19/08/2026
๐ฃNO TO TRIBAL WAR! ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF TRIBAL WAR! BUILD INTER-TRIBAL UNITY AND PEACE!
The Mountain Province Youth Alliance calls for an end to the historical and continuing tribal war between the Betwagan tribe of Mountain Province and the Butbut tribe of Kalinga, as well as to similar conflicts among tribes across the Cordillera.
As Indigenous Peoples, we have a deep and enduring connection to our ancestral lands. Our land is where our lives, cultures, identities are rooted. It is only principally right that we protect our land, rights, and dignity. However, we firmly believe that tribal wars are not the solution to the historical and continuing crisis faced by our communities. It deepens rifts among our communities, destroys relationships, and perpetuates a cycle of retaliation and conflict.
Youth are among those most affected by tribal wars. Instead of growing up in communities where they can freely pursue their education, develop their potential, and build relationships across communities, the youth experience anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. They may become innocent victims of tribal wars or, worst, lose their lives without even knowing or understanding what caused the conflict.
Another sad reality faced by youth of warring tribes is the concealment of their tribal identities not because they are ashamed of who they are, but because doing so becomes a means of protecting themselves from members of rival tribes.
Tribal wars can also shape how young people perceive those from other communities, allowing prejudice and division to be passed from one generation to the next. This poses a serious risk to our communities because it allows the cycle of conflict to continue. Beyond fear and prejudice, the youth also experience disrupted schooling, displacement, and emotional distress.
We deserve homes and communities where we can live without fear. We deserve a future that is genuinely peacefulโone that is not defined by tribal conflict, retaliation, and inherited divisions.
We therefore call for a genuine and immediate ceasefire by all parties. We must uphold our Indigenous values that emphasize the importance of community, solidarity, respect, and the protection of life. Tribal war will not resolve disputes; it will only result in the loss of lives, deepen divisions, and perpetuate the cycle of conflict. We call on our government to meaningfully and comprehensively address the root causes of tribal conflicts, instead of fueling it through problematic land and environmental laws, and manipulating its mediations to push for counter-insurgency agenda.
Most importantly, we should strive for inter-tribal unity towards facing immediate and bigger threats to our ancestral lands and self-determination. We should channel our collective strength against big corporations and government projects that will destroy our rivers, submerge our farmlands, and displace our people, much similar to what our elders did at the time of the Anti-Chico Dams struggle. Together, we can embody this enduring legacy of the Kaigorotan.
TRIBAL WAR, ISARDENG! MASAKBAYAN TI SANGOEN!
