Subic Aetas get ancestral land titles

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Aetas from Pastolan Village inside the Freeport zone were awarded Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADT) yesterday, giving them sole ownership over 4,387 hectares of land that they have occupied for so many years.

Ambala tribal group chieftain Bonifacio Florentino and his fellow tribesmen are the first ever indigenous people to received such award in the entire country.

"Nagpapasalamat po kami kay Pangulong Gloria Arroyo at kay SBMA Chairman Felicito Payumo at matapos ang napakaraming taon ay napagbigyan din ang kahilingan namin," Florentino told The STAR during the awarding ceremony. – Bebot Sison Jr.