LAGAWE, Ifugao- – People’s awareness on autonomy in the province will be enhanced in the coming months with the help of the newly tooled advocates consisting of municipal and barangay officials and some government employees.
The Regional Development Council (RDC) in partnership with the provincial government conducted a re-tooling workshop for local officials and some government employees in this town to boost their skills and knowledge in conducting grassroots advocacy on autonomy.
Rosemarie Lindawan and William Mamanglo, both from the provincial government, and members of the provincial speaker’s team, shared their knowledge on autonomy to the would-be municipal speakers.
Lindawan discussed the basic concepts and the roadmap for achieving autonomy toward federalism, history of the Cordillera and the struggle for autonomy including the core messages while the salient features of Cordillera autonomy were tackled by Mamanglo.
To enhance the skills of the participants in conducting grassroots information, education campaign (IEC), Dr. Jeng Jeng Bolintao of the Ifugao State University discussed development skills and audience identification.
Regional autonomy is viewed as the central theme of Cordillera development. With autonomy, the RDC envisions that the Cordillera will have enhanced regional identity, responsive policies, and progress for all sectors. Municipal and barangay officials are key parts of their plan to reach as many Cordillerans as possible
A similar training was conducted by NEDA in Kalinga where 40 participants were trained and committed to raise awareness of and support for Cordillera autonomy.
Officials from the provinces of Abra, Benguet, and Mountain Province and the City of Baguio were trained in 2018. **JDP/MBL-PIA CAR, Ifugao
