N. Cotabato warring Moro clans end bloody 'rido'

ALEOSAN, North Cotabato – After decades of bloody family feud, warring Muslim
clans in remote villages of Pikit and Aleosan have buried the hatchet and vowed
to work for the betterment of family members, an official today said.

Through the mediation using traditional form of conflict resolution of
Engr. Noldin Oyod, the warring families of Alima, Sampayan, Sugka and Ungkay
from the village of Dungguan, Aleosan and the families of Tayuan, Hamid and
Pasandalan of Barangay Langayen, Pikit signed a peace agreement ending decades
of bloody armed hostilities.

Oyod, currently the project manager of Malitubog-Maridagao (MalMar) Irrigation
Project, said the warring clans have been at odds with each other over ownership
of huge parch of farmlands that receive water from the MalMar irrigation
project.

Jordan Tayuan who represented the families residing in Aleosan lauded
the efforts of Engr. Oyod even as he said he never thought the warring families
would ever bury the hatchet and move forward.

Tayuan also lauded the intervention of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
leadership in Aleosan that made the settlement peaceful and successful.

The two warring clans have been locked in a rido (family feud) that runs for more than two decades. All I pray is that all the stakeholders in the peace agreement will
abide by its provisions to at least recognize the efforts of the local
government units and the mediators,” Tayuan told DXMS Radyo Bida.

Present during the signing as witnesses were Colonel Noel Clement, 602nd
Infantry Brigade chief and representatives from MILF and the International Monitoring
Team of the GPH-MILF peace process.

Clement urged the reunited clans to respect the sacredness of the local
treaty and bear in mind that any conflict can be settled peacefully and through
the negotiating table.