Army eyes reconciliation of warring clans in Maguindanao town

From the Philippine Star (Nov 7): Army eyes reconciliation of warring clans in Maguindanao town

The Army will attempt to broker the reconciliation of two supposedly related clans in Maguindanao’s Montawal town that fought again Tuesday night, causing the dislocation of more than a thousand villagers. Lt. Col. Benjie Hao, commanding officer of the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion, said they will involve local religious leaders in trying to settle the dispute between the family of Montawal’s municipal mayor, Otto Montawal and their relatives led by a Moro commander. Local officials said the animosity between the two groups escalated anew last October when they figured in an encounter in a secluded barangay in Montawal. The two groups clashed again last week. A two-year-old child was killed in the crossfire. The two groups have been fighting each other since 2007, after the local elections in the same year. Hao said more soldiers have been fielded in the affected barangays to prevent a repeat of the clash. Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, in an emailed statement, said he has directed the provincial police office to help reconcile the two factions. Mangudadatu said he has also ordered members of the inter-agency provincial peace and order council to help convince the two groups to agree to a peace dialogue to diffuse tension in the area. The two groups have been accusing each other of provoking the recent hostilities by intruding into each other’s territory, attacking villages and setting houses on fire.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=200&articleId=867757