2025 Cordillera Month: Kalinga officials show support to Cordillera’s fight for Autonomy

Baguio City, Philippines - Kalinga officials showed full support for long-dreamed Cordillera autonomy during the opening celebration of the 38th Cordillera Month held in Baguio City on July 1, 2025. 

Led by Governor James Edduba, the Kalinga delegation joined the grand parade and main program at the Baguio Convention Center, with the theme “Securing the Future with a Unified Cordillera.” 

The kick-off was hosted by the city government of Baguio under Mayor Benjamin Magalong. 

Joining the governor were Vice-Governor Dave Odiem; Sangguniang Panlalawigan members Camilo Lamawin Jr., Emilio Kitongan, Alfredo Dangani, Roger Saga-oc, and Harley Duguiang; and the department heads from the provincial government. 

Leaders of the other provinces in the region were also present during the said event.

Edduba, in an interview, said the presence of Kalinga leaders in the event is not just for formality but to show that the province is fully committed to the region’s shared goal for autonomy. He added it is time for Cordillerans to shape their own future. 

“We believe in one Cordillera, one future, and one voice. Ti agbalin nga autonomous region ti Cordillera ket saan lang nga basta arapaap, but is our right,” added the governor. 

The Cordillera’s long fight for autonomy 

The dream of autonomy began many years ago. In the 1980s, many Cordillerans, including the people of Kalinga, stood up against government projects that threatened their ancestral lands. One of the most remembered was the Chico River Dam Project, which the people resisted because it would destroy their communities and way of life. 

In 1986, after peace talks between the national government and Cordillera leaders, the Mt. Data Peace Accord was signed.

This led to the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). But CAR was only meant to be a step forward toward real autonomy, where the region could govern itself based on its culture and needs. 

Since then, attempts to make the region autonomous have failed. The most common factor is the lack of support from the people because they did not fully understand what autonomy meant. 

Why fight for autonomy? 

Today, Cordillera is the only region in the country created by an executive order and not by law. That makes the region temporary and limited in power. Without autonomy, Cordillerans rely on a national system that often doesn’t match their unique culture, geography, and way of living. 

For said reason, the Cordilleran leaders have been pushing for the region to become autonomous. The fight for autonomy is about protecting the region’s ancestral lands, customs, and identity and having the power to create policies that truly respond to the needs of the people.