Claims of a kidnapping that alarmed parents from Sanafe, Lamut, Ifugao, were debunked during the 41st Peoples’ Cordillera Day.
The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), in a report assured the safety of the 17 youth who were alleged to have been abducted, confirming that all were registered delegates of the event.
On Friday, April 25, concerned parents, accompanied by the Philippine National Police (PNP), traveled to Baguio City to check on their children. They were assisted by Municipal Social Welfare Officers from Lamut, Ifugao, and the Baguio City Social Welfare Development Office, along with Baguio City Councilor Arthur Allad-iw.
The worried parents were reunited with the youth delegates, who had all been invited through Happiyo, an Ifugao-based environmental organization. Documents indicate that Happiyo facilitated travel arrangements with the understanding, based on verbal assurances, that parents and guardians had been informed and had given their consent, thus foregoing formal waivers for the group of minors.
Following a debriefing and a review of the 41st Peoples’ Cordillera Day programs, agreements were signed by the parents and the youth, attesting that the activities were not illegal and that no coercion was involved in attending the commemoration.
After a dialogue with Cordillera Day organizers, police, and welfare representatives, the parents decided to bring the group of 17 youths back home to Ifugao.
In a statement, the CPA asserted, “Before they [the youth] went to Baguio, they were oriented, registered, and voluntarily consented to be part of the event. They were also accompanied by a parent and a guardian, similar to some of the other youth.”
The CPA further noted, “When the Lamut PNP accompanied the worried parents and staff from CIDG Baguio, Baguio City Police Office, Baguio CSWDO, Lamut MSWDO, LGU Lamut, and BLGU Sanafe to the event, armed men with long rifles were also present outside the venue and were seen taking pictures of the delegates without their consent.”
The CPA believes this to be “a systematic scheme of the state to discredit the mass movement and the historical significance of Peoples’ Cordillera Day.”
Hundreds of youth attended the annual commemoration, themed “Assert, Persist, Advance,” on April 25 and 26 in Baguio City. The event featured talks, open dialogues, and cultural presentations.
Casselle Ton of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance stated, “This is not the first time that they have attempted to discredit or stop the Peoples’ Cordillera Day. In spite of this, we will never falter. We believe that Peoples’ Cordillera Day is an important contribution to the building of social consciousness, especially among the youth.”
Ton emphasized the importance of youth participation in such events, particularly in light of “rampant disinformation in social media and red-tagging by state forces in their communities and schools.”
The Peoples’ Cordillera Day, formerly known as Macli-ing Memorial Day, was first held in 1985 to honor the valor of Cordillera martyrs and the ongoing Cordillera mass movement for self-determination and national democracy. Maria Elena Catajan
