Bauko, Mt. Province – Leaders in Cordillera region commemorated the 36th Sipat Peace Accord through an offering ritual led by Indigenous Person Mandatory Representative of Sinto, Bauko at the Mount Data Hotel.
To recall, the government officials led by then President Corazon Aquino signed on September 13, 1986, a peace agreement with the local armed group Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA) headed by former priest Conrado Balweg.
It was said that during the forging of the peace pact, President Aquino gave a bible, rosary, and an Armalite to Balweg, who in turn, gifted the chief executive with a shield, spear, and bolo as a symbolic exchange of tokens.
Accordingly, the Sipat Peace Accord led to the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region.
This September 13, 2022, local officials, including guests and stakeholders, held a program, calling for peace and unity towards self-governance.
Part of the activity was the signing of the peace agreement between the Betwagan tribe of Sadanga, Mountain Province and Butbut tribe of Tinglayan, Kalinga.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPPAPRU) Peace Consultant Thomas Killip, through the regional Philippine Information Office, said the peace covenant should materialize a clearer demarcation of boundary, strengthen the resolve to seek lasting resolution of conflict of warring communities, and enhance the development of Mount Data as a peace center for the Cordillera.
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