Kalinga SP mulls solution for boundary dispute between Poswoy-Ababa-an, Balbalan, and Limos Pinukpuk and land-grabbing issuesin Pasil; involved parties are set to meet in October

Tabuk City, Kalinga - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Kalinga will be having dialogue with the involved parties and local government units, along with the concerned agencies, next month to address two major land disputes earlier endorsed by the Kalinga Bodong Council of Elders (KBCE).

Based on the copies of the KCBE’s endorsement letters with attachments obtained by Guru Press Cordillera, a series of meetings regarding the mentioned problems were taken before they were endorsed by the elders to the provincial legislative council.

Led by its Chairman Johnny Maymaya Sr., the KCBE said they met with the NCIP-Kalinga and DENR-CENRO/PENRO for consultations and coordination. During their meetings, it was agreed that the problem cannot just be resolved by the said offices and must be brought to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for ‘appropriate action.’

The first issue involves the ‘long-standing’ boundary dispute between Poswoy-Ababa-an, Balbalan, and Limos Pinukpuk. The KBCE forwarded this case to the SP in a letter addressed to Board Member Christopher D. Dona-al (Chairman of the Committee on Boundaries and Landmarks) and Micheal Karel B. Sugguiyao (Chairman of the Committee on Tribal Affairs, Ancestral Domains, and Arts and Culture).

The second concerns the complaint of a woman over alleged land grabbing by certain individuals from Lubuagan in Iwichon, Dangtalan, Pasil. This case, meantime, was endorsed in a separate letter addressed to Board Member Emilio T. Kitongan (Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Public Order, and Safety), Dona-al, and Sugguiyao.

Upon receiving the endorsement letters, the members of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan, led by Vice-Governor Dave Odiem, convened on September 23 at the legislative building, wherein different approaches to address the issues were recommended. Board Member Camilo Lammawin stressed the necessity of getting needed documents as well as pushing for surveys to have grounded understanding of the issues for a win-win solution to be reached.

Leaders of the involved barangays and KCBE Chairman Maymaya were also present during the meeting, where they also conveyed their suggestions.

However, the participants adopted the motion of Lammwin, who proposed a holistic approach by first hearing the positions of all involved individuals, along with the respective LGUs and the concerned agencies.

“Datayo ti agpaayaben kadagiti involved LGUs and parties ta alaen tayo daijay pontos da, and from there kitan tayo to diay steps nga maaramid, proseso. So kasla holistic nga approach daytoy ta ada garud kadatayon… Preliminaries paylang met… tapno maaamwan tayo dagiti problema,” Lammawin said, which the legislative body agreed to.

As approved, the first of a series of dialogues will be conducted on October 7 (Tuesday), 2025, at the Legislative Building in Bulanao, Tabuk City.