Cordillera Peoples Alliance
Baguio City Philippines
 Me at Three Mines Lookout in Baguio City
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The start of any visit to the Cordillera region in the Philippines begins in Baguio City. While Baguio has become the "getaway" for many urban Pilipinos, it is still a city steeped in local culture and tradition. Once you pass the shopping arcades, locals in native dress and the ponies rented for picture taking, you can see the vastness of the region from high atop the Three Mines Lookout. Just below the Lookout there are homes with grave sites on the property, an ancient Igorot tradition. Mines dot the mountainsides, symbols of modernity. In Baguio, you have your feet in both worlds. |
| Before venturing out of Baguio to visit the mines and the mining village, we spent the day at the headquarters of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA). The CPA is a non-governmental organization (NGO) formed 1984 to address the many issues concerning indigenous rights of tribal communities in the Cordillera. CPA originated during a congress of 27 indigenous organizations meeting in the mountain province of Bontoc. The main goal of this new organization was to defend the ancestral tribal lands and their right to self-determination. |  CPA officials briefing group members at their headquarters in Baguio
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 Trying to get a Grasp of the Vastness of the Cordillera Region
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There is a wide variety of problems facing the many remote areas of the Cordillera. These include environmental destruction, erosion of traditional cultural and ethnic practices and the Philippine government's continued military action against alleged communist rebels and local sympathizers. There has also been an increase of activity by multinational corporations in the field of mining and oil exploration. Recently the Philippine government has begun exploiting the Cordillera for its rich source of water, necessary for urban consumption and the production of hydroelectric power. Indigenous peoples throughout the region fear the loss of their land and unique lifestyle in the name of progress. |
| Officials of the CPA briefed the participants of the Philippines Studies Program on the pressing issues in the region and prepared us for the visit to the remote mining village. They explained the purpose of the organization and particular ongoing efforts to preserve and protect indigenous rights. They further explained the delicate balance necessary in dealing with native tribal leaders in long standing disputes between warring tribes. According to the CPA, the Philippine government is ill-equipped to deal with important native issues, because representatives from the National Capital Region are not familiar with the region and the culture and customs of its people. They bring with them the problems of graft and corruption that plague the Philippine government a system that is self-serving and tends to cater to corporate interest. |  Political and Social Activism are Key Points of the CPA Agenda |
