Cordillera Day 2007 to Uphold People’s Rights, Politics of Change

This year’s Cordillera Day is not only the commemoration of the death of Dulag and other martyrs. It is also a call to strengthen the indigenous peoples’ unity against development aggression in the Cordillera region

BY ROBERT A. PAMBID
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

BAGUIO CITY – This year’s Cordillera Day activities, to be hosted by the Tongtongan ti Umili (TTU, People’s Forum) and the Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti (ORNUS, Organization of the Poor from the Sitios of Abra) in this city, will focus on the themes of people’s rights and the “politics of change.”

Cordillera Day started in 1984 as a commemoration of the death of Kalinga leader Macliing Dulag, who was gunned down by Army troops led by Leodegario Adalem on April 24, 1980.

Dulag's death enraged the Kalinga and Bontok peoples and instead of frightening them, strengthened their determination to defend their collective rights over their land and resources against a common enemy – the Marcos dictatorship and World Bank (WB)-funded Chico Dam project, which entailed the construction of four big dams along the Chico River in Bontoc and Kalinga.

“(With the) broadening of the Cordillera mass movement encompassing all the provinces of the Cordillera, the commemoration started to be called as Cordillera Day in 1985,” a Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) statement read..

CPA vice chair for internal affairs Xavier Akien said this year’s Cordillera Day is not only the commemoration of the death of Dulag and other martyrs; it is also a call to strengthen the indigenous peoples’ unity against development aggression in the Cordillera region.

Akien said Cordillera Day is celebrated yearly because of the continuous entry of many mining, logging and dam projects in the region. He added the celebration aims to increase the awareness of Cordillera IP’s and block the entry of destructive projects in the region.

“Cordillera day is a venue for the Cordillera people to get together and talk about their problems and to celebrate their victories from the past,” Akien added.

The two-day celebration includes photo exhibits, display of indigenous products, a concert, film showings, a March rally at the City’s main streets and cultural presentations among others. Akien stressed that the celebration also aims to educate the public about the Politics of Change. He said a tribute to Cordillera martyrs would be one of the activity’s highlights.

He said provincial delegates will present through cultural forms, major regional issues confronting the Cordillera people such as political killings (Kalinga), mining and development aggression (Apayao), urban poor demolition, housing and basic services (Metro Baguio) imperialism in agriculture (Benguet), warlordism and electoral violence (Abra) and government neglect and corruption (Mountain Province and Ifugao).

Around 3,000 delegates from indigenous communities from the Cordillera provinces and other regions are expected to be part of this year’s Cordillera Day. Support groups, friends and allies of the Cordillera people here and abroad are also expected to attend the celebrations. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat

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