EMBRACING PEACE. Heads of the Masdal family (on the left, wearing a green jacket) and the Bacana family (on the right, wearing a brown jacket) embrace as a symbol of reconciliation facilitated by the BARMM’s Peace, Security, and Reconciliation Office (PSRO), ending their five-year land conflict in Maguindanao del Sur on January 9, 2023, in Cotabato City. (Marhom Ibrahim/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—A five-year-old land conflict in Pagalungan town, Maguindanao del Sur was brought to an end, following the Bangsamoro Government’s successful interventions.
In a reconciliation ceremony held on January 9 in this city, the BARMM’s Peace, Security, and Reconciliation Office (PSRO) resolved the conflict that had previously resulted in the loss of lives among the Bacana, Dimaagil, and Masdal families.
PSRO Director Anwar Alamada highlighted that rido (clan conflicts) poses a significant challenge to the government and disrupts the community’s way of life.
“We have an immediate conflict mitigation program, if conflict emerges, we will immediately try to stop the fighting from getting worse. We will manage to pacify it immediately until it is resolved,” Alamada said.
“[The] second program is the long term, such peace education. We are supporting the school of peace and democracy for our BIAF commanders. We support initiatives like the School of Peace and Democracy for our BIAF commanders.
He added that they are intensifying information campaigns about the impact of conflicts.
Alamada also acknowledged the support received for community-based resilience programs from civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and local government units.
The involved families signed a peace covenant in the presence of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) Chairman Butch Malang and several Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) commanders.
They took religious oaths before the asatidhs, symbolizing their commitment to upholding the agreement.
In 2023, the PSRO resolved 27 cases of both major and minor rido and established a peace monitoring mechanism to prevent the recurrence of riots. (Majid Nur/BIO)
