THE Army's 55th Infantry Battalion (IB), together with the traditional leaders, settled the one-year-old dispute of the Macapodi clan of Ganasi, Lanao del Sur, and Diangka clan of Pualas, of the same province.
Lieutenant Colonel Franco Raphael Alano, commander of the 55IB; Bureau of Immigration-10 Director Andy Maacauyan; Judge Ali Balindong of the Regional Trial Court in Iligan City; and Lawyer Basari Mapupuno, Provincial Prosecutor of Lanao Del Sur, presided the settlement of the dispute, which was held Saturday, December 5, at the Sarustan Gym, Madalum town.
Alano said that during the ceremony, both clans pledged on the Holy Quran for their reconciliation and that they will no longer engage in armed confrontation.
Alano said they also signed, aside from Kapasadan, Affidavits of Desistance for the legal charges they earlier filed against each other.
He said that two .45 caliber pistols were also yielded by both families during the settlement of the dispute.
He said politics was believed to be the reason for the conflict between the two clans that started more than a year ago, during the May 2019 local elections.
Meanwhile, Alano commended both parties for choosing a peaceful resolution for their year-long conflict.
The military official also extended his gratitude to both families for their trust and certainty to the battalion, which resulted to harmonious traditional and legal covenant. (VoxPop Zamboanga)