Kuwentong Peyups by Atty. Dennis Gorecho
Support for the indigenous people’s struggles and their defense of ancestral lands took center stage during final night of the annual fair at Sunken Garden of the University of the Philippines (UP Fair) in Diliman Quezon City.
The stage during the UP Fair is never just a stage, as the week-long event serves as a platform for artists to combine music with social activism, calling for action against corruption and injustice.
The theme for 2026 is “Rak Kontra Korap” that aims to give awareness on specific social issues each day: Kalye Tunes on Wednesday for urban struggles and the rights of the marginalized ; Quest on Thursday for queer empowerment and women’s rights; Elements on Friday for peasant rights and agrarian reform; and Rev on Saturday for ancestral land defense.
The Saturday segment (Rev) coincided with the celebration in Manila of the 42nd Cordillera Day at the Quezon Memorial Circle in honor of slain tribal leader Macliing Dulag.
It was in the evening of April 24, 1980 when soldiers fired at two houses in the village of Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga that caused Macli-ing’s death from multiple gunshots.
He was one of the leaders of the Kalinga tribes opposing the World Bank-funded 1,010-megawatt Chico River Basin Hydroelectric Dam Project of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Despite the lack of a formal education, Macli-ing knew that the project would eventually displace thousands of his people from their ancestral lands and destroy million worth of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Macli-ing was killed by government forces in an attempt to silence him but his murder was a catalyst that united the peoples of the Cordillera in opposition against the dam.
One of his famous quote on the people’s reverence for the land, affirming their right to stay, states: “You ask if we own the land and mock us saying, ‘Where is your title?’ When we ask the meaning of your words, you answer with taunting arrogance, ‘Where are the documents to prove that you own the land?’ Titles? Documents? Proof of ownership. Such arrogance to speak of owning the land when we instead are owned by it. How can you own that which will outlive you? Only the race owns the land because the race lives forever.”
The Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) said that “Cordi day carries with it the historical advances of the mass movement for self determination and national democracy.”
I joined in the 1990s three Cordillera Day celebrations: two in Benguet (Itogon and Mankayan) and another in Sagada, Mountain Province.
“The indigenous peoples’ struggle for their rights has long been enduring. Their struggle for the recognition of their rights to land and self-determination is rooted in their effort for cultural and human survival. We should honor the struggle of our people,” according to my UP Law professor and now Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonon in the case of Sama vs People (G.R. No. 224469, Jan. 05, 2021).
Originally held in September, UP Fair started in the early 1980s as an avenue or dissent against the Martial Law era of then dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
It was in 1984 when the UP fair was institutionalized as a fundraising activity by student organizations led for the University Student Council (USC) and considered the biggest student-initiated activity in UP Diliman.
What started as a simple “perya-like” event, the UP Fair was moved to February and has evolved into a full-blown celebration of Philippine art, music, and culture as well as a platform for change.
UP Fair has promoted several bands and talents, homegrown and non-UP alike, which include The Jerks, The Dawn, Buklod, Moonstar88, Yano, Sinaglahi, Patatag, Ebe Dancel, Lola Amour, Sponge Cola, Morissette and Eraserheads being the most famous among them.
The Eraserheads made their first performance at the UP Fair on February 1991 which came two years after Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro, and Raymund Marasigan formed the band in 1989.
They performed again at the UP Fair 1992 with their set included cover versions of The Knack’s “My Sharona” and John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey”.
Buddy and Raymund were my roommates for two years (1989 to 1991) at the Molave dorm during my last college years.
“Ikulong na yan, Mga Kurakot” chant reverberated for four days as the rhythm of resistance roars louder than ever.
The music festival makes one cherish the concept of academic freedom.
The performances are manifestations of the culture of resistance and persistence of UP as a safe haven for civilized and intelligent discourse of all beliefs and forms of democratic expression.
More than a festival, it’s a week-long platform where art and advocacy collide which brings people together not just to revel in melodies but to rise in solidarity.
(𝑃𝑒𝑦𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑠 𝑅. 𝐺𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧 𝐵𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑤 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑒-𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜@𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧.𝑐𝑜𝑚, 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙0908-8665786.)
