The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) in the Philippines has recently officially cancelled three types of visas, including the "Special Resident Visa" (ASRV), "Permanent Resident Visa" (APRV), and "Dependent Visa" (ADV), which has attracted widespread attention. The president and CEO, Attorney Gil Gian Tawi IV, recently responded publicly, clearly stating: "The ASRV has never had legal effect and will not be reinstated in the future."
Since taking office in October 2023, Tawi revealed that he has halted all visa operations and led an audit investigation. The results showed that visas such as the ASRV had no legal basis and the issuance process was chaotic, with serious issues such as missing application materials and falsified addresses.
He pointed out that the Republic Acts No. 9490 and the Amendment No. 10083, which APECO relies on, do not authorize it to issue residency visas, a power legally belonging only to the Bureau of Immigration (BI). Therefore, the board decided to completely terminate these three types of visas and has issued cancellation notices to 689 visa holders.
In response to some foreign nationals' demands for the refund of tens of thousands of dollars in visa fees, Tawi emphasized that APECO only charged an administrative fee of 30,000 pesos per person and did not receive any dollar payments. The responsibility for the involved funds should be borne by other relevant parties.
Currently, APECO has notified the Bureau of Immigration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the relevant certificate holders will be handled by the Bureau of Immigration on a case-by-case basis, possibly facing visa adjustments or deportation orders. APECO has also set up a special window to assist those affected. Tawi finally emphasized that this rectification is a necessary action to "restore the rule of law" and calls for understanding and cooperation from the public.
