BAGUIO CITY – The Committee on Indigenous Peoples’ Concerns (CIPC) of the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) reviewed and endorsed the proposed activities for the 2023 Cordillera Month Celebration during its Special Meeting on March 2, 2023. It also adopted the theme, “Celebrating One Resilient, Diverse, and Inclusive (CORDI) Journey Toward Autonomy”.
This year’s celebration in July is expected to revive the festive nature of the event as experienced prior to the pandemic. The second round of the Search for Mr. and Miss Youth Autonomy Ambassadors, “Timek ti Agtutubo ti Cordillera para iti Autonomiya” is also one of the main features. Asst. Regional Dir. Stephanie F. Christiansen of NEDA-CAR shared that the first search for youth ambassadors has surfaced a core of speakers who could articulate regional autonomy in the language of the youth. She expressed confidence that the cost of the activity is easily outweighed by the benefits as their engagement is sustained through the RDC Social Preparation of CAR into an Autonomous Region (SPCAR) Program.
The Committee, together with the local governments, will conduct the localized Unity Gong Relays drawing from the experience in 2022. This strategy brings the autonomy agenda to more Cordillerans in the rural communities and not limited to the provincial towns.
Locals can also look forward to the learning activities such as the webinar series on indigenous knowledge, systems, and practices, as well as the public demonstration of the various ethno-linguistic groups who call the Cordillera their home.
The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples will be the lead agency with the CIPC, chaired by Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, as the host Committee. By Victor Eugene Caccam
