The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport , also known as APECO , was established by virtue of Republic Act No. 9490 , otherwise known as the Aurora Special Economic Zone Act of 2007. It is being supervised and managed by the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority into a self-sustaining industrial, commercial, financial, and recreational center, with a suitable residential area, in order to create employment opportunities around Casiguran , Aurora, and to effectively encourage and attract legitimate and productive local and foreign investments. Anti-APECO advocates, which include farmers, fishers, and indigenous peoples, have cited issues of land grabbing as well as misspending and poor financial management.
59-548: APECO is located in the municipality of Casiguran in the province of Aurora , a coastal town in the eastern seaboard of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Aurora is enveloped within the provinces of Isabela , Quirino , and Nueva Ecija . It is esteemed as the only economic zone facing the Pacific Ocean , an ideal starting point for the inflow of commerce in the northeastern quadrangle of Luzon. Aurora Province
118-415: A chief (or a president) that will govern them although they do have one elder that takes the responsibility of leadership. This informal kind of government can also be found in their judicial process. When someone in their community did something wrong, they would deliberate about it, but more importantly, they do not talk about what kind of punishment they will hand to the wrong-doer. Instead, the deliberation
177-440: A musical heritage consisting of various types of agung ensembles , ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs , which act as drone, without any accompanying melodic instrument. While the father is normally the figurehead of the family, Aeta communities or bands traditionally had an anarchic political structure wherein they don't have appointed chiefs to exercise authority over them. Individual Aeta
236-444: A ritual called ud- udung . In this ritual, the herbolario places rice or raw eggs on the patient's forehead first to determine what causes the illness and repeats this several times to confirm. After the herbolario is satisfied, the patient will be asked to bathe with ricewash, and then to offer food to appease the offended spirit. The Aeta communities take pride in their use of herbal medicines and their own natural ways of curing
295-473: Is "soon" or "early") Another legend says that if an unmarried stranger comes to the place, he unavoidably falls in love and marries and most of the time stays for good. The affixation of sigod when converting it to a noun is kasigudan , from which the Hispanized pronunciation "Casiguran" is derived. Casiguran was founded by Spanish missionaries on June 13, 1609. Prior to their arrival, early settlers were
354-673: Is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Aurora , Philippines . According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,564 people. The municipality is home to the Amro River Protected Landscape . According to folk legend, the name Casiguran was obtained from the Ilocano term Sigod which means "edge" or "maximum", which is due to the location of the Municipality at the northern edge of Aurora Province. (Another translation & definition of sigod
413-526: Is a 328-kilometer land area facing the Pacific Ocean ornamented with natural wonders. The ecozone was purposely situated in the bay area of Casiguran, a naturally protected enclave cradled by the Sierra Madre mountain range and the 12,000-hectare San Ildefonso Peninsula . Casiguran and Baler , the latter being the capital of Aurora, are among the oldest municipalities of Aurora with a combined population of about 53,000. Fishing and farming are considered
472-560: Is a collective term. Although commonly thought of as a single group, it is in reality composed of several ethnic groups that share similar hunter-gatherer lifestyles and physical features. They are usually divided into three main groups: the Aeta from Central Luzon ; the Agta of Southeastern Luzon; and the Dumagat (also spelled Dumaget) of Eastern Luzon. These divisions, however, are arbitrary, and
531-409: Is about understanding the motivation behind the action and prevent the consequence of the action from developing into something worse. Young men and women are excluded from the deliberation process. In this particular case, women are also largely excluded from the deliberation process even when they are allowed to attend the hearing or even when sometimes they can make their opinion about the problem. For
590-472: Is bounded on the north-east by Dilasag , south-west by Dinalungan , north-west by Quirino and southeast by the Philippine Sea . Casiguran is politically subdivided into 24 barangays . Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios . In the 2020 census, Casiguran had a population of 26,564. The population density was 37 inhabitants per square kilometre (96/sq mi). In 1960,
649-541: Is on equal grounds with the other and their main course of social interaction is through their tradition. It's also the tradition, and not constituted laws, that maintain the equality among them and guide their way of life. They do have groups of elders in their community, called pisen, who they tend to go to when it comes to arbitrating decisions. However, the decisions made by the elders only remain in advisory capacity and no one could force any individual to follow those decisions. Their guiding principle and conflict resolution
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#1732793895642708-444: Is partly an apology to the fish and partly a charm to ensure the catch. Similarly, the men hold a bee dance before and after the expeditions for honey. There are four manifestations of the "great creator" who rules the world: Tigbalog is the source of life and action; Lueve takes care of production and growth; Amas moves people to pity, love, unity, and peace of heart; while Binangewan is responsible for change, sickness, and death. In
767-544: Is through a sustained deliberation. Over time, this egalitarian political structure was disturbed due to recurring contacts with the lowland Filipinos wherein the local officials and individuals they interact with forced Aeta communities to create government structure resembling those in the lowlands. At times, Aeta communities do organize themselves in government-like system with a Capitan (Captain), Conseyal (Council) and Policia (Police). But mostly, they resist such imposed organization. In particular, they refuse to appoint
826-427: Is undertaking Phase One development consisting of 25 hectares that includes the construction of a 3-star hotel and the administration building. The second phase will involve the construction of an infirmary building and other infrastructure facilities like telecommunications and BPO facilities. APECO was allegedly approved without consulting local tribal groups, particularly the Dumagat indigenous group, who have been in
885-531: The Batak people of Palawan . A recent study in 2021 analyzing archaic ancestry in 118 Philippine ethnic groups discovered an independent admixture event into Philippine Negritos from Denisovans . The Ayta Magbukon in particular were found to possess the highest level of Denisovan ancestry in the world (between 3-9%), which is about ~30%–40% higher than the amount observed among Australo-Papuans , suggesting that distinct Islander Denisovan populations existed in
944-604: The Dumagats , Aetas , and Bugkalots followed by migrants from other parts of the Philippines. These migrants spoke different languages such as Ilocano , Visayan languages , Tagalog , Bikol languages , Kapampangan , Gaddang , Itawis and Ibanag , and from these a Kasiguranin language evolved. In 1818, Nueva Ecija annexed the towns of Casiguran, as well as Baler, Infanta (formerly called Binangonan de Lampon) and Polillo Islands from Tayabas, and Palanan from Isabela. Casiguran then became part of Nueva Vizcaya when it
1003-666: The Malay Peninsula , or the Andamanese people . The Philippine Negritos display relatively closer genetic affinity towards different Eastern Asian populations , prehistoric Hoabinhian samples, as well as to the Indigenous people of New Guinea and Aboriginal Australians , from which they diverged around c. 40,000 years ago. They also display an internal genetic substructure along a North to South cline, suggesting their ancestral population diverged into two subgroups after
1062-471: The Philippines . They are included in the wider Negrito grouping of the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia, with whom they share superficial common physical characteristics such as: dark skin tones; short statures; frizzy to curly hair ; and a higher frequency of naturally lighter hair colour ( blondism ) relative to the general population. They are thought to be among the earliest inhabitants of
1121-657: The Sundaland land bridges that linked the islands with the Asian mainland. The latest migration wave is associated with the Austronesian peoples (c. 7,000 years ago) from Taiwan . Philippine Negritos furthermore display craniometric and dental affinities (Sundadonty) with various southern East Asian and Japanese populations, suggesting deep ancestral ties. Many modern Aeta display significant Austronesian admixture (~10% to 30%) due to population contact and mixing after
1180-701: The etymology of the Visayan Dumagat ("sea people", from the root word dagat - "sea") who dwell in the coastal areas of Mindanao , contrasting them from inland Lumad . Other exonyms of the Aeta are more derogatory. These include baluga ("half-breed") and pugot ("head-hunter"). The Aeta themselves call non-Negrito groups with various names that reflect their ancient relationships with Austronesians. These include names like ugsin , ugdin , ogden , or uldin ("red"); putî or pute ("white"); unat ("straight-haired"); or agani ("[rice] harvester"). Aeta (also Ayta, Áitâ, Ita, Alta, Arta, Atta, or Agta)
1239-551: The 7.6-magnitude 1968 Casiguran earthquake struck near Casiguran. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority , the municipality has a land area of 715.43 square kilometers (276.23 sq mi) constituting 22.73% of the 3,147.32-square-kilometer- (1,215.19 sq mi) total area of Aurora. Casiguran is located 120 kilometers (75 mi) north-east of provincial capital Baler and 351 kilometers (218 mi) from Manila . It
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#17327938956421298-441: The Aeta have become extremely nomadic due to social and economic strain on their culture and way of life that had previously remained unchanged for thousands of years. As hunter-gatherers , adaptation plays an important role in Aeta communities to survive. This often includes gaining knowledge about the tropical forest that they live in, the typhoon cycles that travel through their area, and other seasonal weather changes that affect
1357-405: The Aeta people. (See 1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses) Their traditional clothing is very plain. The young women wear wrap around skirts. Elder women wear bark cloth, while elder men wear loin cloths. The old women of the Agta wear a bark cloth strip which passes between the legs, and is attached to a string around the waist. Today, most Aeta who have been in contact with lowlanders have adopted
1416-431: The Aeta's small numbers, primitive economy and lack of organization often made them easy prey for better-organized groups. Zambals seeking people to enslave would often take advantage of their internal feuding. They were often enslaved and sold to Borneo and China, and, unlike the serf feudal system ( alipin ) imposed on other Filipinos, there was little chance of manumission . In 2010, there were 50,236 Aeta people in
1475-593: The Negrito word for "person" in Northern Luzon , but was adopted into Austronesian languages with the meaning of "dark-skinned person", after the arrival of Austronesian migrants to the Philippines from Taiwan. A common folk etymology is that the name "Aeta" is derived from itom or itim meaning, "black", but this is incorrect. The term "Dumagat" or "Dumaget" is an exonym meaning "[people] from Magat River ." The Luzon Dumagats are not to be confused with
1534-508: The Philippines between September and December) often provides the opposite experience, considering the difficulties of traversing flooded and wet forests for hunting and gathering. Aeta communities use different tools in their hunting and gathering activities. Traditional tools include traps, knives, and bow and arrow, with different types of arrow points for specialized purposes. Most Aetas are trained for hunting and gathering at age 15, including Aeta women. While men and some women typically use
1593-523: The Philippines, which admixed with modern humans after their arrival. At the same time, Central Luzon Negritos such as the Ayta Magbukon and Ayta Ambala were also found to have the least amount of Austronesian-derived ) ancestry of all sampled Philippine ethnic groups, at ~10%–20%. Unlike many other Filipino ethnic groups, the Aetas have shown resistance to change. Aetas had little interaction with
1652-1031: The Philippines. Aetas are found in Zambales , Tarlac , Pampanga , Panay , Bataan, and Nueva Ecija , but were forced to move to resettlement areas in Pampanga and Tarlac following the devastating Mount Pinatubo eruption in June 1991. Some Aeta communities have received government land titles recognizing their claims to their ancestral lands. A total of 454 Aeta families in Floridablanca, Pampanga, received their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) on May 27, 2009. The title covers about 7,440 hectares in San Marcelino and Brgy. Batiawan in Zambales and barangays Mawakat and Nabuklod in Floridablanca. It
1711-538: The Philippines—preceding the Austronesian migrations. Regardless, the modern Aeta populations have significant Austronesian admixture, and speak Austronesian languages . Aeta communities were historically nomadic hunter-gatherers , typically consisting of approximately one to five families per mobile group. Groups under the "Aeta" umbrella term are normally referred to after their geographic locations or their common languages. The endonyms of most of
1770-830: The Sierra Madre mountain range in Rizal and Quezon . Their ancestral domain claims cover parts of the Sierra Madre mountain range. A CADT was issued to Dumagat families in Gabaldon town, Nueva Ecija, in December 2021. Nevertheless, Aeta communities face difficulties in getting ancestral domain titles. Aetas of Tarlac, for example, have failed to get titles for 18,000 hectares of land in Capas despite applications for CADT filed in 1999, 2014, and 2019. The Aeta are nomadic and build only temporary shelters made of sticks driven to
1829-667: The Spaniards as they remained in the mountains during the Spanish rule. Even the attempts of the Spaniards to settle them in reducciones or reservations failed all throughout Spanish rule . According to Spanish observers like Miguel López de Legazpi , Negritos possessed iron tools and weapons. Their speed and accuracy with a bow and arrow were proverbial and they were fearsome warriors. Unwary travelers or field workers were often easy targets. Despite their martial prowess, however,
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1888-476: The T-shirts, pants and rubber sandals commonly used by the latter. The Aetas are skillful in weaving and plaiting. Women exclusively weave winnows and mats. Only men make armlets. They also produce raincoats made of palm leaves whose bases surround the neck of the wearer, and whose topmost part spreads like a fan all around the body. According to one study, "About 85% of Philippine Aeta women hunt, and they hunt
1947-504: The area since the 1900s, subsisting on hunting, gathering and fishing. They are opposed to the development of APECO, and are asking the Supreme Court to cancel the project. Their protests and concerns are the subject of the 2014 documentary "The March to Progress in the Philippines" by Ditsi Carolino. The non-governmental organization Task Force Anti-APECO (TFAA) has alleged that APECO has been converting agricultural lands without
2006-464: The arrival of Austronesians. The modern Aeta speak Austronesian languages, although with a high number of non-Austronesian vocabulary, and follow a syncretic cultural practices, incorporating many Austronesian elements into their traditional culture. Conversely, other Austronesian Filipino ethnic groups, not traditionally considered Negritos, also have Negrito admixture (~10 to 20%), highlighting mutual contact and influence. Aetas are most closely related to
2065-409: The behavior of the flora and fauna in their location. Another important survival skill is storytelling. Like many other hunter-gatherer societies, the Aeta promote social values, such as cooperation, through stories. Thus, they highly value skilled storytellers. Dry season for many Aeta communities means intense work. They not only hunt and fish more, the start of the dry season also means swiddening
2124-485: The belief that it will cause abortion. The idea behind this is that like the closing of makahiya leaves once touched, the womb may also close once the makahiya touches it. The Aeta in Isabela also recommend drinking herbal tea out of wormwood ( herbaca) leaves or stem to address women's irregular menstrual cycle. They take herbal teas from lemon grass ( barbaraniw ) extract thrice a day to normalize blood pressure. If
2183-684: The camphor leaves that they then drink thrice a day if the fever and cold still persist. For muscle pains, they drink herbal teas extracted from kalulong leaves and have the patient take it thrice a day. In order to prevent relapse after giving birth, women also bathe themselves in cooled-down water boiled with sahagubit roots. The drinking of sahagubit herbal tea is likewise recommended to deworm Aeta children, or generally to alleviate stomachache. For birth control purposes, Aeta women drink wine made out of lukban (pomelo) root. They are, however, not advised to drink herbal tea from makahiya extract even if it's also used to elevate stomachache problems due to
2242-524: The dominant character of the Aeta religion. Those who believe they are monotheistic argue that various Aeta tribes believe in a supreme being who rules over lesser spirits or deities, with the Aeta of Mt. Pinatubo worshipping " Apo Na ". The Aetas are also animists . For example, the Pinatubo Aeta believe in environmental spirits. They believe that good and evil spirits inhabit the environment, such as
2301-846: The first Philippine's first Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC) on March 8, 1996. The CADT was acquired 16 years later in December 2010. On May 31, 2022, 848 Aeta families belonging to the Ayta Mag-indi and Ayta Mag-antsi groups were issued their CADT by the NCIP, after the title was approved in 2009. The CADT covers the Pampanga towns of Camias, Diaz, Inararo, Villa Maria and Sapang Uwak in Porac; Sapang Bato in Angeles City; and parts of Floridablanca. The CADT also includes San Marcelino town in Zambales. Dumagat-Remontado communities inhabit
2360-462: The ground and covered with the palm of banana leaves. The more modernized Aetas have moved to villages and areas of cleared mountains. They live in houses made of bamboo and cogon grass . Mining, deforestation, illegal logging , and slash-and-burn farming have caused the indigenous population in the country to steadily decrease to the point where they number only in the thousands today. The Philippine government affords them little or no protection, and
2419-405: The illness persists even after continuous drinking of recommended herbal medicine, that's when they seek the help of an herbolario (or soothsayer). They do so because the Aeta believe that their illnesses are caused by a spirit that they may have offended, in which case herbal medicines or medical doctors won't be able to address. In order to appease the spirits, they ask the herbolario to perform
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2478-692: The initial peopling of the Philippines. Furthermore, they display high percentages of Denisovan gene flow . The Aeta are the descendants of the same early "East-Eurasian" meta-population, which also gave rise to modern East Asians and Australasians, among other populations of the Asia-Pacific region. The earliest modern human migrations into the Philippine islands were during the Paleolithic , around 40,000 years ago, followed by two other migration waves between 25,000 and 12,000 years ago, through
2537-603: The land for future harvest. While the clearing of land is done by both men and women, Aeta women tend to do most of the harvesting. During this period, they also do business transactions with non-Aeta communities living around the vicinity they temporarily settled in either to sell the food they gathered, or to work as temporary farmers or field laborers. Aeta women play more active roles in business transactions with non-Aeta communities, mostly as traders and agricultural workers for lowland farmers. While dry season typically means bountiful food for Aetas, rainy season (which often falls in
2596-517: The major industries of the province. Indigenous peoples from Casiguran are claiming around 11,500 hectares of APECO land as part of their ancestral domain. APECO has a total of 496 hectares in the mainland of Casiguran and an additional 12,000 hectares in the San Ildefonso Peninsula. Because of its pristine location and natural beauty, this special ecozone is being promoted as an eco-friendly and tourism ecozone. At present, APECO
2655-699: The mid-1960s, missionaries of the American-based Evangelical Protestant mission group New Tribes Mission , in their effort to reach every Philippine tribal group with the Christian Gospel , reached out to the Agtas/Aetas. The mission agency provided education, including pastoral training for natives to reach members of their own tribe. Today, a large percentage of Agtas/Aetas of Zambales and Pampanga are Evangelicals . Jehovah's Witnesses also have members among
2714-515: The population of Casiguran was 6,900. This was almost doubled by the 1970s when population was 12,128, an increase of about 76% (5.8% annual average growth rate). Between 1970 and 1975, there was a marked decreased in the number of population from 12,128 to 11,670. This reduction was due to deteriorated peace and order, which forced some of the population to move away. The trend reversed by 1980, with an increase of 19% or an annual average growth rate increase of 3.86%. Increasing population continued during
2773-696: The required approval from the Department of Agrarian Reform and that no consultations were held with local government units and indigenous peoples in violation of the Indigenous People's Rights Act . 16°11′53″N 122°03′58″E / 16.1981°N 122.0661°E / 16.1981; 122.0661 Casiguran, Aurora Casiguran [ˌkaːsɪˈguːɾan] , officially the Municipality of Casiguran ( Tagalog / Kasiguranin : Bayan ng Casiguran ; Ilocano : Ili ti Casiguran ),
2832-630: The same quarry as men. Aeta women hunt in groups and with dogs, and have a 31% success rate as opposed to 17% for men. Their rates are even better when they combine forces with men: mixed hunting groups have a full 41% success rate among the Aeta." Aeta women are known around the country as experts of the herbal medicines . Among the Aeta community in Ilagan, Isabela for example, banana leaves are used to cure toothache. They also bathe themselves with cooled-down water boiled with camphor leaves ( subusob ) to help alleviate fever, or they make herbal teas out of
2891-450: The sick. Finding their main source of herbal medicines in their habitat rather than buying costly medicines, emphasizing the mutual relationship with the nature, also has a great attitudinal impact pertaining to sustainability approach and practices in healthcare. A traditional form of visual art is body scarification . The Aetas intentionally wound the skin on their back, arms, breast, legs, hands, calves and abdomen, and then they irritate
2950-412: The spirits of the river, sea, sky, mountain, hill, valley and other places. Kamana the forest spirit appears and disappears providing solace and hope during difficult times. No special occasion is needed for the Aeta to pray, but there is a clear link between prayer and economic activities. The Aeta dance before and after a pig hunt. The night before Aeta women gather shellfish, they perform a dance which
3009-990: The standard bow and arrow, most Aeta women prefer knives and often hunt with their dogs and in groups to increase efficiency and for social reasons. Fishing and food gathering are also done by both males and females. In terms of gender, then, Aeta communities are more egalitarian in structure and in practice. All Aeta communities have adopted the language of their Austronesian Filipino neighbors , which have sometimes diverged over time to become different languages. These include, in order of number of speakers, Mag-indi , Mag-antsi , Abellen , Ambala , and Mariveleño . The second languages they speak are Kapampangan , Ilocano , and Tagalog ; Kapampangan in Central Luzon, Ilocano in Cagayan Valley and northern areas of Central Luzon, and Tagalog in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and other areas of Luzon. There are different views on
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#17327938956423068-695: The succeeding censal years (1980 to 1995) but with a declining annual average population growth rate. This is attributed to the gradual stoppage of logging operations in the area. Many workers involved in this trade were not original residents, so when the jobs were no longer available, they left. Between 1995 and 1999 there was a significant increase of the annual average population growth rate to 4.36%. Poverty incidence of Casiguran Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Aeta Aeta (Ayta / ˈ aɪ t ə / EYE -tə ), Agta and Dumagat , are collective terms for several indigenous peoples who live in various parts of Luzon islands in
3127-567: The three names can be used interchangeably. They are also commonly confused with the Ati people of the Visayas Islands . The following is a list of ethnolinguistic groups usually considered to be Aeta, and the provinces they are from. The Aeta people in the Philippines are generally grouped together with the wider Negrito population cluster of Southeast Asia, such as the Semang on
3186-462: The various Aeta peoples are derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ʔa(R)ta (also reconstructed as *qata or *ʔata ) meaning "[dark skinned] person." This is in contrast to the other terms for "person" in other Philippine (and Oceanian ) groups derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau (e.g. Tagalog tao ), which refers to lighter-skinned groups with majority Austronesian descent. Lawrence A. Reid wrote that *ʔa(R)ta may have originally been
3245-528: The wounds with fire, lime and other means to form scars. Other "decorative disfigurements" include the chipping of the teeth. With the use of a file, the Dumagat modify their teeth during late puberty. The teeth are dyed black a few years afterwards. The Aetas generally use ornaments typical of people living in subsistence economies. Flowers and leaves are used as earplugs for certain occasions. Girdles, necklaces, and neckbands of braided rattan incorporated with wild pig bristles are frequently worn. The Aeta have
3304-464: Was created in 1839, then became part of El Príncipe District of the province of Nueva Ecija when it was created in 1856. In 1902, Casiguran became part of the province of Tayabas (now Quezon). In 1905, the area of modern Dilasag was part of Nueva Vizcaya & transferred to Tayabas thru Casiguran. From 1906 to 1907, Casiguran was merged with the town of Baler , also then in Tayabas. Casiguran
3363-477: Was still part of Tayabas and Casiguran was a lone northern town. Its political jurisdiction is bounded on the north by the province of Isabela , on the west by Quirino, and on the south west by Barangay Dinadiawan, which was then the boundary between Baler and Casiguran. In 1959 and 1966, the barrio s of Dilasag and Dinalungan , which were part of Casiguran and situated on its northern and south-western portions, were made into municipalities. On August 2, 1968,
3422-560: Was the first time clean ancestral domain titles were distributed by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). A CADT was awarded to 1,501 Aeta families in Botolan, Zambales, on January 14, 2010. The area covers 15,860 hectares that include the four barangays of Villar, Burgos, Moraza and Belbel in Botolan, Zambales. The Aeta Abellen community of Sitio Maporac, Barangay New San Juan, Cabangan, Zambales, received
3481-488: Was transferred to Nueva Vizcaya in 1918, but restored to Tayabas in 1946. In 1942, invading Japanese forces landed in the town of Casiguran. On February 19, 1945 to May 11, 1945, Allied troops as well as Philippine Commonwealth forces and recognized guerrilla units fought on the Battle of Casiguran during the return of American forces on Luzon on World War II . When the Philippines regained sovereignty in 1946, Aurora
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