1 shot dead in Kalinga Mt Province ‘tribal war’

By Angel Baybay

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) here called for sobriety following a gun battle between tribes of Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga and Betwagan, Sadanga, Mountain Province.
    The two barangays had been at odds with each other over tribal boundary issues but were on talking terms to peacefully settle their dispute until the gunfight within the disputed area last Dec. 28.
    A police report said successive gunfire of different calibers were heard atop Mount Pilaw and Mount Kumaykay.
    The exchange of gunfire resulted to the death of a Betwagan tribesman.
    Provincial police director Col. Edwin Dawiguey said immediate action from the provincial peace council was needed to avert escalation of the problem.
    “We need not to wait for another innocent life to be sacrificed,” Dawiguey said. Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. who chairs the local peace council asked residents from both tribes not to be carried away by their emotions but rather look for diplomatic solutions to their problems.
    He said he stands by the provisions of the agreement he signed with Kalinga Gov.  James Edduba on Sept. 13, 2022.
    Known as the Mount Data Peace Covenant of 2022, the agreement said settlement of inter-boundary disputes should be done through negotiations, mediation, conciliation, and other diplomatic approaches.
    Among those who affixed their signature as witness to the covenant was Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
    In a statement released last week, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College President Edgar Cue affirmed the college’s commitment in upholding the value and dignity of human life and condemned violence as a tool to solve disputes.  “As an academic institution, the college promotes and upholds respect of law in resolution of disputes. We join the collective call for sobriety and prudence as we peacefully face the present problem,” the statement said.
    The statement also called on both tribes to spare students from the tribal tiff. “We call on both parties to recognize the college including its Tadian and Paracelis campuses as neutral grounds and as zones of peace where students from all areas shall not be affected or threatened,” the statement added.
    District Engineer Alberto Gahid manifested his agency’s support in securing the safety of all travelers traversing the Mountain Province section of the Mountain Province-Cagayan via Tabuk national highway. 
    In his letter addressed to concerned local officials, Gahid sought assistance of the people so as not to affect the access of trade and delivery of basic services as well as welfare of residents particularly students from both tribes.