English - Balay Mindanaw

Part 2 - Four Datus: Stories of the Higaunon LifeSome of the active Baes of Sitio Kiudto and other parts of the Talugan.was good because all the parties involved complied with thedatu’s instructions. But it is different nowadays, noted AmbaPalasambag, because if the datu imposes his decision uponthose who come to seek help for a settlement may just stagea walkout. Amba Palasambag further noted that there wasnot a single case he heard wherein the parties questioned orresisted the decision and advice of the datu.Knowing the cause of the conflict is the first thing to do ina conflict situation. “What we usually do is to investigate thecause of the conflict, how it started.” The datu must possessthe ability to check the facts and look for evidence. During theactual settlement, the best thing to do for a datu is to listen toboth parties, establish rapport with them, and then give hisadvice. During the actual settlement, the dasang is the commonmedium used to tone down the hatred of each party. “On mypart, even if my companions would get mad at me, I wouldnot feel insulted. I would just laugh. I believe we should just41