BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Cordillera office of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-CAR) reported to the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) the status of the social preparation of the Cordillera as an autonomous region, one of the major thrusts of the region’s policy-making body since it embarked on autonomy as its overarching agenda to spur development regionwide.
Jadea Aquino, NEDA-CAR assistant regional director and RDC-CAR secretary, said as of March 30, 2017, there is already one project lined up for alliance-building, 7 projects for information and education campaign, and 4 projects for capability-building, while in 2016, there were 3 completed projects for alliance-building, 2 completed and 2 ongoing projects for information and education and 2 completed and 1 ongoing project for capability-building.
In 2015, she added 5 projects were completed for alliance-building, 6 completed and 5 ongoing projects for information and education campaign, and 4 completed projects for capability-building.
Aquino explained in 2017, some P1,502,918 was obligated from the P15 million annual allocation for the social preparation of Cordillera as an autonomous region while only P1,004,097 was released and P695,178 was released for the programmed projects.
In 2016, only P11,436,486 of the P15 million appropriation was obligated, P11,101,120 was released but only P8,327,460 was liquidated while in 2015, P14,972,170 of the P15 million appropriation was obligated, P13,174,549 was released but only P10,362,176 was liquidated.
In 2014, the P15 million annual appropriation was fully obligated, but only P14,307,968 was released and P13,290,655 was liquidated by the different implementing agencies and local governments which were granted funds for alliance-building, information and education campaign and capability-building.
According to her, NEDA-CAR partnered with various civil society organizations and spearheaded various information and education campaign, alliance-building and capability-building activities to disseminate the needed information on autonomy and federalism.
Aquino pointed out with the thrust of the Duterte administration on federalism, the RDC-CAR retrained and re-tooled its information and education campaign speakers on autonomy and federalism focusing on autonomy for the Cordillera towards federalism while its continuous linkage with the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elicited the advice from its leaders for the guarantee that the national government understands the Cordillera .
Among the upcoming activities of the RDC-CAR in relation to the region’s quest for autonomy include the information and education campaign to Youth Environmentalist Society members and students of the Benguet State University (BSU), launching of the first Cordillera monograph and the Macli-ing Dulag and Pedro Dungoc memorial with information and education campaign in Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga.
Aquino assured the RDC-Car will continue to involve concerned stakeholders in the aggressive campaign on autonomy towards federalism with the filing of the proposed autonomy bill in Congress by the seven Cordillera congressmen last March 20, 2017.
By HENT