This year's celebrations carry the theme "Conserving the Environment Towards a Greener Cordillera". It will be hosted by the province of Apayao. Activities will start in July 9 at the town of Luna in said province. Events include a unity gong relay that will pass through all provinces of the region, tree planting activities, a job fair, an agricultural trade fair, a biodiversity exhibit, eco-tours, and forums on environmental governance, environmental biodiversity, and autonomy.
The celebrations will culminate on July 15 with a program and a parade in Luna. Invited to speak on the program is Senator Koko Pimental, a supporter of Cordillera autonomy.
The Cordillera Administrative Region was officially created on July 15, 1987 when then Philippine President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order 220. The order separated Abra, Benguet and Mountain Province from the Ilocos region and Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao from the Cagayan Valley to create a new administrative region. Kalinga-Apayao remained as one province until they were split in 1995 through the enactment of Republic Act No. 7878.
CAR now has 6 provinces, 2 cities, and 75 municipalities. The latest census (2010) put the region's population at 1,616,867.
Photo by Daniel Feliciano / The Cordilleran Sun. |