ISABELA CITY, Basilan Province — The military has facilitated the amicable settlement of a long-standing feud between two families from Al-Barka and Ungkaya Pukan municipalities here.

45th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col Michael Colanta on Monday narrated that the local government unit and the Ungkaya Pukan, Tipo-Tipo, and Al-Barka municipalities assisted in the settlement of the feud held at the Tipo-Tipo Covered Court in Tipo-Tipo town on Sunday.

101st Infantry (Three Red Arrows) Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon revealed that all members of both parties submitted themselves to the formal ‘peace and reconciliation’ ceremony by signing an amicable settlement document.

He added that they also sealed their commitment withhandshakes and embraces to show sincerity to the agreement.

“This settled feud or “rido” stemmed from an unresolved rape case that happened in Barangay Tipo-Tipo proper in November 2023 which led to the killing of the alleged suspect, a resident of Barangay Guinunta in Al-Barka,” Luzon said.

He added that the alleged rape incident has caused the families of the victim and the alleged suspect to be drawn into violence due to the incident and have affected many families from the UPTAL municipalities.