BAGUIO CITY – Regional Development Council Chair and Abra Gov. Joy Bernos challenged the Cordillera congressmen to be sincere in having the proposed Cordillera Organic Act passed during the December 12 Multi-stakeholder Gathering for Cordillera autonomy. Bernos recalled her time as representative of Abra when she viewed the filing of the proposed Cordillera Organic Act as mere compliance. Bernos cited a lack of commitment among the congressmen before. The event was organized by NEDA-CAR in coordination with the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) and the CAR congressmen.
“Challenge accepted”, said neophyte Cong. Maximo Dalog, Jr. of Mountain Province who recalled his father’s staunch advocacy of self-determination for the Cordillera. “This is to correct a historical injustice”, he added, calling to mind the region’s history of development aggression and its status as the watershed for all major rivers of Northern Luzon.
“This has the best chance of passing”, said Ifugao representative Solomon Chungalao who was involved in the commission that drafted the first Cordillera Organic Act in 1989 which was submitted to Congress. Chungalao recalled that the national lawmakers came up with a reduced and watered-down version of the first draft to the point that the original drafters actively campaigned against it in the 1990 plebiscite. The congressman from Ifugao shared that one of the provisions removed from the previous Organic Acts was on the complete control and supervision over its natural resources by the Autonomous Region. This, according to Chungalao, is the essence of autonomy. He added that the Cordillera congressmen unanimously agreed to include this in the current proposed law. Chungalao previously stated that he wanted to draft an Organic Act that he can personally defend and support.
The congressman further shared that the authors of the bill have been gathering support from as much as a hundred members of the Lower House of Congress to co-author the proposed Cordillera Organic Act. The bill has been cited as a unanimous agreement between all the CAR representatives. Cong. Allen Jesse Mangaoang of Kalinga recalled the difficulty in having representatives from the different Cordillera provinces and the City of Baguio work together towards the common regional goal. He has repeatedly given emphasis to the constitutional obligation of Cordilleran congressmen to pursue the establishment of the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera. Further, one major change that Mangaoang proposed is to channel government subsidy towards revenue-generating projects to prepare the region for true fiscal autonomy after the 10 years of national government subsidy is over.
“We are doing this to improve the quality of life of our people here in the Cordillera. There is no point in adding another political structure just to accommodate politicians”, Cong. Mark Go of Baguio City shared. He likewise asserted that people of the Cordillera, having control and supervision, must also be the first to benefit from its natural resources, unlike in the past.
Go also cited his previous hesitation in supporting the autonomy movement. However, he has since come around and promoted the benefits of autonomous governance for the Cordillera. Go cited that autonomy will not only boost the region’s economy but also help and contribute to the national economy.
Additionally, the proposed definition in House Bill 5687 is that the term Cordilleran has changed to apply to all citizens of the Philippines who are residents for at least one (1) year within the ARC. “We do not discriminate, we [indigenous peoples] have been discriminated against, this bill is all-embracing”, Dalog said.
Since 2008, through its Social Preparation of CAR into an Autonomous Region (NEDA-SPCAR) program, NEDA has conducted Information, Education and Communication (IEC), Alliance Building (AB), and Capability Building (CAP) activities to raise awareness of and gains support for Cordillera autonomy.
All Cordillera provinces and the chartered city of Baguio represented by their respective Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Panlungsod presented their respective resolutions which expressed their support to the autonomy pursuit. Regional Directors Milagros Rimando of NEDA and Marlo Iringan of DILG presented the statements of support from the RDC-CAR and the Cordillera Association of Regional Executives (CARE), as vice-chair and president, respectively. RDC-CAR Private Sector Representative for Abra, Philip Tingonong likewise presented the Cordillera Civil Society Organizations’ manifesto of support. Through vice-chair Representative Police Regional Office Cordillera Deputy Director PB Gen, Joseph Gohel, the Regional Peace and Order Council also presented their statement of support.
HB 5687 was filed on December 2, 2019. Ifugao Congressman Solomon Chungalao underscored the unanimous approval of all the Cordillera congressmen of the bill which they all signed as authors. He added that the Cordilleran solons are currently gathering the aid of other members of the Lower House as they have already guaranteed the backing of the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle Committee chaired by Abra Cong. Joseph Bernos. Continuing his championing of the Cordillera and autonomous governance, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri filed his counter-part bill on December 11, 2019 as announced by the Cordillera congressmen.
Guest speaker PLLO Undersecretary Gerard Salapantan represented Sec. Adelino Sitoy in the event. Salapantan committed his office and ensured its passage in both Houses of Congress. PLLO Assistant Secretary Orville Ballitoc shared that they are working to get Cordillera autonomy as one of the legislative priorities of the administration. PLLO has committed to Cordillera autonomy in line with the President’s agenda of Federalism. Ballitoc, who is also from Ifugao, said that his office is working with the RDC through NEDA-CAR towards a repeat of the 2017 meeting of Cordillera leaders with President Rodrigo Duterte to be held early 2020.
The Cordillera Regional Development Council, with NEDA-CAR as secretariat, spearheaded the renewed pursuit of Cordillera autonomy through a resolution in 2006 and through the NEDA Social Preparation of CAR into an Autonomous Region (NEDA-SPCAR) Program in 2008. NEDA-CAR Regional Director Milagros Rimando said that awareness and support for Cordillera Autonomy has continued to grow over the years. It has grown, particularly, in the grassroots sector which was the primary target of information dissemination efforts.** By Marlo Lubguban, NEDA-SPCAR
