Roxas orders security for Ati families in Boracay land row

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on Wednesday ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to provide security to 30 Ati families who were awarded ownership of a contested 2.1-hectare land in Boracay island in Malay, Aklan.

The dispute over the prime beachfront property in the famed resort destination has led to the death of a leader of the Ati tribe last year.

“It is the responsibility of the PNP to ensure peace in that place. It is also the job of the police to protect the poor,” Roxas said in a statement.

He issued the order after the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) personnel started constructing a perimeter fence around the property in Barangay (village) Manoc-manoc with the help of policemen and soldiers last Sunday.

Roxas urged the other claimants to the property to shun violence and respect the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT), which the NCIP issued to the Ati tribe in 2011.

“I hope they respect the (CADT) which the government gave in favor of the Ati. It’s better if we join the government in defending, protecting and developing our ancestral lands,” he said.

“I expect the police to ensure that Ati tribesmen would be protected from any harm,” he added.