Half Of Boracay Declared ‘Alienable And Disposable’

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr. (Inquirer)
Posted 03:28am (Mla time) June 21, 2006

ILOILO CITY—President Macapagal-Arroyo has declared more than half of Boracay Island “alienable and disposable,” paving the way for the titling of prized lots on the island-resort.

The President signed Proclamation 1064 last month. It was released only last week, said Julian Amador, regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Western Visayas.

Under the proclamation, an area reaching 628 hectares or 60.85 percent of the 1,032-ha island was categorized as alienable and disposable, said Orlando Sacay, a member of the Boracay Eminent Persons Group (EPG), which is mandated to map out policies for the sustainable development of the island’s tourism industry.

The remaining areas on the island are categorized as forest reserves, protected areas and swamps.

Before the issuance of the proclamation, private ownership of lots on the island was technically illegal under Proclamation 1801 issued by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos on Nov. 10, 1978.

The proclamation declared Boracay and other islands and coves as tourist and marine zones and categorized these as public lands.

Landowners, operators of resorts, restaurants or hotels have no titles to lots they occupy and have only tax declarations, some as old as 30 years.

The categorization of areas on the island is aimed at resolving the intensifying ownership disputes on prized lots on Boracay as the real estate prices continue to significantly increase because of the increase in tourist arrivals.

A piece of property in the famous 5-km white beach costs from P25,000 to P30,000 per square meter.

But Sacay, also chair of the Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI), a group of owners of resorts, hotels and restaurants on the island, said they were opposing the proclamation.

“We have to bid for our land that we have developed and invested for years,” Sacay told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.

“Why only now after we have spent millions of pesos in investment and development on these properties?” asked Sacay.