Cordillera was an UNPO member between 1991 and 2015. 

The Cordillera region in northern Luzon, Philippines, is home to a diverse population of Indigenous peoples collectively known as the Igorot, who have maintained distinct cultural identities, communal land systems, and traditional governance practices for centuries. The region has faced significant environmental and socio-political challenges, particularly related to large-scale mining, dam construction, and militarisation. Government-backed extractive projects have threatened ancestral lands, leading to deforestation, displacement, and degradation of water sources critical to Indigenous agriculture and daily life. These environmental pressures are compounded by the lack of formal recognition of Indigenous land rights, despite the passage of Indigenous  Peoples’ Right Act (IPRA) in 1997, which has seen uneven implementation across the region. 

Alongside these environmental and land-related issues, communities in the Cordillera face increasing political repression. Indigenous leaders and activists, particularly those opposing mining and development projects, have been subjected to red-tagging, harassment, and extrajudicial killings. The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) established in 1984, has played a leading role in organising grassroots resistance, promoting Indigenous rights, and advocating for regional autonomy within the Philippine state. Through its participation in international platforms like UNPO, the CPA has brought global attention to the threats facing Cordillera communities, asserting their right to self-determination, cultural integrity, and environmental protection. 

The Cordillera region of northern Luzon is home to a diverse group of Indigenous peoples collectively known as the Igorot, whose cultural identity is deeply rooted in their ancestral land, communal traditions, and long-standing knowledge systems. Distinct ethnolinguistic groups—including the Ifugao, Kankanaey, Bontok, Ibaloy, Kalingo, and Tingguian—maintain vibrant cultural practices shaped by their mountainous environment. One of the most iconic symbols of this identity is the rice terraces, cultivated over centuries through sophisticated Indigenous engineering and ecological knowledge. Languages remain vital within many communities, supporting oral traditions, storytelling, and the transmission of values across generations. Rituals tied to agricultural cycles, ancestor veneration, and community harmony continue to play a central role in daily life, often guided by elders and spiritual leaders. 

Customary law, such as the bondong peace pact system, reflects the emphasis on collective decision-making and inter-community relationships. Traditional arts—including weaving, woodcarving, tattooing, and music serve as expressions of identity, history, and resistance, and are passed on through family lines and community apprenticeships. While modern pressures such as urbanisation, migration, and formal education systems have influenced cultural transmission, many Cordilleran communities continue to actively preserve and adapt their heritage. This enduring connection to land, language, and spirituality remains a cornerstone of Indigenous identity in the region. 

The Cordillera region in northern Luzon has been inhabited for thousands of years by Indigenous communities, who developed complex agricultural and social systems adapted to the mountainous terrain. Pre-colonial Cordilleran communities were politically autonomous and practiced advanced forms of agriculture, including the renowned Ifugao rice terraces, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These societies were decentralised, but maintained strong inter-community networks through trade, kinship, and peace pacts. 

During the Spanish colonial period (1565-1898), Spanish authorities failed to penetrate much of the Cordillera due to its rugged terrain and persistent Indigenous resistance. Attempts at Christianisation and subjugation were largely unsuccessful, and the region retained a high degree of cultural and political autonomy. This changed under American rule (1898-1946), when its colonial government incorporated the Cordillera into the “Mountain Province” and classified its inhabitants as “non-Christian tribes.” American administrators introduced road-building, public schools, and mining regulations that opened Indigenous lands to external control while still maintaining the image of the region as a frontier distinct from the Christianised Lowlands. 

After the Philippine independence in 1946, development policies treated the Cordillera primarily as a source of natural resources. Massive logging concessions and mining operations, many granted without the free, prior, and informed consent of local communities, threatened Indigenous land and livelihood. In the 1970s and 1980s, resistance grew, particularly against the Chico River Hydroelectric Dam project, which would have displaced thousands of Kalinga and Bontok families. The dam was halted following strong local opposition and the 1980 assassination of Indigenous leader Macliing Dulag, which became a catalyst for the modern Indigenous people’s movement in the Philippines. 

In the post-Marcos era, Cordilleran communities have continued to push for genuine recognition of ancestral land rights and regional autonomy. The 1987 Philippine Constitution recognized the rights of Indigenous cultural communities, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 provided a legal framework for ancestral domain claims. However, implementation remains uneven. Today, the Cordillera region is known not only for its rich cultural heritage and biodiversity, but also for its continued assertion of Indigenous identity, land stewardship, and local governance rooted in customary law and collective memory.