Macliing Dulag: The Defiant Pangat
April 17, 2017
On April 23, 2017 in Tinglayan Kalinga, we pay tribute to all heroes of the Chico Struggle with the unveiling of the marker dedicated to all men and women of the Chico resistance, such as Macliing Dulag. This historic occasion is part of the 2017 Cordillera Day (33rd) commemoration. From Tinglayan, delegates will proceed to Brgy. Balantoy in Balbalan for Cordillera Day 2017.
The name Macliing Dulag is always recalled whenever the historical Chico Dam struggle is remembered. Macliing was a true leader and a hero that united the people to fight against the project that will destroy villages in Kalinga and Bontok.
Ama Macliing, a pangat (peacepact holder) was the youngest of the five children born in the village of Bugnay, of the Butbut tribe in Upper Tinglayan, Kalinga. His descendants estimate his birth year to be in the early 1930s.
His resistance against the Chico River Basin Development Project in 1965 and refusal of bribery led to his death on the night of April 24, 1980. The government deemed him to be a thorn. Ama Macliing was assassinated by soldiers led by Philippine Army Sgt. Leodegario Adalem while he was at home. His friend and closest ally Pedro Dungoc, Sr. ,who was next door, was also wounded but survived to take on the leadership for the struggle against the Chico Dam Project. ***
Source: Cordillera Heroes published by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact