Gov't CCCH, AHJAG aid resolution of clan feud in N. Cotabato

Tulunan, North Cotabato Jan. 21 – The Government of the Philippines (GPH) Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) have assisted in the resolution of a rido or clan feud involving two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders in Barangay Dungos in this district.

In a press release by CCCH, armed clashes have occurred among the clans of Sultan and Panangulon in Tulunan and neighboring M’lang due to a boundary dispute on a banana plantation covered by the RNF Industries Corporation.

MILF Commanders Jun Panangulon and Jabidi Abdul alias Bedz of the Panangulon clan and former MILF Commander Sukarno Husain of the Sultan family were said to be involved in the feud.

The local government unit (LGU) of Tulunan requested the help of the government ceasefire committee in resolving the land conflict that has displaced 100 families.

On Monday, the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) gathered to discuss solutions to the problem. Present in the meeting were the three feuding families, Tulunan Mayor Lani Candolada, M’lang Mayor Joselito Piñol, 6th Infantry Division head Major General Rey C. Ardo, GPH-CCCH chair Brigadier General Ariel B. Bernardo, Senior Military Adviser to the GPH panel BGen Leo Crescente B. Ferrer, GPH-AHJAG chair BGen Allan R. Luga, 601st Brigade Commander Colonel Caesar Dionisio Sedillo, and CCCH Secretariat head Maj. Carlos T. Sol, Jr., among others.

The parties agreed to a cessation of hostilities while the land conflict is being resolved by appropriate government agencies. All three clans previously signed a Memorandum of Agreement to establish boundaries of each landholding through an actual survey that will be conducted by the Ad Hoc Committee of the Tulunan LGU.

The CCCH is comprised of members from the GPH and the MILF, as well as neutral parties. Established in 2003, it has been tasked to monitor the implementation of the GPH-MILF Ceasefire Agreement and resolve complaints over ceasefire violations so that small skirmishes do not intensify.

On the other hand, the AHJAG is a joint effort of both parties, seeking to interdict and isolate lawless elements that take refuge in or near MILF communities. It was initially formed during the May 2002 peace negotiations between the GPH and the MILF in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.