Military ordered to crack down on 'rido' groups

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has ordered all military forces in Mindanao to crack down on groups involved in rido, a long-time practice among locals to settle family feuds through armed confrontations.

In his recent visit to Lanao del Norte, Teodoro told the residents that the only acceptable way to settle conflicts and disputes is through the courts.

He directed the military to treat warring families or groups who insist on practicing rido as criminals.

The Lanao provinces, among other Muslim-populated places in Mindanao, are known for the practice of rido, which has claimed hundreds of lives among warring clans.

Last week, warring families clashed in Magsaysay, Lanao del Norte, prompting the Army to deploy troops to act as a buffer force.

“The courts are the only acceptable and lawful institutions for the settlement of disputes to ensure peace and order in a civilized society,” Teodoro said, following a security briefing by Col. Benito de Leon, commander of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade based in Iligan City.

Also last week, De Leon’s men, who were hunting down notorious Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commander Abdurahman Macapaar alias Bravo, encountered an armed group believed to be girding for rido in Sitio Bayabao, Salvador town.

“While no casualties were recorded in the fighting, this resulted in the capture of eight MILF members and (seizure of) their firearms,” De Leon said.

Investigation showed that those arrested were men of an MILF leader out to exact revenge against the followers of a local politician.