Duterte claims one development in Boracay belongs to ex-justice Carpio’s family

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday claimed that one of the developments in Boracay Island belonged to the family of retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, which he ordered to be included for land reform beneficiaries.

“The island of Boracay is a forestal land. ‘Yung forestal land, dapat walang bahay but may mga nakuha sila na mga lupa doon and one of them is the family of Justice Carpio,” Duterte said in a public address.

(Forestal lands should not have residential houses but they acquired some land there and one of them is the family of Justice Carpio.)

“So noong nalaman ko na marami nang subdivision sa likod, sa beach, I called [Agriarian Reform Secretary] Castriciones: ‘Pumunta ka doon sa likod at tingnan mo. Tapos sabi ko sa DAR (Department of Agriculture), mag-apply ka, ipa-declare natin ‘yan as agricultural kaya ni-land reform ko,” he added.

(So when I found out that there were many subdivisions there behind the beach, I called Castriciones and told him to go there and check. I also told DAR to apply to declare it as an agricultural land so I reformed it.)

Carpio is one of the critics of the government, he even called the Duterte administration as “incompetent,” vowing to offer a “better alternative.”

He has also been vocal about how the administration addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, the West Philippine Sea issue, among others.

This is the second public address of Duterte this week, an hour of which was allotted to the presentation of Cimatu in updates on environmental efforts.

This public address, which is supposedly for updates on the government’s COVID-19 response, was to let taxpayers know where their money is going, Duterte said, thus he has his Cabinet members to present their achievements under the administration.

JPV