BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — Negotiators made a breakthrough in the long-standing border conflict between the Betwagan tribe of Mountain Province and Butbut tribe of Kalinga with both parties exchanging peace tokens (‘sipat’) .
This is a significant development to pave the way for the restoration of their peace pact (‘bodong’), the Police Regional Office Cordillera (PROCOR) reported.
After months of stalemate, the two tribes finally agreed to a “sipat” at the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division, Philippine Army in Gamu, Isabela on January 19, 2024, thanks to mediation efforts of Kalinga Bodong Council members Albert Addamo and Cesar Oplay of the Sumadel tribe on the directive of Kalinga Governor James Edduba, according to the PROCOR’s report presented during the Joint Evaluation and Monitoring Committee meeting on January 25.
“The two negotiators went to Barangay Betwagan and Butbut to convince the barangay chairman and elders of both tribes to support the said undertaking (sipat). As a result, both tribes expressed their willingness, and full support for the restoration of peace pact,” the report stated.
With the ‘sipat’ in place, Addamo and Oplay are now in talks with both tribes to schedule the holding of the initial rituals of the ‘bodong’, PROCOR said.
The Betwagan-Butbut conflict revolves around a dispute on the Iker mountain which both tribes claim. The row has been going on for years and has disrupted the lives of residents of both villages.
Last year, the PROCOR installed patrolled bases in the area – one on each side of the border – to prevent hostilities. **JDP/IOS-PIA Kalinga