By Jason de Asis

CASIGURAN, Aurora, January 30, 2011-Governor Bellaflor-Angara Castillo said that the value of lands in this northern Aurora town which houses the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone is increasing in a rapid pace amid frenzied efforts by prospective investors to set up businesses inside the Freeport zone, saying that the real estate has been peaking where businessmen from nearby provinces have been purchasing properties, including beach fronts following the investment initiatives at the ecozone.

She said that APECO is pushing to transform this town into a catalyst of growth, as an industrial, cultural, maritime and corporate hub in the provinces of Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela and in this province where it would focus on the development of agro-industry, marine and fisheries, infrastructure, tourism and green technology and will soon house a new airport, seaport, corporate campus, hotel and housing facility.

Angara-Castillo said that definitely they are now experiencing a real estate boom and land parcels are now commanding higher prices. With the increase in investments, our land value has risen a lot, reminiscing the past explaining that before APECO came in, a hectare of land in this town costs only Php150,000 and now, a hectare of land costs thrice as much or more that  Php450,000.

“Lands are being bought on a per square meter basis in areas where the quality of land is comparable to urban centers,” she said, adding that one of the biggest buyers of lands is a municipal mayor who acquired a beach in the boundary of Casiguran and Dinalungan town and set up a hotel where she said that a fast food giant Jollibee is soon to rise in Aurora.

The 300% increase in tourist arrivals in the province in 2010 compared to its 2009 figures was an evidence that it’s not only real estate and business which are booming but also the tourism industry in the province where she explained that the massive increase of tourist coming in is due to the effort of provincial tourism officer Michael Palispis who was awarded as tourism officer of the year in the country. (Jason de Asis)