to bring development to the thirteen thousand hectares of land. In
paper, it can potentially be the 3 rd largest special economic zone in the Philippines after Subic
and Clark which proved to be a very successful project. This is perpetrated by the Angara family
who are now projecting themselves as Building of Aurora. APECOs ultimate aim is to
eradicate poverty via increased foreign and national investment, create jobs, the beginning of
infrastructural development in Northern Luzon and the utilization of renewable energy to further
minimize the carbon footprint imposed by the project. Though great promises were made, we
are left with one significant question Is this a development for the rich or development for the
poor?
Obviously, all of the mentioned benefits that APECO guarantees doesnt come without
complications. The establishment of the APECO will threaten the land and livelihoods of more
than 2,983 farmer, fisher folk, indigenous people and other families which sums up to more or
less 12, 641 people. Just imagine how it felt like knowing that the land, the culture, and the life
that has been passed down generations to generations will be tarnished by a project that
guarantees development. I am no agricultural economist or whatever you want to call those
who analyze how much food a country needs to sustain itself but a 5611.0 metric ton decrease
in the production of rice would probably bring negative food security shocks to Aurora and its
neighboring provinces. And most importantly, APECO also brought along a worsening human
rights situation in Casiguran via harassment, intimidation, deception and attempted killings.
Father Jose Francisco Talaban, the parish priest of Casiguran, Mr. Elmer Gonzales and Mr.
Marlon Angara, one of the courageous leaders of the indigenous people of Casiguran, gave
their heart-shattering personal testimonies on how their basic rights as a human and as a
Filipino were breached and violated to the fullest extent.
No matter how long it may take our brothers and sisters in Casiguran to overcome this
obstacle, we can only hope that in the end, justice will prevail. In the actions that we take from
here on now, we will not only defend the basic human rights of our brothers and sisters in
Casiguran whose voice were never heard, but will also make it very certain that we, the Filipino
people, under any circumstances, will stand together as one.

You might also like