“First talaga nga inluwalok ket daytoy peace and order tayo ditoy”: Gov. Edduba recounts emotional Vatican prayer during Italy trip

FEATURE

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Thousands of kilometers away from Kalinga, inside a place he had never visited before, Governor James S. Edduba found himself on his knees as he prayed for the province he had left behind.

As tensions in Tinglayan weighed heavily on the province, Edduba said he felt compelled to make the journey from Turin to the Vatican—not as a governor attending an official engagement, but as a Kalinga leader seeking peace for his people.

He recalled the deeply personal experience during the Provincial Government of Kalinga’s Inter-Agency Flag-Raising Ceremony on October 5 at the Kalinga Sports Center in Bulanao.

The journey to the Vatican took about five hours by train, he said. Upon arrival, he was met by the Davis family, who accompanied him during the visit.

“...personally, after idiay official nga function mi idiay Turin, Italy... diay purpose na nga napanak idiay Vatican to really pray for peace ditoy [Kalinga]. Ti experience ko, personally hanku malipatan ket nag-train ak for five hours and I was met by the Davis family—isu da ti nangsabat kanyak,” Edduba recalled.

He said they arrived at the Vatican before 5 p.m.

Then came a moment he said he would never forget.

As he entered, Edduba knelt.

Far from home and surrounded by a place he had never seen before, his thoughts turned to Kalinga.

“So when I went inside, I knelt down ket apag-kneel ko ket hanku ammo ta talaga nga agtedted ti luwak and sumsumgarak,” he said.

He described the moment as overwhelming, saying he struggled to contain his emotions.

“It was really a great experience and first time diyay and after managing my emotions ket sakto nagluwalo ket ti first talaga nga inluwalok ket daytoy peace and order tayo ditoy,” he said.

His first prayer was for peace and order in Kalinga.

At that time, tensions between the Butbut and Tulgao tribes in Tinglayan had raised concerns over the safety of residents and the possibility of further escalation.

For Edduba, the conflict was not something he could simply leave behind while attending an international event.

He said he believed his prayer had been heard because by that time, the situation in Kalinga had begun to improve.

“And I think my prayer was heard kasi at the time ket okay metten ti situation tayo. Of course I prayed for everyone—for good health,” he said.

A governor far from home

Edduba was in Italy for an official engagement at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026 in Turin, an international gathering centered on food, biodiversity, traditional knowledge and food communities.

The event brought together producers, cooks, Indigenous leaders, researchers and food advocates from different parts of the world.

For Kalinga, the gathering was an opportunity to bring its food heritage and Indigenous traditions to an international audience.

Edduba said Kalinga’s participation, together with Bacolod and Bukidnon, opened possibilities for the province to become part of future Slow Food initiatives in the Cordillera.

“Dakkel nga banag diay napanan mi and hopefully, diay last nga agreement ket the province of Kalinga will be able to host diay uray man lang diay Cordillera Slow Food,” he said.

But while the official purpose of his trip was centered on food, culture and international cooperation, events back home remained close to his thoughts.

Leaving Kalinga, but not the responsibility

Edduba said the Italy trip had been scheduled about two months before his departure.

Before leaving, he said he coordinated with provincial officials and security agencies regarding the situation in Tinglayan.

He also chose to allow Vice Governor Dave Odiem to take the helm of the provincial government while he was away.

For Edduba, his temporary absence also meant giving security forces room to perform their duties without his tribal identity becoming an issue in the perception of government action.

As a member of the Tulgao tribe, he said any government action during the conflict could have been interpreted by some as having come directly from him.

“Nu anya man ti naaramid idiay ket sigurado latta nga kunada nga utos gamin ni governor ta taga-Tulgao. So I took that chance metlang nga pumanawak tapnu maikkat kuma ti suspetsa nga kasdiay ti naaramid,” he said.

His decision to step away, therefore, was not simply about being physically absent from Kalinga. It was also, in his view, a way to allow the provincial government and security forces to act without the situation being clouded by perceptions about his tribal affiliation.

The prayer that came before everything else

For a governor attending an international gathering thousands of kilometers from his province, there were stages to stand on, people to meet and opportunities to pursue.

But inside the Vatican, Edduba said his first concern was much simpler.

Peace.

He knelt and he prayed for Kalinga.

The journey to Italy may have been officially about showcasing the province’s food, culture and Indigenous heritage to the world.

Yet for Edduba, one of its most enduring moments happened away from the conference halls and international gatherings.

It happened quietly, on his knees.

And his first prayer, he said, was for the people and the peace of the province he had left behind.