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.