By AKLAN – House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro launched a Congressional Investigation on the displacement or forced eviction of the Ati tribe from their land in Boracay by the San Miguel Corporation.
Based on the report, on March 24, the Ati tribe was shocked and worried after the armed guards barricaded their land. The guards mentioned the March 5 resolution of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) canceling the Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) of the Ati residents. This surprised the tribe and their lawyer, who according to them, the resolution was new to them and there was no prior notice.
Representative Castro pushed the Congressional Investigation because, for her, the issue required urgent action to ensure the protection of the rights of the Ati people. Castro questioned as to why the DAR favored the land developers more than the Ati tribe who have long been residing and managing the land.
Castro added that this is a serious violation of the rights of the Ati people and they should return to their land immediately and be compensated for what happened.
In 2018, the Ati people were awarded almost 3.1 hectares divided into five lots through the Certificate of Land Ownership Award issued by the DAR./PT
