THE REHABILITATIVE shutdown of Boracay does not only kill the island’s business, tourism and employment of about 30,000 islanders. It also slowly destroys the culture of the Ati tribe.
Two months ago, President Rodrigo Duterte issued a ‘rehabilitative’ 6-month shutdown of Boracay because of the rise in environmental concerns. During the President’s February 9 speech in Davao City, the Aklan island was branded as a ‘cesspool’. It was founded that sewage wastes were being dumped directly at sea by surrounding hotels and resorts. An estimate of 200 businesses and thousands of local residentials were not connected to the island’s sewage system. This illegal dumping-by-the-sea will surely kill Boracay’s image and its inhabitants.
Before establishments and businesses emerged at the beachfronts of Boracay, it was the Ati tribe that had occupied the whole island. The settlement of hotels and resorts interrupted the Ati’s way of living. The food-abundant forest used to be the main food source of the tribe. However, the subjugation of the land by the capitalists hampered the Ati’s capability on getting food.
To assist the Ati, establishments provided jobs to the tribesmen and women. However, they still faced a high unemployment rate. The tribe was composed of 50 families with 214 members in 2013. An estimate of only 20 of those tribe members were lucky to get a job. Furthermore, the Ati are marginalized due to racism and their lack of formal education. Some of the tribe members resorted to begging just to survive.
A 2.1-hectare property in the island was awarded to the Ati in 2011 by the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP). However, there are businesses who claim that the awarded land was theirs. These capitalists were hungry and resorted to illegal means. Dexter Condez, one of the leaders and the voice of the Ati, was murdered by a security guard of the Crown Regency Boracay Hotels, one of the claimants of the land. Last year, the Ati faced an ejection from the 2.1-hectare ancestral land. The President did nothing to resolve the issue but instead pushed through with the 6-month closure.
President Duterte declared the island be subjected to agrarian reform and will leave only a small portion for tourism and commercial use.
As time progress, the Ati’s way of life fades. With them relying on jobs, most of the Ati does not know how to farm. They question themselves if they should return on farming due to the declaration of agrarian reform on the island. Two months after the declaration, Duterte now wants to distribute the lands in Boracay to its natives and be sold to capitalists leaving the Ati even more confused.
A speculation on whether the island is shut-down for rehabilitation or for preparation of an influx of tourists floats around the minds of the locals. Following the closure of Boracay, a $500 million casino-resort by Macau-based casino giant Galaxy Entertainment and its Filipino Partner, Leisure and Resorts World Corporation was found being constructed at the island. The President claimed that he knew nothing of the plan. However, Malacañang photos emerged and showed that the strongman met with the officials of the company and it was said that the plan of building a casino on the island was discussed.
With the shut-down of the island, 36,000 workers were displaced and are forced to be hired as cleaners and construction workers via cash-for-work programs. Hiring them as cleaners and construction workers are not enough. These workers need to have proper treatment since the government is the source of the displacement. On May 1, the government’s financial assistance was halted for several days due to a stampede that broke out as many were rushing to apply for jobs. But, this assistance had not reach the Ati tribe. A clear presentation of how badly the government treat indigenous groups.
The 6-month Boracay closure will not leave the Ati unscathed. Compared to its regional rival, Bali, Boracay lacks on cultural identity. With the government’s treatment on the indigenous group, the culture of the Ati faces a threat that can kill their cultural heritage. As modernization and capitalism changed the island, the Ati are vulnerable for change also. The closure of the island can be both regarded as a blessing and a curse. As the rehabilitative shut-down can serve as a restoration of the island’s natural beauty or be the source of anxiety and confusion as to how one shall live at the island after the shut-down.
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