Sagada folks press peace zone concept

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- This tourist town declared as a peace zone since the late 1980s has learnings some folks shared during the peace zone consultation held here in Barangay Aguid, Nov. 16.

In this northern part of the municipality frequented by members of the New Peoples Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, elder Alipio Daluyen of Fidelisan barangay said both the NPA and the government’s military forces should stop fighting.

Daluyen’s pronouncement saw earlier position of Fidelisan villagers in February 2008 when they forwarded their resolution letting concerned authorities know that they didn’t want NPAs or government military soldiers stopping by their homes to rest or eat.

They called on 5th ID commanding General Rommel Gomez for the immediate pullout of the military.

Villagers of the northern barangays of Fidelisan, Pide, Aguid, Bangaan, and Madongo also forwarded a petition calling for the demilitarization of their communities in 2010. Experience of the people tell of their hesitance tending to their farms on the presence of both armed groups for fear of being caught in cross fires or get harassed.

During said peace consultation last week, peace advocate and former Sagada mayor Tom Killip said peace zones get evolved in an ‘ili’ (community) as to how the people define their peace keeping efforts.

Sagada as a peace zone dates back in the dark days of the later years of 1980s. The people of Sagada cannot forget October 28, 1988 when drunk soldiers of the 50th IB shot four year old Hardy BagniJr and 17 year old Kenneth Bayang at the town’ s Poblacion area.

Following this bloody incident, a letter on Nov. 8, 1988 from the people of Sagada led by the people’s town officials, church authorities, and town’s folks was sent to both the AFP and the NPA calling for immediate ceasefire and demilitarization meaning, pull out of all armed groups to include no operations, patrols, harassments, meetings, and carrying of firearms inside the territory of Sagada.

Barely three days after the letter was sent to the AFP and NPA, 12 year old Ben Tumapang Jr. was shot on Nov. 11, 1988, the bullet not established where it came from whether from a machine gun of a government soldier or an NPA when both armed groups had a clash near Bomabanga Central School in the town’s central area.

A resolution from the people was further forwarded in Feb. 10, 1989 calling for Sagada to be a designated area for peaceful negotiations and venue for safe conduct for all wounded and medical treatment.

Sagada as a peace zone was eventually recognized in 1993 by Senate in a resolution forwarded by Senator Rodolfo Biazon which identified Sagada as a special development area along with six other SDAs in the country, and each area allotted a P5 million development fund allotted for waterworks.

Comes now the proposal of the Provincial Peace and Order Council headed by Gov. Leonard Mayaen to declare Mountain Province as a peace zone with the operational framework that both armed groups referring to the NPA and the AFP leave the Province at the same time and both direct and indirect activities such as indoctrination cease; except the Philippine National Police which shall serve as the peace keeping force.

In the said consultation in Aguid attended by some 400 individuals, 148 participants from government personnel and members of the police force and some members of the community voted Yes while 35 voted No with esults of the secret balloting revealed during said activity.

Peace zone consultations attended by government officers, barangay officials and some villagers had already been conducted in Sabangan, Sadanga, and Bontoc.

Consultations held in the municipalities of Sabangan and Bontoc favored that the province be declared a peace zone while Sadanga overwhelmingly voted No.

Question arose on how to maintain a peace zone within the territory of Mountain Province where fightings happen between the two armed groups in the boundaries of the Province and an adjacent province.

Adjacent provinces are Abra, Ilocos Sur, Benguet, Ifugao and Kalinga.

Mayaen said the people shall be the ones to decide on whether to have a peace zone in their communities.

It would be the will of the peple when the military shall leave should or come back if there are reports that NPAs are noted to be in the territory of the Province, Mayaen said.

Newly installed Philippine National Police regional director Gen. Benjamin Magalong who attended said activity, said the PNP force and its facilities are not enough to maintain peace and keep both the NPA and the AFP out of the province.

Magalong called on the people to help keep peace in their communities.

Elder and board member Alfonso Kiat-ong of the SangguniangPanlalawigan said members of the NPA should instead come home and lay down their arms instead of leaving the province.

While that is so, a standing question persists on the assurance of the NPAs or even the government military leaving the territory of Mountain Province should it be declared a peace zone.

It was also learned last year that some public buildings including schools were used as quarters by military soldiers of the government despite Sagada being a peace zone.

This, despite provisions of RA 7610 that school buildings shall not be used for any military purpose, Bangaan National High School principal Patrick Pooten noted.

As history showed in 2006, the town saw operations of the armed groups when NPAs ambushed military soldiers along Pegew junction in the road boundary of Sagada and Bontoc scaring people nearby off their farms.

Military encampments were noted in Lamag, Qurino; Dandanac in Tamboan, Besao; and Mt Labayan and Mt Datacan north of Sagada.

This led the MP-based Peace Ecumenical Council to call for the immediate demilitarization of Bontoc, Sagada, and Besao; and the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in 2006.

As to what causes insurgency should be addressed by the government including lack of water, roads, social services, and employment Sagada vice Mayor Richard Yodong said.

Mayaen said a P5,000 allowance per month is given to rebel returnees who do some work in their respective communities.

Currently, 37 rebel returnees availed of monetary assistance from the provincial government.

Insurgency being a national issue, Sagada elder Jaime Tigan-o Dogao and Cordillera Peoples Alliance officer Marcelo Daweg pushed for the continuance of peace talks between the NPA-Communist Party of the Philippines and the Philippine government.

Mayaen said the motion, duly supported by Sagada Councilor Francis Kilongan shall be accordingly taken in the next meeting of the PPOC.

The PPOC holds meeting every month.