Pagbutlak

Asosasyon sang Boracay Ati Tribal Organization (ABATO), an Ati community in Boracay, reported that 12 security guards fenced their property with wooden barriers and galvanized iron sheets, 6 AM of March 24. 

The situation escalated on the next day, March 25, when three families were barred from entering their homes, leaving the families displaced and forcing them to spend the night elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, 11 children are left unattended inside their homes. In an interview with Pagbutlak, Maria Tamboon, a member of ABATO, said that the security guards, armed with long guns, prevented the mothers of children, most 12-14 years old, from entering their homes even to get their food and clothes.

The Ati community’s history in Boracay traces back years of land dispute over claims on their land. In November 2018, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte granted them a total of 3.1 hectares divided into five lots through a Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) issued by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). 

ABATO said that over the past two years, the Ati community transformed the previously abandoned land into productive agricultural areas, which helped sustain themselves and the local economy during the pandemic.

However, Ati’s ownership of the land has come under dispute, with developer-claimants asserting that the land title has been revoked by the DAR Central Office, showing a certification of the revocation of CLOA dated March 5, 2024.

Despite this claim, no final order regarding the land ownership dispute has been received by the Ati tribe as legal proceedings continue. The Ati group has filed a Motion for Reconsideration with the Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance of the DAR Central Office to seek clarification on their rightful ownership of their ancestral land. 

The forced displacement and separation from their homes have taken a toll on the Ati families. According to Maria, the Ati community has faced constant threats from the developers-claimant prior to the incident. Their barangay captain and the local priest also acted on the incident, but Maria underscored that the security guards were assertive and aggressive. She added that the incident could be because of a plan to erect a building in the area. 

As the land dispute continues, the Ati community in Boracay stands firm on their land ownership, stating, “Amin ang lupaing ninuno. Kami ay may titulo.”

“Ang kaligtasan at kapakanan ng aming mga kapatid lalo na ang mga bata ang aming pangunahing inaalala sapagkat may mga banta na ng demolisyon ng mga bahay sa kabila ng kawalan ng pagpapakita ng Writ of Demolition,” the group said in a statement, Thursday, March 8.

As of press time, children remain confined within their fenced homes. ABATO explained that the children realized that leaving their home might prevent them from returning, so they opted to stay.

When asked why they chose to stay, the children said: para po mabantayan namin ang mga bahay at makita po namin ang kanilang ginagawa sa lupa namin na pilit nilang inaagaw.

The Ati community called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to intervene in the legal dispute between them and a land developer. In a letter to CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc, ABATO appealed for assistance in their ongoing land dispute case, citing incidents of harassment and abuse against their community

Rey Mark Paran is a third-year statistics student at the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics. He became a member of Pagbutlak during his first year and was subsequently appointed as its editor. Now in his third year, Rey Mark still serves as Pagbutlak’s editor-in-chief.