TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Tribal elders of the Butbut Tribe in Tinglayan town and the Betwagan Tribe in nearby Sadanga, Mountain Province agreed to respect whatever prevailing peace agreement that had been entered by their fellow leaders outside the territories of the two tribes to avoid a spillover of the brewing conflict.
Engr. Andres Ngao-i, president of the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) and a veteran peace negotiator, said that based on the recent agreement of the elders of both tribes, the skirmishes between members of the two tribes outside their territories so that the peace and order situation in the places where members of the two tribes are living will not be compromised.
“We commend the decision of the elders of both tribes to respect whatever agreements were made by their counterparts in areas outside their territories so that the pace and order situation in the said places will not be affected,” Ngao-i stressed.
He added that the elders of both tribes signed a declaration respecting whatever previous peace agreements that were reached in other areas so that whatever prevailing conflicts will not escalate to other places, especially in urban areas that might affect the concentration of members of both tribes who are either working or studying in the said places.
Earlier, elders of the Butbut sub-tribe and the Betwagan tribe who are residing in the city with the guidance of Kabunian and of their desire for peaceful co-existence with one another, voluntarily agreed to a peace agreement through the intervention of Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero.
Under the aforesaid agreement, members of both feuding tribes agreed to respect and abide by the principles of the Mataguan and of the provisions of the Tabuk Pagta to prevent the escalation of their conflict in the city.
Further, the elders committed not to do any form of revenge within the city, including all provinces and cities in the Cordillera, provinces of Isabela and Cagayan and Metro Manila and take responsibility for preventing any member of their tribes who may have plans or motives of seeking revenge in the city and the other mentioned places.
Any violation of the aforesaid agreement from either party shall make them liable to pay, in addition to the crime committed, a fine of one carabao payable to the after sub-tribe as provided for in the iTabuk Pagta, and in addition, to pay a penalty of one carabao to each of the negotiators as manded by the bodong known as ‘ipos’ or ‘naiposan.’
The elders of both tribes sought the assistance of the negotiators, the police and the military to immediately inform the municipal government of Tinglayan and the barangay government of Butbut, as well as, the municipal government of Sadanga and the barangay government of Betwagan of the said agreement and to announce the same on both print and radio broadcasts for further information of all concerned parties.
Lastly, both tribes shall assist the police and military in the identification of any violation of the peace agreement so that there will be no unnecessary spillover of hostilities between the members of the tribes in areas outside their territories to main the prevailing decent peace and order situation in the city and the aforesaid places covered by the agreement.
Ngao-i stated that the negotiators will strictly enforce the provisions of the agreement so that there will be no untoward incidents that will be committed by members of both tribes that will compromise the peace and order situation in the said places. By HENT