BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) started the month-long celebration of the 34th Founding Anniversary of the Cordillera Administrative Region with a region-wide tree-planting activity on July 1, 2021.
A total of 4,965 seedlings were planted across the region for the opening of the celebration. The activity was led by Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR-CAR) Regional Executive Director Ralph C. Pablo as chairperson of this year’s host committee, the Sectoral Committee on Watershed and Environmental Management. In Baguio City, trees were planted on Forbes Park Parcel 3 along Ambuklao Road by members of the committee including the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR) Regional Director Cameron Odsey, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG-CAR) OIC Regional Director Araceli San Jose, and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR) Regional Director Victoria Abrera, together with representatives from government agencies, non-government organizations and uniformed personnel.
As part of the kick-off program, a pitik was led by Tuba Indigenous Peoples’ Mandatory Representative Mr. Felix Siplat to ask for blessings for this year’s celebration. This traditional ritual was conducted at the DENR-CAR Regional Office compound and was then followed by a hybrid Kapihan conference.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “Working Together Towards Cordillera Autonomy through Green Recovery,” highlights the use of environment-friendly production and resource management practices in livelihood and other economic activities to attain sustainable regional recovery and development towards Cordillera Autonomy.
Director Pablo enjoined the public to participate in the scheduled events which include webinars on green technologies for sustainable livelihood. The Cordillera Day Celebration is set on July 15 and the State of the Region Address will be delivered on July 30 to mark the culmination of the month-long celebration. The Cordillera Administrative Region was founded through Executive Order 220 signed on July 15, 1987 as a transitory region for an autonomous region as mandated by the Philippine Constitution. The Cordillera Month Celebration is an RDC-led initiative showcasing the rich culture of the region and the unwavering spirit of the Cordillerans in their pursuit for regional autonomy.**By Bob Lyndon B. Daroya, NEDA-SPCAR
