525 children in four conflict-hit Tinglayan barangays to receive psychological first aid this November

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — A total of 525 children and learners in four conflict-affected barangays of Tinglayan will receive psychological first aid (PFA) beginning November 10 to help them cope with the emotional and psychological effects of the continuing tribal conflict between the Butbut and Tulgao groups.

The Provincial Council for the Protection of Children (PCPC) approved the intervention during its meeting on November 4 in Tabuk City, with the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) tasked to facilitate the activities.

The beneficiaries are from Barangays Butbut Proper, Loccong, Tulgao East, and Tulgao West, according to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Kalinga Provincial Director Mayer Max Adong.

Records presented during the meeting showed that the beneficiaries include 64 day care children, 299 elementary pupils from Kindergarten to Grade 6, and 162 students from Grades 7 to 12.

Barangay Butbut Proper has the highest number of affected learners with 212, followed by Tulgao West with 137, Loccong with 108, and Tulgao East with 68.

The intervention will cover children from communities belonging to both tribes, whose lives have been affected by the territorial dispute in a mountainous boundary area where armed confrontations have occurred.

The conflict has raised concerns over children's safety, emotional well-being, and access to education as hostilities disrupted normal community activities. The planned psychological first aid is intended to provide children with immediate emotional support and help them manage fear, stress, and other reactions associated with exposure to violence.

The activities will begin in the Tulgao communities before proceeding to the Butbut areas.

The exact schedule for the succeeding interventions has yet to be announced.

Aside from psychosocial support, the provincial government has committed to provide food supplies, non-food items, and school materials to affected children and learners.

Meanwhile, Adong called for stronger involvement of local peace and order mechanisms in resolving the conflict, which has resulted in three fatalities.

He said he had issued a memorandum circular directing concerned Barangay Peace and Order Councils (BPOCs) to perform their responsibilities in helping prevent further violence and address the dispute.

Adong stressed that barangay councils should take an active role in peace efforts instead of relying solely on the deployment of government security forces.

He also cited the potential role of neutral tribes and their councils of elders in bringing the opposing groups to the negotiating table, particularly when armed hostilities in the disputed area have subsided.

Police and military personnel remain deployed in the contested boundary area to deter further clashes and help create conditions for peaceful negotiations between the two tribes.