Kalinga boundary dispute could spark 'tribal war'

BENGUET, Philippines — A boundary dispute between fierce Kalinga tribes may escalate into further hostilities after a 27-year-old member of one tribe was shot Tuesday afternoon in Tinglayan town, Kalinga.

 

Farmer Art Truth Ewad from the Tinglayan tribe and a resident of Ambato, Legleg, Poblacion in the said town, was shot in the head by a still unidentified assailant around 3:30 p.m. in Akafu, Poblacion, signaling what could be a “tribal war” between the Tinglayan and Tulgao tribes.

 

Tulgao is a barangay in Tinglayan town.

 

According to the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, there are 31 sub-tribes of the Kalinga ethnolinguistic group. They are live in Kalinga province's eight towns.

 

Suffering a bullet wound on the left side of his head, Ewad was brought to the Tinglayan rural health unit then rushed to the Bontoc General Hospital in Mt. Province for further medical treatment.

 

Provincial police said that failed negotiations betweeb the Tingalayan and Tulgao about their barangay boundaries prompted Tuesday afternoon’s shooting.

 

Kalinga police and soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 50th Infantry Battalion were deployed to Tinglayan town to keep the conflict from escalating.