By LORENCE SISON
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY—Years before the EDSA uprising shook the authoritarian rule of Ferdinand E. Marcos, resistance had already begun in the mountains of the Cordillera.

Ibaloy activist and Martial Law survivor Joanna Cariño said indigenous leaders fought against land grabbing, militarization, and oppressive government projects. The 2019 Gwangju Human Rights Award underscored that before the EDSA uprising, these campaigns laid the foundation for a broader people’s movement, culminating in the historic overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship.

“Bago pa ang People Power, people of Cordillera stopped the development aggression projects. Naging malaking bahagi ang kaigorotan ng People Power,” Cariño said.

(Even before People Power, the people of the Cordillera stopped development aggression projects. The Igorot people played a significant role in People Power.)

Her fellow former university faculty members, Celia Austria and Daisy Macapanpan, joined Cariño in recalling and sharing the significant role of the Cordillera people’s movement in overthrowing the Marcos dictatorship during the EDSA People Power anniversary on February 25 at the University of the Philippines Baguio.

They highlighted how the success of the historic Anti-Chico Dam and Anti-Cellophil Movements strengthened local communities and demonstrated the power of collective action against an authoritarian government.

Cariño considered the 1977 Bodong Conference a turning point in her awareness of the oppression faced by the Cordillera under Martial Law. She said the event played a crucial role in shaping collective resistance, uniting various tribes from several Cordillera provinces against the injustices they faced.

The Bodong System (Peace Pact) is a judicial system where tribal leaders form agreements and alliances.

The Anti-Chico Dam struggle led to the military assassination of Kalinga leader Macli-ing Dulag in 1980. His death further galvanized opposition, eventually forcing the government to cancel the project in 1983.

“The People Power movement would not have happened without the painstaking 14 years of organizing and the persistence of the people. It all came together in EDSA,” Cariño said.

The sperakers also acknowledged the role of UP Baguio as a safe space for activists in Baguio.

Cariño recalled an international convention at Pines Hotel during Martial Law, headed by a Marcos crony. Private armed personnel chased and beat activists, forcing them to seek refuge inside the campus. The university was barricaded, and students and faculty feared physical assault if they left.

She also recalled how then-UPCB Dean Sophie Catbagan supported the anti-Marcos movement at the university.

“During Martial Law, the whole university was threatened. The students stood with the faculty, and the dean was very supportive. Despite the internal issues faced by Catbagan, she was very helpful in the struggle against Marcos,” Cariño said.

Teachers’ movement

In 1981, Austria, then a professor at the University of the Philippines College Baguio (UPCB), spearheaded the formation of Timpuyog Dagiti Mangisursuro ti UPCB, the first workers’ union at the university, to address labor issues.

The union collaborated with university members to establish a tri-sectoral coalition, which organized a three-week work stoppage that year to demand higher salaries for faculty members.

“Pumapasok kami pero walang nagtuturo. Pinapaliwanag namin sa mga estudyante na importanteng talakayin at suriin ang mga pang-ekonomiyang isyu… at the end of it, nakakuha tayo ng four-step salary increase,” Austria said.

(We reported to work, but no one was teaching. We explained to the students that it was important to discuss and analyze economic issues… In the end, we secured a four-step salary increase.)

After their successful campaign at the university, other teachers sought Austria’s advice to replicate the movement in their schools.

“Lumabas ang lahat ng teachers sa Baguio para ikampanya ang salary standardization for teachers,” Austria recalled.

(All the teachers in Baguio took to the streets to campaign for salary standardization for teachers.)

Progressive, nationalist culture

Macapanpan recalled the successful mass mobilizations, attributing them to the effective organizing efforts of activists who united different sectors to bring their demands to the streets. She noted that the regime’s repressive atmosphere led student activism to take on more creative forms of resistance.

She described how the UPCB campus became filled with art that expressed opposition to Marcos’ rule. It was during this time that Dulaang UPCB was formed, staging theater plays depicting the struggles of the Cordillera people.

“Punong puno ng sining ang UPCB. (Noong) 1983 ang unang makasining na rally isinulong ng mga kababaihan ng kaigorotan,” she recalled.

(UPCB was filled with art. In 1983, the first artistic protest was led by the women of the Cordillera.)

The former professor also remembered Himigsikan, a songwriting competition at the university that became another avenue for artistic activism.

“Makabayang sining at panitikan ang isinulong sa UPB. Mananalo ka kapag ang kanta mo ay tungkol sa sarili at samahang makabayan,” Macapanpan said.

(Nationalist art and literature flourished at UPB. You would win if your song was about identity and patriotism.)

EDSA in Baguio

When Cardinal Jaime Sin called for mobilization at EDSA, Austria was on her way back to Baguio. She immediately proceeded to the gathering at Baguio Cathedral to support the People Power movement.

Macapanpan also rushed to the cathedral to join the protest.

“Nangyayari na ang kasaysayan, ano, magpapaiwan ba ako?” she said.

(History was unfolding—was I going to be left behind?)

Austria, Cariño, and Macapanpan emphasized that while the EDSA Revolution was a milestone in Philippine history, the fight did not end there. Cariño urged the youth to continue resisting government oppression.

“Habang patuloy ang oppression ng human rights, this breeds resistance. Napatalsik natin ang diktador, it took so long pero there are lessons to be learned,” Cariño said.

(As long as human rights oppression continues, resistance will persist. We ousted the dictator—it took a long time, but there are lessons to be learned.)

“Habang nandiyan ang kabataang aktibista, we will overcome, and we will win,” she added.

(As long as young activists remain, we will overcome, and we will win. # nordis.net