Officials to settle clan war in North Cotabato

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - The provincial government on Monday dispatched emissaries to amicably settle the standoff between barangay folks and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members in Barangay Buricain in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato.

The faceoff started when MILF rebels led by Commander Arfe attacked the group of Buricain barangay chairman Abdullah Marakaur over the weekend, killing his 16-year-old nephew, Paul.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, chair of the provincial peace and order council, said local officials are now initiating means to defuse the tension sparked by the incident.

Dozens of families were forced to relocate to neutral grounds as the two groups trade sporadic shots until Sunday.

Mendoza said her emissaries and local officials in Pigcawayan have sought the help of the joint government-MILF ceasefire committee in addressing the conflict.

The Marakuar clan in Barangay Buricain and the group of Commander Arfe are locked in a rido (clan war) sparked by squabbles for control of strategic patches of arable lands and political differences.