Inspiring and challenging!

This is how lawyer Gil Taway IV describes rebuilding the reputation of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO), a 12,743-hectare property in Casiguran, Province of Aurora, after being embroiled in a past controversy.

The northern ecozone was once the lair of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), which was removed by Taway, when he took over as APECO president and CEO.

With the purge, Taway said APECO is now undergoing changes as it primarily looks into resuming abandoned projects and reviving activities.

Taway said that APECO needed an improved image to draw funds from the budget again.

Due to the perceived lethargy, APECO may have been denied the funding needed to realize projects, making it a victim of a loss of confidence among legislators.

Since the POGO firm ceased operations, various projects remain idle, having utilized P800 million out of the P1.4-billion budget allocation downloaded to APECO over the past 17 years.

Taway said among APECO projects in the pipeline include the rehabilitation of the P60-million Central Water Supply and Reservoir Phase 1; the P28-million Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Phase 1; the P12-million APECO Fire Station; and the P70-million Underground Power Distribution Line (UPDL) project, with the first phase already 98 percent complete.

“If the national government and Congress see the achievements and strides that we have made so far, there is no other option for the government but to support us because they would see that the strategic direction is geared towards making APECO not only self-sustaining but a positive contributor to the national coffers,” Taway said when he guested at DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Straight Talk.

Advocate of inclusivity

A product of a poor family in the province of Virac, Catanduanes, Taway, in his youth, tried to make ends meet while striving to finish his studies.

A graduate of San Sebastian School of Law, PCEO Taway relayed that he has a heart for those who are underserved and underprivileged.

Caring for his countrymen reflected in his effort to include the indigenous people of Aurora, the Agtas, as part of APECO’s workforce.

“I always wanted to be a litigator. But I was already called here. Before being APECO president and CEO, I was running my own law office, with a specialization in criminal litigation and land disputes,” he said.

“Inclusivity is always at my heart. We now have 62 Agta employees working in APECO, and we have an ongoing project on reorganization and regularization. Out of 239 APECO employees, 170 are on contract of service. We want to improve that,” he added.

APECO currently employs undergraduates and IPs who lack formal education as “Bantay Gubat” and as ground maintainers, while those who have graduated from at least High School work as community relations representatives.

In APECO’s rigorous demonstration of its commitment to respecting IPs’ ancestral domain rights, the ecozone last year submitted a formal position paper to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, reflecting APECO’s full support for IPs’ application for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).

Taway’s administration even assigned lawyers to assist in the processing of the CADT application for the Agtas, and also established a dedicated IP Lounge in their Administration Building, which features an IP Desk.

The IP desk aims to provide a direct line of communication with the Agta tribe, enabling them to reach APECO for any concerns.

Uplifting employees’ plight

Taway said he wanted to revive the Big Brother Project, a journalist initiative led by Billy Esposo, which advocates for government employees not to be left behind. Esposo died in 2013.

“It’s happening in APECO now. It’s hypocritical to say that we can make foundational steps in our projects — from redemption to recovery, and from recovery to resurgence — while our employees, the COS, who are merely earning P10,000, are left behind. That is what we are working on right now,” he said.

Part of the Big Brother Project of Taway is the capacity building of APECO employees, as the PCEO of APECO believes that their employees are their responsibility.

“Regularization among APECO employees will arm them to avail government benefits, security of tenure, but we must capacitate and help them achieve that through initiating forums and sessions for our employees who would want to take Civil Service Exams,” according to Taway.

Amending APECO’s Charter

Taway has a fixed three-year term as APECO president and CEO. Still, his tenure can be extended, unlimitedly, if the current administration approves it, as stipulated under the APECO Law or Republic Act 9490, as amended by Republic Act 10083.

“Although there are clamors to amend our charter, we are also hoping for it. Because during every investment mission, our stakeholders are wondering how we can instill stability within those three years. We are currently preparing a policy paper to introduce amendments to the law. We plan to extend the tenure of the PCEO to seven years, ensuring projects have stability. A three-year tenure discourages our investors,” he narrated.

Taway foresees that within three years, the “chicken and the egg” paradox will be resolved with the entry of some investors.

APECO is regaining investor confidence with at least five fresh commitments, with two out of five firms, to date, in the advanced stage of investment plans, expected to break ground in the coming months.

These include the 16.8-megawatt solar project of Pacific Impact and financial technology company Aurum, whose operations involve tokenizing gold.

Aside from this, a job training center with Australian equity, a global workspace management firm, and a medical equipment supplier are coming to APECO.

Foreign investors are also exploring opportunities in developing critical infrastructure inside the ecozone, including the APECO Airport and the Casiguran Seaport.

“We are sure that these investments, already in the advanced stages, will be game-changers. APECO is back on the map, not just as an ecozone, but as a growth catalyst for Northern Aurora and nearby areas,” Taway said.