TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Concerned sectors in Kalinga and Mountain Province recently pushed for the forging of a ‘sipat’ or the exchange of peace tokens between elders of the Butbut tribe in Tinglayan town and the Betwagan tribe in Sadanga, Mountain Province as a requisite for a peace agreement to end the more than two decades of tribal conflict.
The said agreement was reached by the concerned sectors composed of representatives from various government agencies, law enforcement offices and the private sector from Kalinga and Mountain Province and elders from the feuding tribes during the peace dialogue held at the multipurpose hall of the Kalinga Provincial Police Office here initiated by Police Brig. Gen. David K. Peredo, Jr., regional director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera.
The ‘sipat’ or the exchange of peace tokens between the feuding tribes will pave the way for the conduct of negotiations towards ending the conflict for the realization of lasting peace in the affected communities.
The peace dialogue initiated by the PRO-COR was among the numerous interventions that had been initiated by various local governments, government agencies and law enforcement offices over the past two decades to compel leaders of both tribes to negotiate and forge a peace agreement for law and order in the area.
The attendees were also briefed by personnel of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Kalinga and Mountain Province on the status of the boundary dispute between the two tribes which is the alleged root cause of the ongoing conflict that resulted to loss of lives and injuries to others from both sides over the past two decades.
For his part, Peredo expressed his gratitude to the elders of both tribes for participating in the peace dialogue with the hope that a peace agreement will be realized in the future.
The police official reminded the police officers to ensure the reign of peace and order in the said communities and for them to continue pursuing workable solutions that will help in ending the long-standing dispute.
For PROCOR, key officers who present during the dialogue were PCol. Arnold Razote, the Chief of the Regional Personnel and Records Management Division; PCol. Freddie Lazona, the Chief of the Regional Intelligence Unit; PCol. Charles Domallig, the Provincial Director of Kalinga Police Provincial Office (PPO) PCol. Sibly Dawiguey Jr., the Provincial Director of Mountain Province PPO; PLTcol. Carolina Lacuata, the Chief of the Regional Public Information Office; PCpt. Dindo Salming, Acting Chief of Police of Tinglayan Municipal Police Station (MPS); and PCpt Bonifacio Fanged, Chief of Police of Sadanga MPS.
Other key personalities from the local government and other representatives present were Engr. Andres Ngao-i, Chairman of the Mataguan Bodong Consultative Council; Mr. Anthony Manolo Ballug, Provincial Director of the Department of Interior and Local Government Kalinga office; Mr. Johnny Maymaya Sr., the Chairman of Kalinga Bodong Council; Ms. Edna Lyn Selverio of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO)-Mt. Province; Mr. Noel Barrientos of PENRO-Kalinga; Atty. Catherine Gayagay-Apaling of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)-Kalinga; Atty. Wilson Kalangeg of NCIP-Mt. Province; Mayor Sacrament Gumilab of Tinglayan; Butbut Elders led by Mr. Felix Pan-oy; and Tinglayan and Betwagan representatives & community members.
