The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) has reaffirmed its partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to advance programs that promote the welfare, participation and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in and around the Casiguran-based ecozone.

In a recent meeting between APECO president and chief executive Gil Taway IV and NCIP Region III director Roman Antonio, both agencies discussed collaborative initiatives such as the creation of an IP Cooperative, a joint management agreement (JMA) with the IP community, and assistance in the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) process for ancestral domain delineation.

“We are taking deliberate steps to ensure that development in APECO is both participatory and respectful of Indigenous rights,” Taway said. “Our partnership with NCIP anchors this commitment on transparency, shared decision-making and equitable growth.”

APECO plans to establish an Indigenous Peoples Cooperative that will allow IP communities to take part in ecozone-related economic activities, including livelihood and microenterprise projects. The cooperative will also provide access to training and capacity-building programs, serve as a platform for IP participation in development initiatives, and strengthen its collective voice in local economic planning.

The IP cooperative is expected to partner with APECO in implementing social enterprise projects and managing community-based ventures within the ecozone. Alongside this effort, APECO is preparing a JMA that will institutionalize co-stewardship between the agency and IP communities, setting clear guidelines on land management, resource use and benefit-sharing to ensure IP protection while supporting sustainable development.

APECO clarified that while Republic Act 10083 granted it management and oversight of Parcel 2 — covering much of the San Ildefonso Peninsula and areas overlapping ancestral domains — its authority does not confer ownership.

“The position of the new management is that this overlap does not mean APECO will be taking over the land, as the law provides only administrative supervision and control for development purposes,” the agency said in a letter to Antonio.

APECO also sought NCIP’s help in securing FPIC for delineation and demarcation activities to be led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Aurora.

The original article was written by Othel V. Campos of Manila Standard. To view the article, click he.