We at the Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC) join the Cordillera Peoples Alliance and its network in celebrating the 41st Annual Peoples’ Cordillera Day. This year’s commemoration is marked by an important issue about energy transition and Indigenous Peoples’ rights in the Cordillera, carrying the theme: “Protect the Environment. Defend Ancestral Lands and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights.”
The Cordillera region, rich in natural resources and minerals, has long been a target for extraction by private and government companies. These projects have consistently faced strong resistance from local communities, who defend their ancestral lands and resources against mining, logging, and energy development threats. This legacy of resistance is deeply rooted, as seen in historic struggles such as the fight against the Chico Dams in Kalinga and the Cellophil logging project in Abra. For the people of the Cordillera, land is life—it is the foundation of their livelihood, identity, and culture. At present, there are 107 energy projects, and 105 large-scale mining projects awarded in the region.
The Energy Summit urgently calls for greater awareness and action on how development aggression and the climate crisis threaten the rights of the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples. It aims to understand the current situation of renewable energy and mineral extraction, and to find strong solutions to protect communities from harm and human rights abuses.
CDPC stands firmly behind this advocacy. We are currently engaged in ongoing, community-led research collaborations with professors from various universities to study the impacts of proposed hydropower projects on communities along the Saltan River in Kalinga province. These partnerships have produced valuable outputs, including baseline studies on the hydropower projects and built community skills in mapping and geonarratives. Additionally, the Saltan River hydrology studies were conducted, highlighting potential impacts of the proposed dams such as increased flood risks and water resource imbalances that could threaten local livelihoods and the environment. All these research efforts are aimed at supporting the ongoing campaign of the affected communities against the proposed hydropower projects along the Saltan River, equipping them with additional knowledge and tools to defend their ancestral lands and livelihoods.
Through this work, CDPC reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advance the rights and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples in the Cordillera, in line with the summit’s call to protect the environment and uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights in the face of energy transition challenges. We stand united with the Cordillera mass movement in demanding justice and righteousness for those advancing these critical advocacies and those facing fabricated charges of libel, cyber libel, terrorism and financing terrorism.###