A Lesson on Clan Conflict Resolution in the Philippines

Introduction

The Philippines is a multiethnic and multireligious country. Its

second biggest island, Mindanao, is home to three major groups
referred to as the islands tripeople. Based on the total Mindanao
population of 18 million, the indigenous people, the Lumads
comprise five percent; the Islamized people, the Moros 28.23
percent or five percent of the countrys total population; and the
Christians, the settlers and their descendants 71.77 percent.

The focus of this exercise is on the Islamized Moros and the

Lumads.

The name Moro refers to 13 ethnolinguistic groups, namely:

Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausug, Sama, Sangil, Iranun, Kalagan,
Kalibugan, Yakan, Jama Mapun, Palawini, Molibog and Badjao. They
constitute the overwhelming majority in the provinces of Lanao del
Sur, TawiTawi, Sulu, Maguindanao and Basilan and in Marawi City.
These areas make up the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM), a creation of the 1986 Philippine Constitution .

The Lumads, the original inhabitants of Mindanao, make up 18 tribes. Their ancestral domains are
encompassed in 17 provinces and 14 cities of Mindanao.

As pointed out by Gowing and McAmis (1974), outside the administrative and political structures
imposed by the national government, there was no overall political authority embracing all of the Moro
groups, and each individual group was broken up into one or more principalities. All of the Tausug were
in the Sultanate of Sulu; the Maguindanao in several sultanates but only two were important,
Maguindanao and Buayan; the Maranao were extremely segmented as shown in 1979 by the existence
of 33 sultanates for a population of 61,000 persons. On the other hand, groups such as the Sama, Yakan,
and Badjao had no independent political existence and were subject people.

Under colonial rule, the Moros, the Lumads and the Christians have come to be separated from each
other by history and culture. Along with their biases and prejudices, especially between Christians and
Muslims, they have come to think that they are peoples different from each other.
Muslim Mindanao is known for its troubled history. Aside from the secessionist movement, private
armed groups and colorful strongmen set against a backdrop of poverty, underdevelopment, neglect
and national government manipulation are the major players in a region that appears to be in perpetual
instability. Clan conflict or, in Moro parlance, rido is only a part of this complex web of violence
inflicted on Mindanao.

Rido is synonymous to tribal war. As such, it is of local significance and not to be attributed or associated
with the Moro secessionist movement. The causes are quite different from the grievances of the Moros
against the Manilabased government.

A number of factors lend to the outbreak of rido. The issue on land ownership is generally a primary
cause. It has created disputes and conflict not only among the Moro people themselves but also
Christians with titles and other papers issued by the government. Existing political rivalries and the
proliferation of guns have resulted to the escalation of these local conflicts. Other contributory causes
are accidental killing, nonpayment of debts, affiliation with either the Abu Sayyaf or a paramilitary unit,
elopement, petty crimes, and drugrelated cases. The bottom line is the need to exact reparation for
the damage inflicted on the familys honor.

Today, rido has taken on the features of modern war. In feuds involving large clans, battles are waged as
conventional wars, complete with defined boundaries, modern heavy weapons and the standard
trenches and foxholes. As pointed out by a mayor of Maguindanao, the only ones who get hurt in this
kind of warfare are the innocent and powerless.

Among the Lumads clan conflict does occur and this is referred to as lido. They, too, apply some
traditional processes in resolving their conflict.

Enforced in the Philippines is the AngloAmerican justice system. This is anchored on crime, punishment
and retribution. It operates on a winlose situation. On the other hand, the traditional system erases
crime, cleanses the violator and restores harmony once reparation is met. As such, it is a more positive
approach to creating a winwin situation. Moreover, the traditional method of resolving conflicts
responds to the demand for cultural solidarity premised on the recognition and respect for the culture
and religion of the Moro people and the Lumad of Mindanao.

Objectives

The exercise seeks to develop among the learners an understanding of some indigenous ways of
resolving conflict. Through some exemplars of the practices of the Moros and Lumads of Mindanao,
Philippines and the sharing of the participants of their own knowledge and experiences of indigenous
conflict resolution in their respective countries, the activity further hopes to nurture intercultural
respect and understanding.

Activity

Two groups are formed among the participants. The first group is assigned to discuss the conflict
resolution of the Moro and the second, the Lumad practices. Based on the information provided the
groups are expected to discuss their understanding of the resolution processes and prepare a mural
showing the conflict and the resolution processes. The groups are given ten minutes to discuss and ten
minutes to make the mural.

Processing and Analysis

When the murals have been set, the participants are asked to view and reflect on the concepts depicted
in the mural. They are given the opportunity to ask questions for clarification. Then sharing of other
conflict resolution (country experiences) will be entertained. The learners will also be guided to highlight
the differences between the traditional processes and the current practices used in their countries.

From the peace education perspective, the winwin characteristics observed in many traditional ways
of resolving conflict should be highlighted. This is in contrast to the winlose traits of the socalled
western model. The traditional way of resolving conflict is shown below.
Conclusion

Already the most depressed region of the country, Mindanaos economy continues to retrogress due to
various armed conflicts, foremost of which is rido or lido. Being of preIslamic origin, this practice has
been going on for centuries, even antedating the Moros armed struggle against the Spaniards and the
Americans.

Given the traditional practice of resolving conflicts, most incidents of rido or lido are settled through
mediation and amicable settlement. In mediation, the mediators do not only facilitate communication
and negotiations but also assume responsibility for raising the required blood money or manggad. These
mediators may be relatives of the conflicting parties, the council of elders, tribal leaders, the local chief
executive, the military, and women with influence in the community or area. Amicable settlement is
invoked as mediators highlight the value of personal interrelatedness.

These, however, find very little significance in the mainstream societys processes of resolving conflict.
Raising the awareness and developing the appreciation of the citizens as well as the government and
civil society groups on the existence of such practices will hopefully lead to more systematic processes
of addressing the Mindanao conflict.

Bibliography

Abinales, Patricio (2004). Getting rid of rido. Newsbreak. October 25.

Burton, Linda & Moctar Matuan (2005). Choices of Response to Interkin group Conflict in Northern
Mindanao. A research report.
Durante, Ofelia et. al. (2005) Management of clan conflict and rido among the Tausug, Magindanao,
Maranao, Sama and Yakan tribes. A research report.
Gowing, Peter (1979). Muslim Filipino heritage and horizon. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.
Gowing, Peter and McAmis, Robert (1974). The Muslim Filipinos. Manila: Solidaridad Publishing House
Gonzales, Francisco (1999). Sultans in a violent world: Rebels, warlords and ulama. By Kristina Gaerlan
and Mara Stankovitch. Quezon City: Institute for Popular Democracy.
Tan, Samuel (2001). History and culture in the Mindanao Conflict. Paper presented at Silsilah Dialogue
institute, Zamboanga City, May 22.

Dr. Ofelia Durante is Director of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Research Center; Visiting
Professor of the Graduate Schools of Ateneo de Davao and Notre Dame University; founder and first
director of the Notre Dame University Peace Education Center; facilitator of the Peace Education Course
of the Mindanao Peace Institute; Executive Director of the Mindanao Peace and Development Education
Institute; Member of the Peace Education Commission of the International Peace Research Association
(IPRA) for which she is currently undertaking a research on interfaith dialogue.

Ways of settling conflict among unIslamized indigenous Filipinos (Lumad):

There are several ways of resolving clan conflict. The laws are unwritten but the mechanisms have been
in existence and observed since time immemorial. Among these are:

1. Tampuda Ho Balagon (cutting of vine discord).

A thin rattan vine is placed on a table or log. Both ends are tied to a chicken. Then the two parties cut
the vine with one strike.

2. Payment of manggad.
Exchange of goods between the two parties connoting reparation of damage or harm done.

3. With the assistance of the datu (tribal leader).

Datu mediates for the settlement of the conflict.

4. Without the assistance of the datu.

Minor disputes may be settled without the datu through pamalas or offering to a diwata (goddess).

Ways of settling clan conflict among Islamized Filipinos (Moro):

Clan conflicts are resolved using the traditional method of mediation, not through the modern Western
generated judicial system. The strategy of getting common senior relatives to serve as mediators
capitalizes on the value of interrelatedness which is anchored on the ideological concept of pehak
(literally, the eggs or gonads of a fish). The involved family heads (kamattoahan) and these relatives,
particularly those who command respect and are known for their high sense of fairness are tapped as
gobetween and feelers.

The communitys council of elders may also be engaged as mediators. The council which is either
formally organized or identified as the need arises is composed of traditional & religious leaders, imams,
barangay officials, elderly and other respected and prominent persons from the government and the
private sector.