Ati tribespeople, supporters occupy Boracay disputed land

BORACAY ISLAND, Philippines—Around 60 members of the Ati tribe in Boracay along with their supporters, including Roman Catholic nuns, occupied a 2.1-hectare property on the island that is being claimed by various groups although it is covered by a Certificate of Ancestral Domain.

The caretakers of other claimants were caught by surprise when the tribespeople and their supporters arrived at the island’s Barangay Manoc-Manoc, which is part of the municipality of Malay, Aklan, before 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The women tribe members installed a makeshift altar with an image of the Virgin Mary and prayed while the men started building a bamboo fence and a hut.

The certificate of tribal domain, which is a group land title, was turned over to the tribe in January last year but the National Commission on Indigenous People has not yet issued a writ of possession.