Manila: Efforts to end clan wars involving huge Moro families in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Special Geographic Area (SGA) are gaining headway, with four long-standing rido (clan feuds) settled on Sunday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Rafsan Johnny A. Abdul, division chief of the Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Division, said the feuding clans publicly pledged to maintain peace by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), reaffirming their commitment to reconciliation.

The conflicts were settled between armed groups in various areas of Aleosan, North Cotabato, particularly in Barangays Pagangan and Bagolibas, as well as in communities in the town of Tugunan in SGA-BARMM.

'The emotional high point was the kandililaya (forgiveness) ritual, a powerful symbolic act where former adversaries embraced,' Abdul said. The feuds stemmed from various reasons, including land disputes and crimes inflicted on each other.

Abdul explained the guiding principles of the MPOS to the former warring families, which are based on the '4Ps'-Pasasalamat (Gratitude), Pagkakasundo (Reconciliation), Pagkakaisa (Unity) and Pag-unlad (Development).

MPOS recognized the roles played by its peacekeeping partners, including Member of Parliament Mohammad Kelie U. Antao, Municipal Local Government Units of Aleosan, Tugunan and Nabalawag, local police, and the 34th, 11th, and 40th Infantry Battalions of the 6th Infantry Division, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.