Conrado Balweg was a former Filipino Catholic priest and rebel who was the founder of the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army, a militant group which advocated

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

for the

Cordillera region The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR; ilo, Rehion/Deppaar Administratibo ti Kordiliera; fil, Rehiyong Pampangasiwaan ng Cordillera), also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera (), is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...

in the Philippines. He was also known by the '' nom-de-guerre'' Ka Ambo.

Career

Balweg, a member of the Tingguian people, was ordained a priest of the

Society of the Divine Word The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation ...

congregation by Pope

Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

in 1970 during the latter's pastoral visit to Manila. He joined the New People's Army in 1979 when he was inspired to fight for the Cordillera people after tribal leader Macli-ing Dulag was killed that same year. Dulag was opposed to a plan of the government to build a hydroelectric dam in the Cordilleras. In the early 1980s, the Armed Forces of the Philippines had tagged Balweg as its most-wanted man with a bounty of . As an NPA member, he was part of the Lumbaya Company. Balweg formed the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) in 1986 with fellow priest, Bruno Ortega. Under his leadership, the CPLA made a "''sipat''" or ceasefire with the Philippine government at the Mt. Data Hotel, in Bauko,

Mountain Province Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as ''Mountain'' in some foreign references. The name is usually short ...

on September 13, 1986. The agreement between the two sides was called the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord.

Death

Members of the Chadli Molintas Cordillera Region Command of the New People's Army killed Balweg at his residence in Malibcong, Abra in the early morning of December 31, 1999. The unit was led by his brother Juvencio, who denied firing the shots that fatally wounded Balweg. The New People's Army issued a statement that they killed Balweg for alleged "crimes against the Cordilleran people and the Revolutionary Movement". Another NPA member, Procorpio Tauro also known as "Pyro" and "Ka Lito", was found by the Philippine police to be directly responsible for killing Balweg. Tauro, along with Balweg's brother and other NPA members were present when the killing occurred.

Personal life

Balweg was married to Corazon Cortel. Upon Balweg's death in 1999, Cortel became the Chief of Staff of the CPLA. Cortel died at Camp Upi in Gamu, Isabela on March 10, 2008 leaving behind five children. Jordan, one of Balweg's children, was a CPLA member who was integrated into the Philippine Army in 2012.

In popular culture

Balweg's turn from a priest to a communist rebel was depicted in the 1987 film ''

Balweg ''Balweg'' (marketed as ''Balweg, the Rebel Priest'') is a 1987 Filipino biographical action drama film directed by Antonio Perez. Inspired by the life of Catholic priest turned communist rebel Conrado Balweg, it stars Phillip Salvador as the e ...

'', directed by Anthony "Butch" Perez and starring Phillip Salvador as Balweg and Rio Locsin as his wife Azon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balweg, Conrado 1942 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Filipino Roman Catholic priests Assassinated Filipino people Filipino communists Northern Luzon during martial law under Ferdinand Marcos People from Abra (province)