'Dumagats won't be evicted in ecozone expansion'

CASIGURAN, Aurora, Philippines – The Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority (Apeco) has given assurance that Dumagats will not be evicted from their ancestral land to give way to the development of the economic zone in this town.

In an hour-long dialogue with Dumagat chieftains in Sitio Disiguisao, Barangay San Ildefonso here Friday, Apeco deputy administrator Ramon Fernando said the eviction of the tribal folk from their land here is not part of the plan to develop the ecozone, contrary to the allegations of anti-Apeco groups.

“We will not take the land away from you. Instead, we will tap you as partners in protecting your environment, your forests,” Fernando told Dumagat chieftains Joel Guerra, Jabar Tulio and Tarsing Bitigan during the dialogue.

Instead of driving away the tribal folk, he said they would be tapped as tour guides and forest guards to preserve the ecological balance of the place.

Fernando gave the assurance as Apeco critics have told the Dumagats that they would be driven out of their land as San Ildefonso is included in the ecozone’s expansion plans.

Republic Act 10083, which creates Apeco, provides for the expansion of the ecozone from the original 500 hectares to 13,000 hectares covering the barangays of Cozo, Culat, Dibet, Esteves, and San Ildefonso.

Apeco critics have alleged that the ecozone would expropriate 12,000 hectares of the Dumagats’ 91,000-hectare ancestral land.

The dialogue was arranged by Conchita Descarga, president of the Samahan ng Katutubong Dumagat sa Aurora (Sakada), after the tribal folk expressed fears that the Apeco would evict them from their land.