The Ati community of Boracay reiterated its opposition to the proposed Boracay Bridge they say will disrupt their livelihoods in the island that, beyond just a travel destination, is their ancestral land.
There is now only a month left before the Department of Public Works and Highways decides on the fate of the P7.95-billion project, proposing a 2.54-kilometer bridge, which is just a bit longer than the San Juanico Bridge.
“Ang isla ang aming tahanan simula pa sa aming mga ninuno. Hindi lamang ito isang lugar pasyalan kundi isang sagrado at mahalagang bahaging aming buhay maging ng iba pang mga naninirahan dito,” the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization said in a Facebook post.
The proposed bridge would leave behind the community’s boatmen, whose practice of boating is not a mere source of income but a cultural symbol of their identity and aspirations, the Ati group explained.
The services of 500 boatmen and 40 boat owners under the Caticlan Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative would likely be superseded should the bridge be approved.
San Miguel Holdings Corporation, a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation, is the original proponent of the bridge. It will connect Boracay to Malay, Aklan, where the Caticlan Airport—also managed by San Miguel subsidiary Trans Aire Development Holdings Corporation—is located.
San Miguel has a history of projects that have disrupted the lives of indigenous people. Its subsidiary company, Bricktree Properties, has repeatedly intimidated the indigenous people of Balabac, Palawan, in pursuit of a 5,568-hectare ecotourism project on the island.
While some view the Ati as clinging to outdated views, the community deems it important to maintain the island’s natural beauty, which will be ultimately damaged by the proposed bridge.
The Boracay Foundation Inc., among other groups, also raised similar environmental concerns, as the project could disrupt the island’s marine biodiversity, worsen coastal erosion, and compromise its sustainability.
Outside of Boracay, other bridge projects have also been approved or are undergoing construction despite their posed environmental harm. For one, there are two locally managed marine protected areas and potential endangered species found near the proposed Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, referred to by some as the administration’s “biggest flagship project.”
Another sectorally opposed bridge project is the Samal Island-Davao City connector, which has significantly decreased fish population and affected marine ecosystems since the start of its construction.
In addition to the environmental concerns and displacement of the local’s livelihoods, stakeholders also decried the project’s lack of consultation. Despite San Miguel’s assertion that it already informed local officials in 2016, the local government units have not yet given their express consent.
Despite the strong opposition, DPWH already opened the bidding process for local and international companies who will finance, construct, and operate the Boracay Bridge project in February.
Boracay’s Ati community is no stranger to livelihood disruption brought about by privatization and tourism efforts. Just last year, 44 tribal members were evicted from the 1,282-square-meter farmland, which was previously given to them by the former administration.
The residents were forced to evacuate when private claimants barricaded the property and the Department of Agrarian Reform revoked the land titles given to them because it is supposedly unsuitable for farming—the same land that the Ati people cultivated to produce agricultural products for the island.
While the Ati supports the island’s development, they emphasize that genuine progress must not leave anyone behind.
“Masasabi lamang na umunlad ang isang lugar kung maging ang buhay ng mga malilit na tao—katutubo at bangkero—ay hindi naiiwan at hindi nababalewala,” they said. ●
First published in the June 19, 2025 print issue of the Collegian
