By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
It’s very late in the afternoon of Friday, the 13th, as I write this piece. It’s a holiday in the Cordillera region.
Incidentally, it’s the 38th year when former Pres. Corazon Aquino signed an agreement with the Cordillera Budong Association-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army , a peace agreement or a peace pact. It effectively led to the secession of rebellious hostilities in the region led by the CPLA.
Sipat, it maybe said, is an enduring legacy of the C. Aquino administration. It provided an opportunity for Cordillera to become a real autonomous region like the BARRM. Never mind if that region is now in a little turmoil as one of its component province, Sulu, has just won a Supreme Court decision for it to be separated from that region.
The agreement is even perceived as a possible model on how peace can be achieved.
As we know, the agreement is a preparatory process towards a more important and permanent outcome. As practiced in Kalinga, Sipat is the exchange of peace tokens for instance, between warring tribes. For the Sept. 13, 1986 event, CBA-CPLA gave spear and shield while the government provided an assault rifle, a Bible and a rosary. This made it possible for then Pres C. Aquino to issue Executive Order 220, creating the Cordillera Administrative Region. Next is to prepare for autonomy.
The Tagalog term, sipat, is very apt to use also in the creation of CAR as it means carefully looking at things to see if it is in order. The Ilocano term, sipat-which means slap, is definitely out of the equation. It could be used though if the eventual objective of an autonomous region will not materialize.
After almost 4 decades after that 1986 agreement, autonomy is still far from reality. Is it near oblivion? Two plebiscites for the purpose were soundly rejected by the region’s inhabitants. This points to a failure of our politicians, or concerned Cordillerans to craft a proposed organic act that is acceptable to the majority of the people in the region.
Around year 2001, I headed a BSU team to visit the rebel-returnees’(members of CPLA) village in sitio Ileb, Barangay Nambaran, Tabuk city to assess what could be done to help the rebel returnees in their community. Turned out that what they needed was better addressed by other agencies although BSU could still contribute a little to their cause.
During our visit, the road going to Tabuk city itself was not so decent. Now that road is a driver’s haven. Even the highway from Nambaran to Tuguegarao had greatly improved, widened and a real sight to behold. However, passing by the rebel-returnees village in sitio Ileb, your heart will sink as no progress is obvious. It is almost forgotten? If that small patch of land could not be improved with better houses, complete with electric and water services what more with one whole city, one whole province and the region in general? As it is now, autonomy is in real jeopardy.
I am sure we are not the hallucinating type of people. Every province in the region, as a matter of fact, had somehow improved-some with greater leap than the others since that Sipat agreement. All the provincial capitals in the 6 provinces have tremendously moved forward; and so with many other towns. It is a testament of our ability to make things better if our mind and resources are focused properly, devoid of latent selfish spice.
Obviously, we are mainly concerned with how our own provinces will progress, forgetting the wider view. To each his own; competition which is more of the selfish type is the norm. That’s why autonomy is not even near a good plan.
Perhaps a compact group of well-meaning individuals who are not coveting political posts within the immediate future should be selected and convened to quietly make researches and plans. The provision in the 1987 Constitution for the creation of autonomy that is related to the common historical, cultural, and economic background should be put in proper perspective. Members could come from the academe, professionals, youth groups, senior citizens, etc. A maximum of 30-40 of such individuals should be sufficient for the purpose. A smaller group of experienced individuals could be tasked to do the next step of reviewing the proposed plan. Some of the sitting governors, and mayors could be involved.
The sitting congressmen in the Cordillera should then take the cudgels for the autonomy in Congress.
Let SIPAT agreement forged in 1986 take its due course. Selfish interests should be set aside.**
