By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent
BUTUAN City––Tension gripped a village here as a tribal group hinted of defiance and warned of bloodshed as a result of a June 2 court order for the Tribal Coalition of Mindanao (Tricom) to vacate a 1,200-square meter property in Purok 6, Barangay Kinamlutan, this city.
The property where the Tricom regional office is located serves as a quarters for indigenes in Caraga and other regions in Mindanao who come to this city. The lot forms part of 2,480 square meters owned by the family of Aurelio Talibong Jr. which was foreclosed by the Rural Bank of Cabadbaran Inc..
But Tricom leader Victoriano Vidal and his wife Dolores have claimed to have purchased the 1,200 square meters. They were able to secure a Court of Appeals order for the bank to pay them for the improvements they made, including the cost of the construction of the Tricom office.
The tension started when a court sheriff with policemen came and tried to demolish the Tricom office early this week on the basis of an order from the Regional Trial Court, resulting in a commotion.
The Vidals and their supporters argued that they would no longer be able to collect anything from the bank if they vacated the place and allowed the demolition. A group led by leaders of the Manobo Mamanwa Sectoral Tribal Council has been guarding the Tricom office. Its members, armed with tribal weapons, have vowed to block attempts to demolish the office.
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