PRO Cordillera RD PEREDO JR. joined the commemoration of the “Sipat” Peace Accord in Bauko, Mt. Province

PRO Cordillera Regional Director, PBGEN DAVID K PEREO, JR., attended the 37th Mount Data “Sipat” (Peace Accord) Commemoration held at Mount Data Hotel, Bauko, Mountain Province, on September 13, 2023.

Also present during the event were PCOL SIBLY P DAWIGUEY JR., the Provincial Director of the Mountain Province Police Provincial Office; PLTCOL CAROLINA F LACUATA, Chief of the Regional Public Information Office; and other PRO Cordillera key officers.

Other key personalities present were Hon. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan Jr., Provincial Governor of Mountain Province; Hon. James S. Edduba, Provincial Governor of Kalinga; Hon. Francis O. Taulif, Vice Governor of Mountain Province, other local leaders and officials, and notable representatives from the private sector and civil society groups.

The program was graced by Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity as the Keynote Speaker, and was highlighted with the symbolic offering, or “Atang” and the weaving of the 37 Strings of Peace, underscoring the significance of unity and reconciliation.

The Mount Data Peace Accord, or Sipat, was originally inked on September 13, 1986, after the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA), led by rebel priest-turned-government militia leader Conrado Balweg, met with then president Corazon Aquino at the Mount Data Hotel in Bauko, Mountain Province.

Further, Proclamation 324 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, has officially declared September 13 as a special non-working holiday in the Cordillera region.

With the theme “Kapayapaan: Responsibilidad ng Bawat Mamayan,” the event aims to raise awareness and foster understanding of the comprehensive peace process among the Filipino people. (PRO CORDILLERA-PIO / File photos)