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Members of the Talaandig tribe and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of Bukidnon held Thursday a ritual in Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon marking the closure of a conflict between them that erupted over 20 years ago.
The conflict, which heightened after the tribe imposed a sala (cultural penalty) on 17 April 2001 against Felix S. Mirasol Jr., then the Protected Area Superintendent of Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park, and at least 10 other officials of DENR-Malaybalay.
The tribe accused the DENR officials and employees of implementing projects inside ancestral lands in Mt. Kitanglad without the consent of the concerned communities, destroying the unity of the tribe and their leadership, among others. They were told to settle the case within 15 days and comply with certain symbolic offerings, including pigs and other animals.
The “respondents” refused to submit to the sala process, citing their unfamiliarity with it. They also reasoned that they were only doing their job when they implemented the projects in Mt. Kitanglad. The failure of both parties to reach a compromise caused the conflict to drag on for years.
But on Thursday, July 14, the tribe accepted the gesture of the DENR to put closure to the conflict in a way that would be acceptable to the latter, hence the holding of the ritual. Called Salimpukaw hu Kagsabuwa (roughly a ritual to awaken solidarity), both parties vowed to resume their partnership for environmental protection and conservation. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)