BAGUIO CITY (PIA) -- The 36th Cordillera Month celebration will kick off on Saturday, July 1, 2023, in the city with the  theme,” Celebrating One, Resilient, Diverse and Inclusive (CORDI) Journey Towards Regional Autonomy.”

Traditional rituals to be performed by elders at the Ibaloi Heritage Garden will set about the  month-long celebration.

The formal program will be held at the University of Baguio gymnasium starting at 9:00AM with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and UB president Engr. Javier Herminio Bautista to  deliver the welcome messages.

 RDC Chairperson and Apayao Governor Elias Bulut Jr. will give the opening remarks .  Representatives and governors  from the different Cordillera  provinces and Baguio City  will deliver their solidarity messages.

Cordillera Month calendar of activities will also be presented during the program.  

The  beating of the Cordillera Unity  Gong  and   community dance will cap the  morning activities.

At 3:00PM  at the Atrium,  SM City Baguio will be e pre-search activity for the Mr. and Ms. Cordillera Autonomy Youth Ambassadors 2023

The candidates from the different provinces will be formally presented to the public during the event. They will also be showcasing their talents as well as their autonomy pitch videos and their casual interviews.

They will also be highlighting the colorful fabric and weaves from their localities thru a fashion show featuring textile products of the Department of Science and Technology -supported micro small and medium enterprises.

This year’s theme aims to revitalize the pursuit of autonomy by involving wider stakeholders and inculcating the Cordillera heritage through indigenous knowledge, systems, practices and traditions.

Taking the  lead  in this year’s celebration  is the    Cordillera Regional Development Council –– Committee on Indigenous Peoples Concerns (CIPC) chaired by Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr. with National Commission on Indigenous People – Cordillera headed by Regional Director Atty. Atanacio Addog, and with  Apayao as the host province .  

 The main program will be held in the province Apayao on July 15. This day has been declared by Malacanang  thru Presidential Proclamation No. 250 (signed on June 5, 2023) as  a special non-working  holiday in CAR.

It can be recalled that the Cordillera Administrative Region  was created under Executive Order 220 signed by the President Corazon C. Aquino  on July 15, 1997. (JDP/RMC- PIA CAR)