10 October 2025, Parañaque City — The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) has reaffirmed its strong partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to jointly implement programs that promote the welfare, participation, and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) within and around the Casiguran-based ecozone.

In a recent meeting between APECO President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV and NCIP Region III Director Atty. Roman A. Antonio, the investment promotion agency sought the NCIP’s close collaboration and coordination on key initiatives, including the plan of establishing an IP Cooperative, a consultative dialogue for Joint Management Agreement (JMA) with the IP community, and assistance in the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) process related to the delineation of ancestral domains.

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

At the core of this collaboration is APECO’s plan to establish an Indigenous Peoples Cooperative, a legally recognized organization that will enable the IP community to directly engage in ecozone-related economic activities.

The proposed cooperative aims to promote livelihood and microenterprise projects rooted in Indigenous knowledge and sustainable practices; facilitate access to training, capacity-building, and financial literacy programs; serve as a channel for cooperative participation in ecozone development projects; and strengthen the collective voice of IPs in the local economic planning process.

Once established, the IP Cooperative will be a strategic partner of APECO in implementing social enterprise projects and managing community-based ventures within identified areas of the ecozone.

Complementing this program is the initiative of APECO to establish a JMA, a framework that will institutionalize co-stewardship between APECO and the IP communities. The JMA is envisioned to set clear guidelines for shared responsibilities in land management, resource use, and benefit-sharing mechanisms, ensuring that IP interests are protected while supporting the ecozone’s sustainable development goals.

“While RA 10083 gave the management and oversight of Parcel 2, covering most of the peninsula and some areas with ancestral domains, the position of new management is that this overlap does not mean that APECO will be taking over the land, for the law does not vest ownership but only provides administrative supervision and control for the purpose of development,” APECO’s letter to Director Antonio said.

Moreover, APECO seeks assistance from NCIP Region III for the FPIC in line with the social preparation for the delineation and demarcation activities that will be conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Aurora.

The delineation and demarcation activities, to be conducted in Parcel 2 of the San Ildefonso Peninsula, are designed to clarify the metes and bounds of the ecozone and to identify the settlements of Indigenous communities that will directly participate in the consultations and preparatory activities. 

Under the Bagong APECO reform agenda, the partnership with NCIP symbolizes a new phase of governance, one that restores trust among stakeholders, fosters unity, and places IPs at the heart of APECO’s development vision.

“Bagong APECO is not just about infrastructure or investment. It is about building a model of inclusive growth where no community is left behind,” PCEO Taway added.

Meanwhile, APECO Business Development and Marketing Division Manager Gene Angelo P. Ferrer also recently attended a monthly meeting of Komite ng Sama-Samang Pag-Unlad (KSSP) with Director Antonio, Ayta Ambala Chieftain Christine Frenilla, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. The JMA of SBMA with its IP settlement will be APECO’s model for the joint management deal.