MALAY, Aklan — The Aetas of Boracay must also benefit from the tourism industry once the island opens on October 26, said Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Wednesday.
Piñol also urged the Ati Tribe members of Barangay Manoc-manoc in Malay, Aklan to convert their 2.1 hectare-ancestral domain into an agri-tourism site.
“My advocacy for the tribal groups had long been started. We want to uplift their lives from poverty and provide them access to government interventions,” said Piñol, urged them to go into agri-business.
He initially committed PHP2 million in financial support to the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and women’s groups of Boracay through the Survival Recovery (SURE) loaning program.
With that, 45 Ati tribe families and 32 women’s households will soon receive PHP25,000 cash each, which they shall utilize for putting up a sustainable community livelihood.
“Aside from that, we also offer PHP5,000 up to PHP50,000 financing with only six percent interest rate every year under the Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) program,” he said.
The Agricultural Credit Policy Council will orient the IPs, women’s group members and fisherfolk on PLEA on Thursday.
On the other hand, the DA and the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) will assist the IPs in establishing the organic vegetable garden.
The DA High Value Crops Development Program had already delivered sets of garden tools like sprinkler, UV film, spading fork, spade, plastic drums, ginger planting materials, and assorted vegetables seeds.
Piñol said two solar-powered greenhouse facilities will be put up so the Aetas can produce organic vegetables for the local market. He also wanted to establish a dairy goat farm in Barangay Manoc-manoc, where the locals can sell the milk products to restaurants in Boracay.
The farm produce will also be supplied to the proposed organic restaurant, which may be called “Tumandok Eatery”, that offers tourists organically-grown, indigenous food dishes.
Piñol also suggested the construction of “Baeay Palahuwayan”, a tribal-designed hostel with at least 20 rooms, an agricultural training center and facilities.
Meanwhile, the DA executive directed the National Food Authority to register the Ati Tribe as a rice retail outlet. This is to give the IPs another income-generating project and to provide the locals with more affordable rice.
“Ang bugas sang gobyerno para sa pobre indi sa mga negosyante (The rice of the government is for the poor not for the traders),” Piñol underscored.
During the program held Wednesday, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) turned over 10 units of fiberglass fishing boats with 7.5hp marine engine and complete accessories to the fisherfolk.
To date, there are 400 registered fisherfolk in the village and they told the secretary that they do not have an area for their fishing boats because beachfronts are already owned by hotel operators.
“How tragic and ironic that would be that there are no areas for the boats. We cannot allow this situation to continue where the local fishermen do not have the facility to land their fish in in their own island,” Piñol said.
BFAR will assess the area for the possible construction of PHP3 million worth of Community Fish Landing Center.
The interventions provided to the Ati tribe are under the DA 4Ks Program or the Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo that is being implemented nationwide to uplift the lives of the marginalized IP groups. (DA-PR)
