04/25/2026
Anakbayan Toronto stands with the calls for the liberation, self-determination, and defense of the Cordilleras!
April 24th is Cordillera People’s Day, marking 42 years since the murder of Kalinga chief and land defender Macli-ing Dulag by the Marcos regime. Macli-ing Dulag’s assasination sparked a unified resistance of the Cordillera Peoples against the World Bank-backed Chico River Dam, forcing the Marcos regime to abandon the destructive project.
The legacy of this resistance is marked and celebrated over 40 years later as the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples continue to fight for land, life and livelihood that is threatened by increasing mining, militarization, targeted attacks, harassment and “red-tagging” against Indigenous activists, resulting in forced disappearances and murder by state forces, such as the abductions of Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus.
Activism is not a crime. The protection of land, life and livelihood is not a crime! Anakbayan Toronto joins in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Cordillera Region to oppose the US-backed puppet government, exploitative corporations, and their forces, who seek to destroy the land and lives of Indigenous Peoples in the name of profit. While Canada and the Philippines claim to protect Indigenous Peoples and the environment, their interests and actions prove opposite. Canadian military agreements such as the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement as well as Canadian-owned and funded mining corporations actively contribute to endangering communities and harming the resource-rich environment. All for the profit of the imperialists and puppet government, and at the deadly expense of the Peoples who have cared for and protected the land for millenia.
We in the diaspora understand our connected struggle borne out of labour export and forced migration - as Filipinos on Turtle Island we stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples worldwide as we fight for genuine liberation and self-determination for all.
May our struggles unite us in the face of repression!
Indigenous Youth Rise!
Assert the right to Land, Life and Livelihood!
Isang bagsak!
