CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Military and local officials in the Sultan Kudarat town of Palimbang on Tuesday facilitated the reconciliation and peace covenant signing of Moro families that have been locked in “rido” or clan war.
“We are glad you came over, this is an indication all of you can be peacemakers and peacekeepers,” Lt. Col. Allen Van Estrera, the Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion (37IB) commander, told the warring Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) 104th and 105th Brigades whose members were locked in a land dispute.
Estrera told the parties that progress will not come to an area where residents are fighting and killing each other.
Residents of interior villages of Palimbang, a coastal town in Sultan Kudarat, have been alarmed by the sporadic skirmishes involving warring Muslim families who happened to be members of MILF and its armed-wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
To prevent further armed conflict, the 37IB and the local government unit (LGU) of Palimbang, headed by Mayor Joenime Kapina, initiated the peace agreement for both sides to attain peace in the locality.
“This mechanism jointly agreed by all parties primarily aims to provide resolution to the conflict, I thank the 37IB for supporting us in this activity,” Kapina said.
The dialogue was held at Barongis Elementary School in Barangay Barongis, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat with the warring families in attendance.
Present to witness the unprecedented peace covenant signing were local officials.
Previous attempts by the local government to settle the conflict have failed. Estrera said his participation in the event signifies his full support to the peace and security efforts of the LGU.
“We are here not for war but for peace,” Estrera told local officials and residents after the covenant signing. (PNA)
Army settles 'rido' among MILF members in S. Kudarat
By Edwin Fernandez
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