Spokesman of Boracay tribal group shot dead

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – A spokesman of a tribal community on Boracay Island was shot dead Friday night in what a priest suspects could be related to a conflict over the land awarded to the victim’s group.

Police said the victim, Dexter Condez, 26, community organizer of the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization (BATO), was on his way home when he was shot with a 9-mm pistol in Sitio Lugutan, Barangay Manoc-Manoc in Boracay.

Senior Inspector Joeffer Cabural, chief of the Boracay Tourist Assistance Center, said they have identified the gunman. But he refused to elaborate pending further investigation.

Fr. Arnold Crisostomo, parish priest of Boracay, suspects that the killing could be related to the harassment which the Ati community suffered last Nov. 4.

According to Crisostomo, at least 20 armed men stormed the tribal group’s community and harassed the villagers.

Last Jan. 21, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) to 40 families belonging to BATO. But several businessmen have questioned the legality of the CADT.

Crisostomo, however, said the Ati community, more than anyone else, has the right over Boracay since they were the first dwellers on the island.