SC asked to strike down laws creating Aurora special economic zone

MANILA, Philippines—Several groups of farmers, fishermen, indigenous people and residents of Casiguran, Aurora, petitioned the Supreme Court on Wednesday to declare as unconstitutional the two laws which created a special economic zone in their province.

Led by Anakpawis partylist Representative Rafael Mariano, members of the Panlalawigang Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Aurora (Pamana) and Justice and Peace Action Group of Aurora asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to stop all construction within the vast complex of the Aurora Pacific Economic and Freeport Zone (Apeco) in Casiguran town.

In an 88-page petition, the groups said Republic Act (RA) 9490, which created the Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority in2007, and its amendatory law, RA 10083, violated various statutes, including the constitutional provision on agrarian reform.

“The laws which created Apeco trampled on the constitutional rights of the residents in the area, especially the right to due process of the small farmers and fishermen,” Mariano told reporters after filing the petition.

Believed to be a pet project of Senator Edgardo Angara, Apeco covers over 525 hectares of agricultural land in Casiguran and would cost some P1 billion to build.

Elmer Dayson, Pamana spokesperson, said the second phase of the project would cover 12,427 hectares, most of which were considered part of the ancestral domain of the Agta and Dumagat tribes.

“The government approved this destructive project without consulting us,” Dayson said.