Space, Memory, and the Right to Be Remembered: The Case of the Heroes’ Monument of the Butbut Tribe in Kalinga Province

This chapter focuses on the significance of the Anti-Chico Dam Heroes’ Monument in the province of Kalinga, Philippines, and delves into the multifaceted dynamics of politics, space, and memory. The primary objective is to explore how these elements contribute to historical distortion and counternarratives’ emergence. In October 2020, the Department of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines issued an order to demolish the Anti-Chico Dam Heroes’ Monument in Kalinga, citing its alleged obstruction of a national road. Erected in 2017 by the residents of Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga, in collaboration with the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), the monument stands as a commemoration of prominent figures such as Macli-ing Dulag, Pedro Dungoc, Sr., Lumbaya Gayudan, and the Indigenous Peoples’ struggle against the Chico River Basin Development during the 1970s and 1980s—an era that posed a significant threat to their ancestral domain. Furthermore, this chapter investigates how the media portrayed the state’s narrative in contrast to the narrative of the resistance against the Chico Dam construction spanning the 1970s to the 1980s. It also considers the context of the demolition of the Heroes’ Monument in Bugnay in 2021. Through a comprehensive analysis of historical data and news articles, the narrative unfolds, illustrating Indigenous peoples’ profound attachment to their ancestral lands and the heroes’ monument itself. Finally, this chapter explores the influential role played by the politics of memory and the shaping of stories in history, particularly regarding the monument’s conception, construction, and eventual demolition. These aspects underscore the monument’s transformation into a contested space where the state’s narrative clashes with counternarratives. Now, it serves as a tangible symbol imbued with the memory of struggles against forced displacement, the pursuit of self-determination, militarization, and the perpetuation of historical distortion. The monument stands as a testament to these ongoing battles for remembrance and justice.