Dulaang UP welcomes 1st Cordilleran director
By Maria Elena Catajan photo courtesy of Roger Federico
Culture bearers stand proud for Roger Federico, who is now the first Cordilleran Managing Director of Dulaang UP (University of the Philippines Diliman).
Federico’s journey began with a community theater program in Mankayan, which fueled his dream to pursue his studies and go into the arts.
“My engagement with Cordillera Green Network (CGN) theater projects inspired me to pursue further studies,” Federico said. “Every summer during college, I joined CGN for their theater workshops. I also returned to the Gambang Theater Guild to conduct workshops. These experiences helped me learn more about my culture and realize what I truly wanted as a theater artist and educator.”
Federico is an assistant professor at the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, College of Arts and Letters. He previously served as a Marketing Manager for Dulaan UP from 2024 to 2025 and as a Sales Manager and advisor for the PAGTA UP Diliman Chapter.
“Theater is not just a form of entertainment, but also a powerful way to promote different advocacies,” Federico stated. “It is a space where we can create a community that recognizes and celebrates diversity. As a member of an indigenous community, I urge my fellow Cordillerans, especially the youth, to explore theater as a tool to celebrate our identities with the bigger Filipino community and the rest of the world in mind.”
In 2022, Federico was awarded with the first Inspiring Young Achievers Movers Annual Awards (IYAMAN), organized by the Benguet Indigenous Youth Arts Guild under the Province of Benguet.
Director and artist Angelo Aurelio, who mentored Federico in 2010, said, “Roger’s success story is a testament to the profound impact of our community theater initiatives. We urge the government to continue supporting these vital programs, empowering more individuals like Roger to shine.”
Aurelio emphasized that Federico’s success shows how a simple community theater program in the highlands can inspire a dream to promote the importance of theater in a community.
In 2009, after CGN visited Lepanto National High School and conducted a theater workshop, the Gambang Theater Guild was formed with Federico as one of its pioneer members.
“As we celebrate his success, we’re reminded that our School of Living Traditions and community theaters based on Environmental Education, like the Cordilleras Green Network, are more than just platforms for artistic expression,” Aurelio said. “They’re incubators for talent, creativity, and social change.”
In 2010, the Aanak di Kabiligan Community Theater was also formed. Federico underwent a series of workshops and performances in various locations across the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and in 2011, he was part of the official delegation which performed in Japan.
In a community where theater is not a priority, Federico emphasizes its necessity and its contribution to society. “Theater empowers us to narrate our stories, address our struggles, and share our aspirations, while honoring the richness of our Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP),” Federico explained. “Through performance, we can teach other people about the values passed down to us by our ancestors—such as inayan, og-ogfo, and binnadang—and to preserve our traditions for generations to come.”
