As the country starts to reopen tourism and try to capture postpandemic “revenge spending,” Ayala Land’s bid to welcome back visitors to its masterplanned Lio eco-tourism estate in Palawan has hit a stumbling block.
That’s because the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) issued a cease-and-desist (CDO) order against the 325-hectare Lio Airport and Tourism Estate.
Lio Airport is private airport owned and operated by Ayala Land’s Ten Knots Phils. Inc. (TKPI) for the exclusive use of its Airswift aircraft.
In an order signed by NCIP Mimaropa regional director Marie Grace Pascua dated March 7, the government agency said TKPI had “not submitted itself to Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process/es despite the series of communications and notices from NCIP.” She added that TKPI’s request to obtain necessary documents with respect to the ancestral domain claim of the Tagbanua Tandulanen tribes in El Nido, Palawan, was “not an excuse to delay compliance” with the FPIC mandate of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA), referring to the law that recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples in the Philippines.
Asked to comment on this issue, TKPI confirmed to Biz Buzz its receipt of the CDO order on March 14. However, it stated that “all its operating properties have the necessary titles, permits and licenses.”
TKPI added that it had been “cooperative” with the NCIP on the FPIC process.
FPIC is defined by the IPRA law as: the consensus of all members of indigenous communities to be determined in accordance with their respective customary laws and practices, free from any external manipulation, interference and coercion, and obtained after fully disclosing the intent and scope of the activity, in a language and process understandable to the community.
Apart from developing the Lio estate, which is part of mainland Palawan, TKPI also owns and operates four island resorts—Apulit, Miniloc, Lagen, and Pangulasian. The locations of these resorts are also claimed by the Tagbanua Tandulanen community as part of their ancestral domain.
—Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
Digital finance for women
As we celebrate women’s month in March, Insular Life (InLife) and GCash have partnered to make Filipino women a driver of economic recovery and digital transformation.
These two companies at the forefront of women empowerment in the country these past years on Wednesday launched their partnership that seeks to facilitate more transactions between them. The partnership is aimed at bringing more Filipinas within the financial inclusion net.
From the get go, this InLife-GCash venture already stood to benefit from P196 million in insurance transactions made by the former’s clients through the latter’s e-wallet app last year. A total of about 46,000 InLife payment transactions were settled via GCash in 2021.
“Our partnership with GCash, the largest fintech platform in the country, is the latest and, by far, the widest net we are casting in our financial inclusion agenda for women. GCash breaks the barriers for the millions of the unbanked to avail themselves of financial services and health solutions at the most convenient and safe way,” Nina Aguas, chair of InLife, said during the launch event.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the attitudes and behavior favorably toward getting adequate health care and insurance coverage. And data shows that it is the women who are active seekers not necessarily for themselves, but for their husbands, children, or parents. Because of its reach and wide use, GCash is very suitable in influencing the health and financial security of the bigger communities, especially those who are financially excluded,” Aguas said.
For the part of GCash, its president and chief executive Martha Sazon said partnering with InLife would “bring affordable and accessible insurance coverage to everyday Filipinos.”
“This has allowed them access to relevant products ranging from life insurance to health care coverage through InLife and InLife Health Care, respectively. We are providing more Filipinos access to get covered more quickly and conveniently, giving them and their loved ones peace of mind,” Sazon said. InLife Health Care is the insurer’s health maintenance organization (HMO) arm.
Officials said during last Wednesday’s launch that both firms stand to benefit from each other’s easier access to a wide array of insurance products — including a number of InLife’s services targeted towards Filipino women’s protection — as well as GCash’s huge user base numbering more than 55 million at present, or at least seven out of every 10 Filipino adults.