Cordillera elder: Ceasefires alone won't end tribal wars
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BAGUIO CITY — Ceasefires between warring tribes will not lead to lasting peace unless they address the root causes of conflict and follow traditional peace processes, a Cordillera elder said.
Movement for the Advancement of Inter-Tribal Unity and Development spokesperson Abraham Battawang said ceasefires must be voluntarily agreed upon by the tribes involved and should follow the traditional bodong, or peace pact, system.
Battawang cited the practice of sipat, a mutually agreed process that serves as an initial step toward restoring peace between tribes, particularly after an existing peace pact has been broken.
Under the process, representatives from each tribe are designated to protect members of both sides while negotiations continue to resolve the causes of the conflict.
Battawang raised concerns over ongoing conflicts involving the Tulgao and Butbut tribes in Tinglayan, Kalinga, and the Betwagan tribe of Sadanga, Mountain Province, and the Butbut tribe.
He said ceasefires had been implemented in the disputes without clearly following the sipat process.
While welcoming ceasefires as an initial step, Battawang said sipat provides stronger accountability because designated individuals or clans are responsible for maintaining the agreement and helping resolve the dispute.
He added that decisions to enter into a ceasefire should come from the tribes themselves rather than being imposed by the government, Armed Forces of the Philippines or Philippine National Police.
“A proper ceasefire must extend beyond merely halting armed exchanges and killings for a fixed number of months,” Battawang said.
“Following the objectives and procedures of sipat, a ceasefire should facilitate the full bodong process, allowing tribes to negotiate the root causes of their conflict until a unified peace agreement is established,” he added.
Battawang said the current ceasefire arrangements lack designated individuals or clans responsible for enforcing compliance, potentially leaving no clear authority accountable when agreements are violated.
