BONTOC, Mountain Province – Tribal elders of two ethnic grounds in this landlocked province and a tribe in nearby Kalinga averted what could have been a brewing tribal war after they amicably settled murder and frustrated murder charges against a member of the two tribes.

This developed after elders of Sagada and Sabangan delivered to the Tulgao tribe, two ritual carabaos (water buffalos) with the assistance of the members of the mediation and reconciliation committee relative to the case committed sometime in July last year.

Records of the case showed a certain Eusebio Dacnog and a certain Roy Maymaya Mang-ao were brutally murdered and injured, respectively at Sitio Madepdeppas, Data, Sabangan, Mountain Province on the evening of July 24, 2009.

The victims were reportedly vendors of rattan and bamboo-made winnowers and bolos in some parts of the province.

Two tribes in Mountain Province were involved in the conflict because Domingo Bangsoy is a native of Taccong, Sagada town but his family is living at Sitio Madepdeppas, Data, Sabangan where the  incident happened.

Bangsoy reportedly hacked to death Dalicnog and seriously wounded Lang-ao after an alleged misunderstanding during a drinking spree inside his residence where the members of the Tulgao tribe supposedly stayed overnight.

Because of swift police response, the suspect was immediately arrested after the incident and subsequently detained at the Mountain Province provincial jail pending the resolution of murder and frustrated murder charges filed against him.

Tension reportedly erupted between the Sabangan and Sagada tribes after the incident because of the perception that the Tulgao tribe might retaliate and may kill any member of the suspect’s tribes, especially those who are outside of their respective municipalities.

However, the Mountain Province provincial peace and order council immediately organized a settlement committee that was composed of members from the involved municipalities and Bontoc town as the neutral committee.

The concerned committee organized a series of meetings among the involved parties to prevent the escalation of violence that could result to further loss of lives and damage to properties once the  tribes will be involved in the conflict.

The committee was able to convince the relatives of the victims to sign an affidavit of desistance before the provincial prosecutor’s office for the dropping of the charges against the suspect who reportedly pledge to provide them with the still undisclosed settlement assistance.