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Gov urges elders: Assess tribal pacts in maintaining peace and order in villages
By Angel Baybay

SADANGA, Mountain Province – Elders and community leaders of this eastern town were asked by the provincial chief executive to assess effectivity of peace pacts as a tool in settling disputes and in maintaining peace and order among and between tribal villages.

Gov. Maximo Dalog who also chairs the provincial peace and order council floated the proposal during the recent Fvegnash Festival here.

Undoubtedly of Cordilleran origin, a peace pact is an agreement entered into between or among tribal villages that ensures harmonious relations among the parties. The roles and responsibilities of each party is provided for in an instrument termed as pagta.

Published researches have identified many advantages of this traditional peace keeping instrument most especially in keeping peace and exacting justice to any aggrieved party. A publication by the Social Action Development Center points out its effectivity in keeping peace saying decisions made are fair and popular taking into account the community people’s involvement in the whole process.

In a published dissertation, Albert Bacdayan, a native of the Fidelisan tribe of Sagada but who now works in the United States as an anthropologist said many tribal groups in the region still resort to peace pacts in settling disputes and other crimes because of its swiftness in bringing justice to the offended party.

He noted decisions are always acceptable to all concerned parties. “Even a heinous crime could be settled in one setting and a person needs not to spend even a single centavo for his case to be heard,” Bacdayan wrote.

On the other hand, an emerging group of people have posed some doubts on the role of peace pacts in keeping peace and settling disputes. They observed that criminal acts are prone to be committed in areas with peace pacts. They also noted the slow process in settling these crimes which eventually leads to tribal wars.

Sadanga tribal leader and incumbent vice mayor Dangiwan said despite absence of peace agreements, areas at the western part of the province are much more peaceful as compared to towns with peace pacts. His observation, with that of many professionals, was that this traditional practice did not really solve crimes as the real culprits were not punished. They lamented that whole tribes and not individual perpetrators shouldered demands of victims.

Dalog told elders to try to seek the help of any court of law should they feel that peace pacts may have indeed outlived its usefulness. Although having inked a peace pact, two barangays of this municipality have yet to settle their differences.