Response on APECO

On behalf of Senator Sonny Angara, we write in response to the inaccurate allegations and malicious statements hurled against Senator Angara’s late father, former Senate President Edgardo J. Angara and his family, by Mr. Ramon Tulfo in his Jan. 22, 2022 Philippine STAR article entitled “White Elephant or Milking Cow?”

Mr. Tulfo alleged that the Angara family has used its position in government to financially benefit from the establishment of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority or APECO. This is unequivocally false. APECO was established to encourage investments and create jobs not only in the Angaras’ home province of Aurora, but also in the surrounding municipalities of Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela. There is so much untapped economic potential throughout Northeastern Luzon, which we believe could be unlocked by APECO. The freeport authority was situated next to Casiguran Sound to take advantage of the bay’s deep yet relatively calm waters so that one day the area would become a shipping hub on Luzon’s eastern seaboard.

Admittedly, APECO has suffered from years of poor management. As a result, the ultimate vision for APECO – to improve the livelihood of the people of Casiguran and nearby areas, as well as preserve its rich and pristine environment – has yet to be fully realized. Such dismal performance has not gone unnoticed. This is why as early as 2020, Senator Angara has lobbied for changes in APECO’s leadership. Further, the inefficiencies of APECO’s management were highlighted by Senator Richard Gordon when he chaired a Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the authority’s 2022 budget. Senator Gordon said that he may recommend that APECO be scrapped altogether because of the sheer incompetence and inability of the management to bring in the direct investments it was mandated to attract. Ultimately, Senator Gordon recommended the reduction of APECO’s corporate operating budget and further challenged the management to improve its operations and fiscal position in 2022 to justify its continued existence.

As chairman of the committee on finance, Senator Angara agreed with Senator Gordon’s observations and supported his recommendation to lower the budget of the authority. Hence, APECO’s budget was slashed by 73 percent – from P168.721 million in 2021 to a mere P45 million for 2022. Steps have also been taken to ensure that APECO remains true to its vision to be developed into a self-reliant and self-sustaining industrial, commercial/trading, agro-industrial, tourist, banking, financial and investment center.

During the plenary debates on Senate Bill No. 22321 which is now Republic Act No. 11590, Senator Angara successfully introduced amendments prohibiting APECO from issuing new Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) licenses, while existing POGO licensees within the ecozone and new entrants shall now be regulated and monitored by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). These amendments were introduced to RA 11590 so that APECO’s leadership and management will focus on its main goal of encouraging investments and generating actual jobs in Northern Aurora and the surrounding areas. This was and should always be the mission of APECO pursuant to the laws creating it. We hope that the foregoing facts have sufficiently clarified the matter. – Atty. Fatima Lipp D. Panontongan, chief-of-staff