Respected Kalinga pangat dies at 89; key figure in historic Mt. Data accord

By Karlston Lapniten

TABUK CITY – Recognized Kalinga pangat (elder) Pedro Magannon Abbacan Sr., a key figure in the historic Mount Data Peace Accord, died of old age in the evening of July 12. He was 89.
    Abbacan was buried in his hometown at Bangad, Tinglayan on Friday afternoon in accordance with traditions.
    He was among the five signatories when the government and the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) signed the Mount Data Peace Accord on September 13, 1986 at Bauko, Mountain Province. It was the first written peace agreement in the history of the Philippines.
    The peace pact was marked by an allasiw (exchange of tokens) in keeping with the bodong (peace pact) indigenous traditions of the Kalinga.
    Prior to the signing of the agreement, Abbacan was among those who negotiated with government officials led by then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces chief Fidel Ramos in a closed-door meeting, said Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) President Andres Ngao-i, who acted as interpreter for Abbacan during that event.
    “He was unschooled in formal education but his wisdom as a pangat is renowned and respected in Kalinga,” said former Tinglayan Vice Mayor Samuel Calbuyao.
    He is also known for championing projects and endeavors that will the community as a whole, said Calbuyao.
    Abbacan is credited by the community for lobbying the construction of the elementary and high school located in Bangad.
    Last year, he was lobbying for the construction of a hanging bridge connecting the community to the other side of the Chico River, said Project Development Officer Jessica Banganan of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).
    “People like him give meaning to the work we do,” said former Sagada mayor Thomas Killip, now a consultant of OPAPRU.
    Abbacan even transcended being a pangat and a bodong holder of the community since the peace pact he signed is with the national government, said Killip.
    As an elder of the CBA-CPLA, Abbacan was actively involved in activities related to the pursuit of autonomy for the Cordillera region. He is survived by his wife, their five children, and grandchildren.* (Karlston Lapniten)