Respect IP land titles in Boracay, say bishops

June 2, 2023

Catholic bishops on Friday have called on the Philippine authorities to “honor and respect” the land titles awarded to the Indigenous Peoples in Boracay Island.

The Commission on Indigenous Peoples of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) given to the Ati people is “just”.

Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc of Kalibo, the commission’s bishop-in-charge in the Visayas region, said the titles are the “result of the government program aiming to alleviate the poverty of marginalized sectors, particularly the Indigenous Peoples.” 

“We uphold that the Atis are the legitimate owner of these CLOAs. Several members of Ati community are currently tilling the land awarded to them, while producing agricultural crops that are source of their sustenance and livelihood,” said the prelate. 

The call was particularly addressed to the country’s agrarian reform department and private developers in Boracay.

“We hope the previous predicament faced by the Boracay Atis pertaining to their land will not happen again,” said Tala-oc.

The IPs who are agrarian reform beneficiaries face the risk of losing their lands awarded to them during the Duterte administration over claims for being “unsuitable” for agriculture.

Related Articles

Marble bishop leads legal challenge against Tampakan mining project 

Marble bishop leads legal challenge against Tampakan mining project 

A leading church official has led the filing of a Petition for Certiorari against the 12-year extension of the Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) for the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project on Oct. 4. “The Tampakan mine threatens to devastate the local...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This