PSYCH 251.

1 - SEMINAR IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY : SOCIAL ISSUES

Maria Leorupee Raagas-Barros 21 March 2017

SOCIAL ISSUES: RIDO

Rido is the term ascribed to a conflict that is characterized by retaliatory violence between
families or kinship groups, or communities (Torres, 2007). This can occur in some areas in
Mindanao where government, or any form of central authority is weak, where there is
perceived lack of justice and security.

This is considered an issue or a problem as it involves the membership of a clan or kinship

group into the possibility of partaking into, or recipient of, an outburst of retaliatory violence
from the opposing clan. Several armed confrontations may have been triggered by a local rido,
with which saw the displacement of numerous families, and countless lives lost.

Rido is an issue or problem especially for the members of the families involved. But this violent
confrontation is as well a problem to people in the vicinity who may be non-party to the conflict
but are proximal to those involved. This is also an issue to the government as it is reflective of a
seemingly lack of a central authority figure that can allow for mediated capacity both parties
can listen to. Rido, by its nature, also has arisen because of the lack of a perceived just system,
as thus the offended family take matters into their hands.

The causes of the conflicts which end in rido can vary. Even then, it may be complicated by
layers of the intergroup’s concept of honor and shame, two virtues that are seen to be violated
in circumstances surrounding rido. Because of this variation of the causes of conflicts, it may be
hard to unitarily attach a social psychological root to the conflict. However, by its nature, rido
itself is understood to be an intergroup conflict of clans or families, where feuding between
these groups occur primarily for their identity’s tarnished honor, or that, is shamed.

The occurrence of rido implies multi-layered impact; socio-economic security suffers as rido
disturbs the groups’ stability to sustain the growth of their respective families. But more so is
the psychological and social impact to those who are affected, both directly and even those
affected in the periphery.

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* Torres, W, ed., (2007). Rido: Clan feuding and conflict management in Mindanao. Makati City : The
Asia Foundation.