PNP hosts talks to end MP Kalinga tribes’ deadly ‘war’

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Police Regional Office Cordillera director Brig. Gen. R’win Pagkalinawan hosted a peace dialogue here at Camp Duyan, provincial police headquarters to end the deadly “tribal war” between the Butbut Tribe of Kalinga and Betwagan of Mountain Province.  
    Pagkalinawan said the tribal conflict of the two tribes, resulted in loss of lives and disruption of social and economic lives of the people due to boundary dispute two decades ago and had been recurring despite mediation and intervention of municipal and provincial governments.
    To settle the dispute and end to hostilities, police gathered barangay officials and elders of Betwagan and Butbut tribe for peace talks on Dec. 3. 
    Pagkalinawan presided over the dialogue witnessed by members of the PROCor Command Group, Northern Luzon Command Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Henru Doyaen; 503rd Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Santiago Enginco, and representatives from government agencies.
    Both tribes agreed during the dialogue to meet on Dec. 16 at the disputed area to reconcile and pinpoint the boundary, which will be validated by officials of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Mountain Province and Kalinga.
    Representing their respective tribes, Butbut elder Felix Pan-oy and Betwagan barangay chairman Agustin Agpawan agreed to bring 15 of their elders and officials on to finally settle the boundary dispute.
    Pagkalinawan said he deployed troops from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 15 to work with the Philippine Army, and serve as a peace-keeping contingent between the two barangays.
    He assured support of the Procor in coming up with a long-term solution to the tribal conflict.