ONE DEAD, ANOTHER HURT AS TRIBAL WAR ERRUPTS IN CORDILLERA

March 17, 2023 Headlines

TINGLAYAN, Kalinga

Hostilities has resumed between the tribesmen of Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga and Betwagan, Sadanga , Mountain Province which claimed a farmer’s life and wounding of another one Tuesday
afternoon. The fatality was identified as Richard Bannoya Sagwil, 40, and the wounded as Edward
Chay-as Alunday, 47, both farmers from Bugnay, Tinglayan town in Kalinga.

According to the Kalinga provincial police, the two Butbut tribesmen (Bugnay) were walking down the foot trail at Mt. Kumaykay, Bugnay, Tinglayan, at around 4:30 PM of Tuesday enroute to their fellow tribesmen with food in tow at the rice fields when armed men from the Betwagan tribe of Sadanga who were positioned around 500 meters away opened fire.

The first burst of gunfire felled Sagwil, who was hit on his left eye while Alunday was hit on his abdomen. The exchange of gunfire between armed tribesmen from both side lasted for almost an
hour. Butbut tribesmen had to wait until past 5 PM Tuesday to get to the two victims and rushed Alunday to the Tinglayan Municipal Health Office. Betwagan tribe of Sadanga and Butbut tribe of Tinglayan have a decades-old boundary dispute where efforts to restore peace between them had
remained futile.

Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN