Army settles Moro clan wars in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 10): Army settles Moro clan wars in Maguindanao

MATANOG, Maguindanao -- The military brought on Wednesday warring Moro clans to a negotiating table here to end their long-standing dispute that had claimed numerous lives and injuries of family members.

Brig. Gen. Jesus Sarsagat, commander of the Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade based in Matanog, Maguindanao, successfully mediated and settled the “rido” (family feud) involving the families of Macapaar, Macapeges, Ustadz Maguid, Malambut, Hadji Salam, Hadji Rahman and Casaro, all belonging to Iranun tribe and residents of adjoining towns of Barira, Buldon and Matanog Maguindanao.

Sarsagat, concurrent head of the Iranun Inter-Agency Task Force, said the decade-old clan wars had claimed at least 10 lives and undetermined number of injured family members through the barrel of guns.

Some of the warring clans have relatives in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Sarsagat said.

Ibrahim Malambut, village chair of Barangay Liong here, said the deep-seated animosity stemmed from simple neighborhood misunderstanding over territories.

Malambut said he lost a brother and a son in the long standing armed conflict.

“I already lost loved ones, I do not want to lose more family members so I convinced my family to come to a peaceful settlement with other Muslim families,” Malambut told reporters during the signing of peace covenant and swearing before the Holy Quran.

“Nobody wins in rido,” Malambut said, his eyes turning red.

Matanog town Councilor Misuari Macapeges who witnessed the bloody conflict said the covenant signing and rido settlement had long been desired by his family.

“We really look up to this day when we can shake hands with our former family enemies. We thank the military for intervening peacefully,” he told reporters.

Sarsagat, a known Army peacekeeper in Maguindanao, said clan war was anti-development, anti-peace and anti-people.

“I lauded the mayors and other local officials for cooperating in the Army efforts to bring about peace in their communities,” he said referring to Barira Mayor Barok Tomawis, Buldon Mayor Abolais Manalao and Matanog Councilor Macapeges.

“In this endeavor, everybody wins, nobody loses, it is better like this than you shoot at each other,” he told erstwhile arch enemies.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1021080