POLICE confirmed at least one death after a tribal conflict escalated between the Botbot-Bugnay tribe of Tinglayan, Kalinga and the Betwagan tribe of Sadanga, Mountain Province due to a recurring boundary dispute.
Colonel Davy Limmong, Kalinga Provincial Police Office (KPPO) provincial director, said in a phone interview that the still unidentified tribesman from Betwagan was shot dead July 20.
"The case is due to an unsettled dispute between the two tribes and no other individuals were reported to have been injured. The provincial command is now undergoing a joint investigation with the Mountain Province Provincial Police Office (MPPPO) and we have deployed our police personnel in the area," Limmong said.
Sadanga Mayor Gabino Ganggangan admitted the resurgence of the tribal conflict is based on a long running boundary but assured measures to maintain peace between the two tribes will be undertaken.
"We will wait for everything to calm down and after which, we will try to conduct a Bodong or peace pact to help settle the dispute," Ganggangan said.
Colonel Homer Penecilla, MPPPO provincial director, meanwhile said additional police were deployed in to ensure peace and order in the area.
"Except for that one shooting incident, the situation is okay as of the moment and a joint investigation is ongoing," Penecilla added.