THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) vowed to provide government-owned land to members of the Ati community in Boracay despite finding out that there is no basis for the indigenous group to receive Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs).

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said that aside from residential lots, the government agency will also provide "all assistance and support services" to the 44 members of the Boracay Ati Tribal Association.

"We treat people with compassion, but we must uphold the law relative to the issue of Ati in Boracay," Estrella said in a statement on Thursday.

The DAR official added that the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, an agency under the Department of Agriculture, has declared the landholding not suitable for agriculture which should be exempted from DAR coverage under Republic Act 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Estrella said that the period of issuing the notice of coverage of private lands had already expired on June 30, 2014.

Moreover, he pointed out that the Ati tribe expressed a preference for dividing the 1,282 square meter property among themselves, allocating approximately 30 square meters to each individual.

This will indicate that the land is unsuitable for agricultural purposes.

"They cannot invoke Executive Order 75 here because it is not even a government-owned land since there is a legitimate claimant. EO 75 is a Malacañang order directing all government agencies to identify government land that could be distributed to qualified beneficiaries," Estrella said.

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