Councilor Cabanlas airs concerns on proposed ordinance for IP dispute resolution

IN a recent session of the City Council, Councilor Edgar S. Cabanlas expressed his reservations regarding the special report of Councilor James K. Judith II proposing an ordinance that aims to handle disputes among Indigenous Peoples (IP) community members through their traditional tribal justice system within their respective barangays.

Councilor Cabanlas shared his experience representing a client in a tribal council settlement in Valencia City, Bukidnon. He noted that the IP judicial system works well when both parties are IP members and the complaint involves a pact, as these cases are referred to the IP court.

However, Cabanlas questioned if a similar system could work in Cagayan de Oro, doubting whether a well-organized group of IPs like Bukidnon exists in the city.

“Dinhi sa ato (sa syudad), ang pangutana, naa ba na sa ato karon? Kay akong gakadunggan, medyo gakatibulaag man kini atong mga IPs, so it’s very hard to organize,” Cabanlas remarked.

“Do we have the same system here (in the city)? I have observed that our IP communities here seem somewhat dispersed, making it challenging to organize them effectively,” Cabanlas remarked.

To address these challenges, Councilor Cabanlas referred the matter back to Councilor Cabaring and advised him to seek assistance from the City Legal Office.

“Kay ako nagatoo nga gusto siguro nimo ma-organize but how to do it would be difficult,” he added.

(“I believe you want to organize this, but the implementation would be difficult without proper support and coordination,” he added.)