Tinglayan, Kalinga – Kalinga and Mt. Province are taking another step in resolving the long-standing conflict on boundaries between Butbut, Tinglayan and Betwagan, Sadanga with the signing of a peace agreement by the governors of the provinces involved on Tuesday, September 13.
Several attempts in reaching an agreement have not prospered, although a better outlook is seen with more activities being done to keep both tribes engaged in avoiding conflicts.
The signing of the agreement by Governor James Edduba and Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan coincided with the commemoration of the 36th year of Mt. Data Peace Accord in Mountain Province.
In a statement, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPPAPRU) Peace Consultant Thomas Killip hoped the agreement would result in a ‘clearer demarcation’ of borders and strengthen the commitment to finding a long-term solution to communities having conflict.
Moreover, this could also be of help in enhancing the development of Mount Data as a peace center for the region.
As for Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., he commended the efforts of the provincial leaders in pushing for said pursuit that would further strengthen the partnership of Cordillera provinces towards peace and development.
As recalled, the dispute on land borders between the Butbut sub-tribe in Tinglayan and the Betwagan sub-tribe in Sadanga is among the priorities of both governors of Kalinga and Mt. Province during their term.
The two even sat down together and talked about resolutions regarding the dispute between the two sub-tribes during the kick-off ceremony of Cordillera Month last month.
Both expressed their willingness to solve the issue in the soonest possible time.
History of the boundary dispute
A source said the boundary dispute between the two sub-tribes started in 2001 and was solved through a peace pact in 2007, but again, a disagreement between them arose in 2019.
In February 2020, the peace agreement made was broken as a result of a shooting incident.
To solve the conflict, several peace dialogues were initiated by Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-COR).
However, the peace talks did not yield much success as a resolution was made by the Butbut sub-tribe declaring some of the high-ranking police officials as persona non grata – this happened due to the alleged dismantling of a civilian outpost in the disputed boundary of the two sub-tribes.
A series of talks continued but none of them clearly solved the issue so far.
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