Baguio City, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) was asked yesterday to come out with a final ruling on the legality of laws creating the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Free Port (Apeco).
Militant groups called on the high court to resolve their petition filed in October 2011 questioning the constitutionality of Republic Act 9490 or the Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Act of 2007 and its amendatory law – Republic Act 10083 or the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Free Port Act of 2010.
Petitioners including Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Anakpawis partylist, Panlalawigang Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Aurora (Pamana) argued that Apeco has cost the government P2 billion but had remained unattractive to locators.
They also called the court’s attention to the decision of the government to spend P220 million for the construction of a three-story hotel with 50 world-class rooms for local and foreign tourists.
The groups lamented that the SC has been “quite slow in resolving the issue, which is a matter of life and death to thousands of farmers, fisherfolks and indigenous peoples.â€