DSWD gives cash aid 44 families displaced by land dispute in Boracay

KEEPING IT PRODUCTIVE Members of the Ati tribe on Boracay Island try to grow dragon fruit on the land awarded to them by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018, in this photo taken on March 20. The land is the subject of a legal battle between them and property developers. — File photo courtesy of KCHYRZIAHSHAYNE DYÑELLE DINOPOL

MANILA, Philippines —  Forty-four (44) Ati families displaced by a land dispute on Boracay Island received P10,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

According to the DSWD on Thursday, the cash aid was dispensed by their Field Office-6 (Western Visayas) on Wednesday through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program.

READ: Ati families face forced eviction from disputed Boracay land

“This financial assistance shows our commitment to support vulnerable communities like the Ati people during times of crisis,” said DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Irene Dumlao, as quoted in a statement.

Dumlao noted the assistance came in response to Aklan Provincial Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores’ letter addressed to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian last April 1, requesting aid for the Ati Community from Malay town.

“Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the DSWD swiftly responded to the request of the provincial government. We disbursed cash aid to alleviate the immediate financial burdens faced by the displaced families,” she said.

READ: Probe eviction of Ati families from awarded lands in Boracay – solon

On March 24, members of the Ati tribe in Boracay were awoken by guards who erected barricades made of galvanized iron sheets around their area.

The guards cited a March 5, 2024 decision by the Department of Agrarian Reform that upheld the cancellation of the Certificates of Land Ownership Award granted to them by the Duterte administration in 2018.