This happened on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Glamang River in Barangay Datal Anggas, Alabel, Sarangani, in the southern Philippines. Police and local papers name the two men as Tonny Bulanon Mansag, 69, and Gaspar Tusan Palasanon, 49, both farmers from the barangay. Per Inquirer, they went into the river around 10 a.m. to perform the ritual, which they had turned to after the dispute failed to settle at the barangay level. They stayed under for about 12 minutes. Mansag was declared dead on arrival at Sarangani Provincial Hospital, and Palasanon died hours later in hospital.
The X post's wording is sharper than the reporting. The Manila Bulletin says bystanders pulled them out, and police first learned of it from a Facebook video during a cyber patrol. The post's claim that the crowd only realized they were dead after about 12 minutes isn't in these reports.
The ritual is called sulif, and it is practised by some Indigenous communities in Southern Mindanao. The Mindanao Sentinel notes that accounts use different names and attribute it to different communities, and that some say it was not traditionally used for land ownership. Indigenous leaders have asked for a review of how it is applied, and police are still investigating the circumstances.
Also discussed here:
- Two Bits at a Time, Through a Stranger's iPhone
🕒 As of October 2026
