COTABATO CITY (October 24) — What began as another quiet midweek dawn in the marshlands of Ligawasan turned tense when gunfire shattered the calm — reigniting a long-running feud between two Moro families in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
By sunrise on Wednesday, one man was dead, dozens of families had fled their homes, and government troops were rushing in to stop the violence.
Peacekeepers in the marshland
The Philippine Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion deployed a company-sized force, backed by armored personnel carriers, to Barangay Barongis after receiving reports of heavy fighting between the groups of Mackly Adam and Councilman Taib Sampulna.
“The groups are locked in a long-standing family feud over territorial issues,” said Lt. Col. Erwin Jay Dumaghan, 40IB commander.
The first volley of gunfire was silenced briefly when soldiers arrived — only to flare up again an hour later, forcing about 50 families to seek shelter in nearby communities.
An old rido with new wounds
The deadly confrontation, locally known as rido, stems from a decades-old dispute over land boundaries — a conflict passed down through generations in many Moro communities.
Among the casualties was Jiango Sampulna, a relative of Councilman Sampulna. His death adds to the long list of lives lost to clan wars that have hampered peace and development across parts of Mindanao.
Both families reportedly have relatives affiliated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) — some of whom have yet to undergo formal decommissioning as part of the government’s peace agreement with the former rebel group.
Clearing, securing, rebuilding trust
After the firefight, soldiers conducted clearing operations and recovered seven M16 rifles and a hand grenade. They also searched the area for unexploded ordnance to ensure the safety of civilians returning home.
Brig. Gen. Ricky P. Bunayog, commander of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, said troops will remain in the area as long as necessary to prevent more bloodshed.
“We are calling on both sides to end hostilities and resolve their differences peacefully,” Bunayog said.
Beyond the ceasefire line
While gunfire may quiet for now, rido remains one of the most complex barriers to lasting peace in Mindanao. Even as the Bangsamoro peace process progresses, localized clan feuds — often fueled by politics, pride, or land — continue to test the stability of newly established governance structures like the SGA-BARMM.
For many residents, peacekeepers are more than security forces — they’re a fragile bridge between families divided by years of mistrust.
“The soldiers stopped the fighting, but only forgiveness can keep it from returning,” a local elder said quietly as villagers began trickling back to their homes.
As the smoke clears in Barongis, the province once again faces a familiar crossroad — where the guns may have fallen silent, but the deeper work of reconciliation has only begun.
