Govt. Employees Join Peasants, Demand to Stop APECO
Submitted by courage_phil on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 00:54.
QUEZON CITY—Government employees united the Government Employees for Genuine Land Reform (GE 4 GLR) Alliance today joined peasant organizations from Aurora in trooping to the House of Representatives. They are calling for the repeal of Republic Act 10083 (Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Act of 2010) which seeks to establish a special economic zone referred to as the Aurora Ecozone which will cover Barangays Esteves, Dibet and Dibacong in the Municipality of Casiguran, Aurora. The said project will dislocate approximately 22,403 residents, majority of whom are composed of peasants, fisherfolk and indigenous peoples.
“Scrutiny reveals that the implementation of the APECO comes with concrete economic, ecological and cultural risks for the residents of Casiguran. For instance, the construction of the APECO administration building, entrance plaza and airstrip necessarily translated to widespread land-grabbing through the cancellation of numerous Original Certificates of Title (OCT) and Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA). Farmers were dispossessed and displaced in favor of foreign investors and landlords who stood to benefit from the APECO.The continuing implementation of the APECO undoubtedly threatens the right to land and livelihood of the Aurora people,” said Government Employees for Genuine Land Reform (GE4GLR) spokesperson Mar Araba.
“As public servants, we believe that the continuing struggle of our peasants for land, justice and genuine land reform is our issue as well. The absence of genuine land reform is a glaring example of how the State persists in abandoning its mandate to provide social services and support to the basic sectors of society, particularly those who work to feed the nation. It is ironic that a President who prides himself on pursuing a “daang matuwid” continues to deny the valid demand for agrarian reform even as history has proven that social justice through genuine land reform is the key to lasting peace and development in the countryside. We are one with the people of Aurora in demanding the repeal of RA 10083 and the scrapping of the proposed P 332.5 million APECO budget,” Araba stated. ###
PRESS RELEASE
For August 22, 2011
References: Mar Araba, GE for GLR Spokesperson