Duterte to form panel to identify Boracay land owners

Duterte said creating a committee to determine who the real land owners of the top tourist destination are would only be “fair.”(RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte is eyeing the creation of a committee that will identify the land owners of Boracay Island, which is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

“Yang (That) Boracay, sinasabi ko (I’m telling you), allow government to clean it. And after that, I will return Boracay to its rightful owners,” Duterte said in a speech Wednesday at the celebration of the 31st anniversary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Quezon City.

Duterte said creating a committee to determine who the real land owners of the top tourist destination are would only be “fair.”

“Now the problem is how to determine who owns what. There has to be a committee to be fair to everybody. From the local government then from the origins of any title there,” he added.

The President stood firm in his belief that Boracay is a forestal and agriculture area and has never been opened to any commercial activity.

“My stand is that Boracay has never been opened to any commercial exploitation. Walang (Not) residential. It remains forestal and agriculture,” Duterte said.

Last May 30, Duterte declared the entire island of Boracay Island as a land reform area, noting that it was about time that he wanted to “give it to the people.”

He, however, suggested that if lawmakers preferred to keep the commercial quality of the island, he would allow them to cut a strip of land for that purpose.

“But I don’t mind Congress. Maybe the lawmakers, I would just suggest that if you really want to maintain the commercial quality of that place maybe you can cut a strip, an inland baka bigyan mo siguro ng (maybe you can give it an) easement about 30 meters, but that’s it,” Duterte said.

Duterte, meanwhile, allayed reports linking the Boracay closure to the supposed construction of a resort-casino in the island.

“I will not allow gambling, I will not even give it to big business. Let us determine first who owns the place. If there is any title, and if it gets to be muddy to really dwell into it and question everything, well I leave it to the local governments to decide or to the Congressman,” Duterte said.

He said it was the government’s “moral obligation” to rehabilitate Boracay as it brought in millions of tourist into the country.

“To maintain its viability, since I said we proclaim it to the world as a crown jewel of our tourist destinations here, it is our moral obligation to make it clean, hygiene [sic] and safe,” he added.