ILIGAN CITY –– The military has called on local government leaders in Lanao del Sur to take active steps in settling family feuds to achieve peace in their communities.
Col. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, acting commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, lauded the effort of local leaders in town in settling a rido among relatives that ended long years of animosity and vengeance killings, which not only affected the families but spilled over to the villages.
Without naming the involved families, Cuerpo cited the role played by Tubaran mayor Khaledyassin Papandayan in negotiating that the families end their rido.
Other prominent voices like village elders, traditional leaders, and the ulama (religious leaders) added their social weight to bring the conflicting parties to a resolution.
Because of the dispute’s settlement, the warring clans surrendered 19 assorted unlicensed firearms to the Army on Wednesday.
These include one M14 and two M1 Garand rifles, one shotgun, 11 handguns, and five grenade launchers.
Cuerpo said the military would continuously collaborate with local leaders to encourage other clans to settle their disputes, and hopefully encourage the once-warring families to give up their loose firearms./lzb