31st Cordillera Month to highlight youth

By Marlo T. Lubguban

BAGUIO CITY – The 31st Cordillera Month celebrations in July is on with the technical working group of the development administration committee of the Regional Development Council meeting recently to iron out details of events .

The provincial government of Ifugao will host the month-long celebration. On the drawing board are returning activities such as Cordillera’s Got Talent and the Cultural Summit on Cordillera Heritage. The annual Unity Gong relay remains the center piece of the annual festivity.

The proposed theme of this year’s Cordillera Month program focuses on the role of the youth as the future of Cordillera.

The committee will identify young Cordillerans who can serve as advocates for regional autonomy.

Events for the youth such as provincial fun runs, youth concerts led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines – North Luzon Command together with the Philippine National Police and a skills event on good governance are some of the proposed activities for the month.

The theme and the list of activities including route of the Unity Gong relay among others have yet to be finalized.

The Cordillera Month celebration commemorates the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as a transitory government towards a regional autonomous government per Executive Order 220.

Its primary event is the annual Unity Gong relay, the symbol of Cordillera unity towards autonomy.

The Unity Gong is passed from one CAR province to another within one week and culminates its journey in the host province every July 15 – the anniversary of the creation of the region