English - Balay Mindanaw

Part 3 - Mga Paghusay: Concepts and Practices in Conflict ResolutionIt is said that the punishment for a datu who commits acrime is grave. This is because as a datu he was presumed tohave full knowledge of the balaud and has no excuse to violateit. Tatay Malindahay told this story of Datu Dayan-dayan,who was sentenced to death in the hands of the alimaongsafter he eloped with a married woman.Datu Dayan-DayanDatu Dayan-dayan was a resident of barangay Kalipay andwas ordained at almost the same time as Tatay Malindahay.Datu Dayan-dayan eloped with a married Higaunon woman.The couple went to Tama in the municipality of Magsaysay.In Tama, the datus and alimaong sentenced Datu Dayandayanto death after having been found guilty. TatayMalindahay revealed that Datu Dayan-dayan was even madeto dig his own grave in the presence of many people, whereeveryone present was warned not to follow what the datudid. After the incident, the woman returned to Kalipay whereshe was interrogated if it was her free will to elope with DatuDayan-dayan. According to Higaunon laws, the womanwould also be sentenced with death if found guilty. But thewoman said that Datu Dayan-dayan only forced her, and soshe was spared the death penalty and allowed to go home toher husband.Tatay Malindahay noted that among the serious offensesthat merit death usually are murder and wife stealing. Crimessuch as stealing properties and anything concerning land couldbe settled by the use of manggad or payment. The offender willbe made to pay the manggad and he will be banished. But adatu who commits even minor crimes like stealing and landgrabbing will be immediately stripped of his title because heno longer commands respect among his constituents.This case pertains to an unmarried woman who had an143