BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed his gratitude to tribal elders from the various tribes in Kalinga for their prompt action in heeding the renewed call of the local government to spare the city from the spill over of the possible escalation of a tribal war between members of the Tulgao and Lubo tribes following the occurrence of an untoward incident in Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga involving members of the two feuding tribes.
The local chief executive reminded Kalinga elders to police their own ranks by making sure that no one among them who are residing in the city’s barangays will tolerate whatever attempts by the aggrieved tribesmen to retaliate against innocent members of other tribes who are residing in the city that will seriously affect the prevailing peace and order situation in the city.
“We are grateful to our brothers and sisters from the different tribes in Kalinga for heeding our call to sustain the declaration of Baguio and Benguet as a peace zone because we do not want the unnecessary disruption of the prevailing peace and order situation in the city. We commend their verdant desire for the maintenance of peace and order in the city so that their employment and their studies will not be affected by whatever violent actions of their fellow tribe members,” Domogan stressed.
Earlier, two members of the Tulgao tribe allegedly shot to death a farmer and seriously wounded his brother who belong to the Lubo tribe in front of a store at Purok 4, Bulanao City, Tabuk City, Kalinga, Sunday night.
He explained that sometime in 1993, Kalinga tribal elders and city and provincial officials of Baguio and Benguet signed an agreement declaring the two localities as peace zones in the region, thus, whatever hostilities triggered by tribal wars in Kalinga should not spill over in the city and the province and that professionals and students belonging to feuding tribes should be spared from the said conflicts to allow them to pursue their sources of livelihood and studies without unduly being interrupted by the said tribal wars.
Kalinga tribal elders who visited Mayor Domogan Monday night committed to take the lead in informing their fellow tribe members to refrain from being involved in whatever violent activities to retaliate what happened in Tabuk City so that the reign of peace and order in the city will continue for the benefit of the residents and visitors in the city.
Domogan emphasized what is important is one of the suspects allegedly voluntarily surrendered to Kalinga Gov. Jocel C. Baac while police operatives are currently conducting a manhunt operation against the other suspect who is still considered to be at large for them to answer and suffer the consequences of their criminal act that resulted to the loss of an innocent life of a member of another tribe.
He urged the members of the aggrieved tribe to observe sobriety and calmness in dealing with what happened and allow the wheels of justice to move while those members of the tribe who committed the criminal act should extend utmost assistance to the law enforcers in locating the whereabouts of the suspect who is at large so that they will be made answerable for their illegal acts to prevent the escalation of violence between the two tribes that will again taint a bad image for the Cordillera.
By Dexter A. See
