July 18, 2012 News: The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) successfully resolved the rido or violent feud between the families of Mandalait and Mambiling in Balabak, Pikit, Cotabato Province.

Task Force Islah (Reconciliation) of the MILF Central Committee spearheaded the reconciliation ceremony last October 12, 2012, marking the peaceful resolution of the more than two-decades of rido or feud between the two families.

The Mambiling and Mandalait families signed an agreement for reconciliation and solidarity, which also stressed their commitment to confront together any situation, member of either family and/or party in order to preserve their reconciliation.

The feud rooted on personal grudges and land dispute had claimed lives on both sides, severely affected their normal lives, and displaced hundreds of individuals to include the innocent.

Bloody firefight flared up between them at Balabak, resulting to fatalities on both sides and displacements of people.

The MILF immediately intervened and mobilized its Task Force Islah headed by Hadji Jack Abbas, BIAF Central Mindanao Front Commander, Hadji Samier Hashim, BIAF National Guard Front Commander, and MILF Ligawasan Provincial Committee in close collaboration with the local governments of Pikit and Pagalungan, Maguindanao.

Close coordination were undertaken with the Government of the Philippines – Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (GPH CCCH), MILF CCCH and the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT).

Present during the reconciliation ceremony held at Balabak were the Mandalait and Mambiling families, mayor Sumulong Sultan of Pikit, Mayor Datu Norodin Matalam of Pagalungan, BGen Dato’ Zulkaple, IMT Deputy Head of Mission, Lt Col Ismaon, IMT Brunei, representatives of the CCCH and AHJAG, MILF leadership and Task Force Islah, and representatives from 602nd Brigade, Philippine Army.

Both families and displace innocent civilians had returned back to their homes in Balabak following the reconciliation ceremony. 

Elders of the reconciled families thanked and commended the MILF for its successful intervention, saying “Su kadenan I labi a masla uged tidto a simalig kami kanu kapegkagaga na MILF sa ka ayos ku problema nami (Allah is the Omnipotent, however we have full trust and confidence that MILF can successfully resolve our problem.)

The MILF had intensified its initiatives and assistance to resolve rido under its priority program for reconciliation and unification.

More than a dozen of rido cases had been resolved through the intervention and facilitation of the MILF leadership in the provinces of Maguindanao, Cotabato and Lanao del Sur.