Aurora ecozone project opposed by prov’l folks

CASIGURAN, Aurora— Ramon T. Fernando, deputy administrator of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (Apeco) appealed last week to Sen. Sergio Osmeña III to personally “visit” the ecozone project which is allegedly being strongly opposed by various local organizations here who said this “will result to massive dislocation of 3,000 families including tribal villagers.”

Osmeña and several residents of northern Aurora are also opposing the creation of Apeco due to the alleged massive dislocation, human rights abuses and environmental degradation of the marine life-rich Casiguran Bay and destruction of around 10 hectares of mangrove areas within the ecozone project.

Critics against the ecozone also claim that 12,000 hectares of the 91,000 ancestral lands belonging to the “Dumagats” tribal community would be expropriated.