BAGUIO CITY(PIA) — Cordillerans commemorate the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord on Friday, September 13, 2024, at the historic Mount Data Hotel in Bauko, Mountain Province.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, is the guest of honor and speaker in the 38th commemoration of the successful peace talks that resulted to the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region(CAR).
The program will kick off with the opening preliminaries by the Mountain Province State University who will lead a tribute song and performance while Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr. will give the opening remarks.
Pag-asa Goldamir Balweg, daughter of the late rebel priest Conrado Balweg, will give a message of peace while former Cordillera Executive Board Director Philip Tinggonong will provide a tribute to the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord.
Mountain Province Congressman Maximo Dalog Jr. will lead the Cordillera’s call for regional autonomy followed by a message of support to Cordillera peace and development by Department of Transportation – CAR Regional Director Joshua Pablito.
To recall, on Sept. 13, 1986, the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) led by rebel priest Conrado Balweg entered into a peace deal to end hostilities between the armed group and governments forces in the region, at the Mount Data Hotel in Bauko, Mountain Province.
Both parties formalized the peace agreement through a ‘sipat’ or peace pact, with the exchange of peace tokens to symbolize sincerity and commitment. It was called the Mount Data Peace Accord or ‘Sipat’. This historic event led to the signing of Executive Order 220 in 1987 creating the Cordillera Administrative Region to serve as a transitory structure towards the establishment of an autonomous Cordillera region.
The 1986 Mount Data Sipat was the first peace pact successfully entered into by the national government during the Cory Aquino administration. In commemoration of its 38th anniversary, Malacanang has issued Proclamation No. 672 declaring Sept. 13, 2024 as a special non-working day in the Cordillera for the people to have the full opportunity to participate in the occasion.
The Sipat commemoration is one of the highlights of the National Peace Consciousness Month in September. This year’s theme, “Transforming Minds, Transforming Lives,” focused on the implementation of signed peace agreements between the government and the different groups and stakeholders. **JDP/RMC-PIA CAR