"Boracay land titling to start
"Boracay land titling to start
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 22:51:00 08/08/2009
Filed Under: Travel & Commuting, Tourism, Construction & Property
BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan – Land claimants and occupants on Boracay Island will hopefully have their prized properties titled soon after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday announced the start of the cadastral survey on the island.
In a meeting with business owners and property claimants here Friday night, Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza Jr. said the survey would be the basis for the issuance of titles for areas classified as alienable and disposable.
The field survey, which will start on Monday and cover the whole 1,032-hectare island, is expected to be completed in five months.
Only about a third of the land in Boracay have titles while the rest are being occupied through tax declarations after the world-famous island resort was declared government property.
Atienza said the survey was in line with the Supreme Court ruling on land ownership on the island.
In a ruling on Oct. 8, 2008, the Supreme Court affirmed Proclamation 1064 issued by President Macapagal-Arroyo on May 22, 2006.
The proclamation classified 628.96 hectares, or 60.94 percent of the 1,032-hectare island, as alienable and disposable on the premise that the whole of Boracay is government property. The proclamation also provides for a 15-meter buffer zone on each side of the center line of roads and trails, which are reserved for right of way and which shall form part of the area reserved for forest land protection purposes.
Land claimants and owners who have invested hundreds of millions of pesos for decades on the island expressed fear of losing their properties to other investors because of the proclamation and Supreme Court ruling.
But in Friday’s meeting with property claimants, Atienza assured those with legitimate claims and investments that their rights would be respected.
“We want to substantially comply with the Supreme Court ruling but will not drastically affect businesses and investments,” Atienza said.
Atienza said titled lands would be respected in the titling of properties while those covered by tax declarations would be reviewed to check when and how the declarations were acquired.
He also announced that the DENR has formed a new task force to handle land titling and other concerns in Boracay.
The task force, headed by Demetrio Ignacio Jr., environment undersecretary for policy and planning, will coordinate with an 11-member committee of Boracay stakeholders on the implementation of the survey and land titling.
The committee includes representatives of the Boracay Foundation Inc. and the Boracay Chamber of Commerce and Industry." Here's the link -->
http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/inquirerhead lines/regions/ view/20090808- 219359/Boracay_ land_titling_ to_start
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