Struggles of the Ati People By: Kristine Mae Sumalinab, Assisi Development Foundation, Inc. Published on World Mission Magazine, Sep 2018 Somewhere in the Western Visayas region in the Philippines lies Boracay, an island famous for its powdery white sand, crystal cool waters, magical sunset, and endless partying at night. Several international magazines dubbed Boracay as one of the world’s best island getaways. Travel + Leisure magazine named it as 2012 No.1 World’s Best Island, beating out Bali which ranked number two. It also bested other Philippine Islands in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards as the Best Island for 2016. Year after year, the number of tourists visiting the island also increases. For 2017, a total of 2,001,974 tourists visited the place. Both local and international visitors have greatly contributed to the island’s revenue. According to government data, the island generated a total of P56,147,744, 220.60 in tourism receipts last year, with a significant 14.83 percent increase from 2016’s P48,895,469,783.40. Top 10 foreign tourists visiting the island are as follows: Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Americans, Malaysians, British, Saudi Arabians, Australians, Russians, and Singaporeans. Despite its growing popularity globally, only a few people know that the whole island used to be home to the Ati people, one of the country’s indigenous peoples. They had been in Boracay long before the earliest Visayan migrants came into the Island. Dr. Alicia Magos, a Filipino anthropologist proved the Ati’s indigeneity in the island. In spite of Boracay Island’s large scale commercial tourism and massive influx of migrants, traditional Ati life remained in the form of Pangranso, a non-sedentary way of life where they moved from one place to another. Issues Confronting The Atis By the 1970s, the Atis’ life had changed dramatically when more settlers got the opportunity to establish beach resorts and other businesses on the island. Commercialization and tourism gradually displaced the Atis to a small property located at the island’s back beach which was owned by a rich family. From a tribe who used to freely roam the island, they were forced to live as informal settlers in what used to be their home. With the help of nuns from the Daughters of Charity, the Roman Catholic Church, and various support groups, they called for the recognition of their right to land and ancestral domain. After almost a decade of relentless lobbying for the recognition of their rights, the Atis finally received their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title for the 2.1 hectare-portion of the 1,032-hectare island on January 21, 2011. This is by far the smallest ancestral domain in the Philippines with other domains covering thousands of hectares of land. Despite the legal recognition, the Atis were not able to possess the ancestral land right away and experienced different forms of harassments. Cases have been filed to deny members of the Ati community on their land rights claim including the cancellation of CADT filed at the Regional Trial Court (RTC).