More than 1,000 people participated in the 41st Peoples’ Cordillera Day held in Baguio City on April 24. The participants reaffirmed the long-standing struggle of the Cordillera people for self-determination, environmental protection, and the defense of human rights. The annual commemoration, which began in 1985 as Macli-ing Memorial Day, pays tribute to the courage of the martyrs of the Cordillera and the continuing movement for freedom and democracy.

Delegates from all provinces of the Cordillera, as well as from the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Mindanao, and even from overseas, attended the gathering. They signed a unity declaration to protect the environment, defend ancestral lands, and assert the rights of minority peoples.

A part of the cultural program was dedicated to marking the second year since the enforced disappearance of Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus, activist defenders of minority rights.

“At the 41st Peoples’ Cordillera Day, we will stand firm and continue the fight against the ongoing and intensifying threats to the Cordillera for the present and future generations,” the activity participants vowed. These threats include large-scale mining, renewable energy projects, and state repression–which are all being pushed in the name of “development” and “green solutions.”

One of the most controversial issues facing the region is the Makilala Mining Company, owned by the Australian Celsius Resources, which is targeting barangays in Pasil, Kalinga. In March 2024, the Marcos Jr government granted the company a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA), after a ₱4.42 billion investment from the Maharlika Investment Corporation.

Residents and minority peoples strongly opposed this. More than 100 residents from Tabuk and Pasil signed a unity statement against mining, which threatens the Upper Chico River Irrigation System and ancestral lands. A Kalinga resident stated, “We will remain vigilant against this foreign company until they leave our community.”

On the morning of April 24, residents went from the office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples on Magsaysay Avenue in Baguio City to call for the cancellation of the application and to stop Makilala Mining’s operations.

The threat of “green projects” to the environment and communities is also severe. These include the 108 renewable energy projects in the region the Marcos government approved–including hydropower, geothermal, solar, and wind farms. These projects are marketed as “alternative sources of energy,” but in reality, they cause widespread deforestation, loss of habitat, and threats to food security. One of these, the 2,000-MW pumped storage project of SM Investments Corporation in Pudtol, Apayao, threatens the fourth UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

According to the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), “We did not falter nor stopped. We remained as CPA and as people who continue to fight. This truly shows an assertion of our rights: the right to fight, the assertion of a correct history, the determination to fight the rotten system that should be put to an end.”

Alongside environmental destruction, state attacks on human rights defenders and indigenous leaders have also intensified. These include Red-tagging, filing of fabricated cases, surveillance, and military harassment. In response, Baguio City passed the Human Rights Defenders Ordinance, recognizing the city as a “human rights city.”

Despite these challenges, the communities’ struggle continues. In May 2024, Itogon small-scale miners barricaded against the expansion of large companies, while Abra residents blocked the operations of a foreign company, leading to the formation of an anti-mining coalition.

At the end of Peoples’ Cordillera Day, participants expressed their support for the 11 senatorial candidates of the Koalisyong Makabayan. According to the CPA’s statement, “It may be that the calls are repetitive, but we repeat them because the situation has not changed. Unless it changes, we will continue to assert our rights, persevere in the struggle, and push for genuine change.”

The coalition’s Meeting de Avance was launched at Malcolm Square in Baguio City, under the call Laban Amianan.

The 41st Peoples’ Cordillera Day is proof of the resilience and unity of the Cordillera people in defending their land, rights, and future. Aside from Baguio City, Cordillera Day was also held in Metro Manila, Tabuk City, and Hong Kong.