Even with dialogues set to settle boundary dispute
TINGLAYAN, Kalinga – Two
warring tribes from Mountain Province and Kalinga engaged in firefights anew
last week at a disputed mountain bordering the town of Sadanga in Mountain
Province and Tinglayan.
A former top government official from Kalinga said contending factions exchanged gunshots at the area although police have yet to provide details.
Peace talks were reportedly set last Friday between contending tribes but details were also not divulged.
Elders from both tribes reportedly cautioned their tribemates to take precautions as hostilities could escalate.
The Northern Philippine Times called the phone number of Sadanga mayor Gabino Ganggangan to shed light on the matter but his phone could not be reached at press time.
Same case with Mountain Province police information officer Lt. Col Roy Awisan and police regional information deputy chief information officer Capt. Marnie D. Abellanida.
The Cordillera Regional Police Office earlier said they will hold dialogues with elders and officials of Betwagan of Sadanga and Bugnay of Tinglayan to resolve amicably their long-running boundary dispute this January.
A dialogue was earlier brokered by PROCor at the disputed mountain on Dec. 16 wherein both parties insisted on their claimed boundary and did not accept solutions offered by mediators.
But they said they were open to negotiations.
PROCor regional director Brig. Gen R’win Pagkalinawan earlier led a group with personnel of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and Philippine Information Agency that climbed the disputed mountain late December, inspected the area and met with representatives from both tribes.
Though the dialogue resulted to a stalemate, Pagkalinawan committed to gather concerned tribes for another meeting this January.
He said facilitation of government was the best strategy to resolve the issue.
He pushed cultural or traditional way of resolving conflicts with government as mediator.
He urged both parties to talk and cease hostilities but last week, hostilities flared again.
A former top government official from Kalinga said contending factions exchanged gunshots at the area although police have yet to provide details.
Peace talks were reportedly set last Friday between contending tribes but details were also not divulged.
Elders from both tribes reportedly cautioned their tribemates to take precautions as hostilities could escalate.
The Northern Philippine Times called the phone number of Sadanga mayor Gabino Ganggangan to shed light on the matter but his phone could not be reached at press time.
Same case with Mountain Province police information officer Lt. Col Roy Awisan and police regional information deputy chief information officer Capt. Marnie D. Abellanida.
The Cordillera Regional Police Office earlier said they will hold dialogues with elders and officials of Betwagan of Sadanga and Bugnay of Tinglayan to resolve amicably their long-running boundary dispute this January.
A dialogue was earlier brokered by PROCor at the disputed mountain on Dec. 16 wherein both parties insisted on their claimed boundary and did not accept solutions offered by mediators.
But they said they were open to negotiations.
PROCor regional director Brig. Gen R’win Pagkalinawan earlier led a group with personnel of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and Philippine Information Agency that climbed the disputed mountain late December, inspected the area and met with representatives from both tribes.
Though the dialogue resulted to a stalemate, Pagkalinawan committed to gather concerned tribes for another meeting this January.
He said facilitation of government was the best strategy to resolve the issue.
He pushed cultural or traditional way of resolving conflicts with government as mediator.
He urged both parties to talk and cease hostilities but last week, hostilities flared again.
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