THE PEOPLES CORDI DAY

April 26, 2025 Opinion

The heart of Cordillera Day beats strongest on April 24th, the true and most meaningful commemoration for the Cordillera people. There are two celebrations of Cordillera Day, but the truest, and the most meaningful is the people’s celebration. This infamous day marks the
death of tribal leader Macliing Dulag’s murder in 1980 by the hands of state forces in his quiet Bugnay Village in the province of Kalinga.
Author, activist and human rights advocate, Luchie Maranan puts is as simple as this “the military killed tribal chieftain Macli-ing Dulag of the Butbut tribe and injured Pedro Dungoc, another leader of the Kalinga and Bontok peoples, over their opposition to the Chico River
Basin Hydroelectric Dam Project (CRBHDP).

Until 1984, April 24 was commemorated as Macliing Memorial Day; in 1985, as various provinces in the Cordillera region strengthened their unity and solidarity, it became known as Cordillera Day. In 1984, after trailblazing the Kaigorotan-wide defense of land, life, and resources, the CBA and 26 organizations founded the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA). In 1985, the CPA declared every 24th of April as “Cordillera Day” to honor the martyrdom of Macli-ing Dulag and other equally courageous martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect the ancestral domain from plunder and destruction.” I never met Macliing Dulag, I only know of him, I visited his village long after his death and met his son, Francis, who met a tragic death a year later in a road accident. Bugnay is a small community, with residents who are a bit wary of outsiders, as history showed unto them, the death of a beloved chieftain.

Through the years Macli-ing Dulag became the symbol of resistance not only in the region but also the entire community of defenders all over the world. His short but meaningful life has been the example of selfless service for the defenseless, a fitting commemoration for Cordillera Day. And through the years of covering grassroot concerns, I have come to understand the need for a people’s celebration of Cordillera Day. Cordillera Day lies not in a generically curated celebration, but a solemn remembrance of Macliing Dulag’s sacrifice and the ongoing struggle for self-determination and the defense of ancestral domain. It emphasizes the grassroots origins of this commemoration and its deep connection to the historical injustices faced by the Cordillera people. By highlighting Macliing Dulag’s transformation into a global symbol of resistance, a powerful message of courage, unity, and the enduring fight for justice.