'You can have your lands back' - Palace

Malacañang has assured resort and hotel owners in Boracay Island that President Arroyo is supporting their intention to get titles of the land they are currently occupying.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President has instructed concerned government agencies to hold dialogues and come up with a solution in the wake of the Supreme Court decision declaring the entire island a government property.

The High Court actually affirmed Proclamation 1064 issued two years ago by President Arroyo declaring the island resort into 400 hectares of reserved forestland and 628.96 hectares of agricultural land. However, the High Court said the resort and hotel owners and those residing in the island need not vacate the area at once and instead can own the land that they are occupying via a congressional act or strike a special scheme with the government.

In his recent weekly news conference in Malacañang, Ermita admitted that President Arroyo wants to resolve the issue through a congressional act. He added that government agencies like the Agriculture and the Environment and Natural Resources departments were instructed to consult with the residents and investors in Boracay to craft solutions both acceptable to the parties.

“We are aware of the desire of the residents and resort and hotel owners to have the lands they occupy titled. We support their wish and we are now consulting with Rep. Miraflores on how to achieve this,” Ermita said.

The SC, in a landmark ruling early this month, settled once and for all the issue of land ownership in Boracay, sustaining the right of possessors on classified agricultural land to apply for registration of ownership or title to the property which they currently occupy.

Majority if not all of the existing resorts and tourism establishments fall within the classified agricultural land of Boracay available for registration and titling under applicable Philippine laws.