Cordillera autonomy bills pushed

By Dexter See

BAGUIO CITY: The chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government has expressed support to passage of pending measures in Congress for the establishment of an autonomous region in the Cordillera pursuant to pertinent provisions of the Constitution mandating the creation of self-ruled regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera in Northern Luzon.

Sen. Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, said he will be engaging Cordillera lawmakers in the coming weeks to discuss the pending bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the formation of the Cordillera Autonomous Region even as he is also working on a proposed extension of the transition period for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao.

According to Tolentino, he will defer to the Cordillera lawmakers on matters involving the region's quest for autonomy, saying they are fully aware of the situation on the ground and the clamor of the people so that the constitutional provisions on putting up another autonomous region will be fulfilled.

On July 15, 2021, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) will be celebrating its 34th founding anniversary as a special temporary administrative region while waiting for ongoing efforts for the establishment of the autonomous region.

House Bill (HB) 5687 and HB 7778 authored by all Cordillera representatives and Senate Bill 1232 authored by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri all seek to establish the Cordillera Autonomous Region in line with the provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Tolentino assured he will schedule the meeting with the Cordillera lawmakers after July 15.

The CAR was created by virtue of Executive Order (EO) 220 issued by then-President Corazon Aquino on July 15, 1987 when she was still exercising both executive and legislative powers under the former revolutionary government that was established after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.

Under EO 220, the provinces of Abra, Benguet and Mountain Province and Baguio City were taken from Region 1 combined with the provinces of Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao from Region 2 to compose the administrative region.

Further, this region was supposed to oversee affairs of the government in the Cordillera, accelerate its socio-economic development and prepare it for autonomy.

Autonomy advocates believe the establishment of the autonomous region will propel growth and development in the Cordillera because the regional government will be able to craft programs, policies and projects suitable to the prevailing situation and help move people out from the shackles of poverty with lesser restraint from outside forces.

The Regional Development Council in the Cordillera is spearheading the ongoing drive for regional autonomy through various information and education campaigns, capacity-building and program monitoring and evaluation interventions to help achieve the dream for regional autonomy.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/02/news/regions/cordillera-autonomy-bills-pushed/1805373