BAGUIO CITY – The seven Cordillera lawmakers fulfilled their earlier commitment to autonomy advocates as they personally filed a bill in the House of Representatives seeking the establishment of an Autonomous Region of the Cordillera (ARC).
House Bill (HB) 5687 authored by Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang, Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Y. Dalog, Jr., Apayao Rep. Elias C. Bulut, Jr., Ifugao Rep. Solomon Chungalao, Benguet Rep. Nestor B. Fongwan, Sr. and Baguio City Rep. Mark Go was filed by the Cordillera lawmakers last Monday and is now awaiting its referral to the House committee on local government.
Fongwan was not able to sign the bill and join his colleagues in the filing of the bill as he was attending to special district concerns but his fellow lawmakers assured that he is supportive of the region’s renewed quest for autonomy.
“ We will start the conduct of consultations and public hearings on December 12, 2019 in Baguio city where there will be a related event spearheaded by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) so that we will maximize the available opportunities to seek the stand of Cordillerans on the refiled and improved version of the proposed autonomy bill,” Mangaoang stressed.
Earlier, the Cordillera congressmen committed to file the proposed autonomy bill in the House last October 28, 2019 but due to the various proposals from the different sectors that had to be consolidated, the same took time to be filed until last Monday.
Under the bill’s explanatory note, the proponents cited Section 15, Article X of the 1987 Constitution which provides for the creation of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras that will consist of provinces, cities, municipalities, and geographical areas sharing common historical and cultural heritage, economic and social structures and other relevant characteristics.
“Pursuant to this mandate, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was created in 1989 through Republic Act 6374. In 2001, Congress passed Republic Act 9054 to expand the territory and powers of the ARMM. During the 17th Congress, Republic Act 11054, also known as the “Bangsamoro Organic Law” (BOL) was enacted to establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and abolish the ARMM. In early 2019, the BOL was ratified through a plebiscite, marking the transition from ARMM to BARMM. On the other hand, an autonomous region in the Cordilleras has yet to be realized,” the explanatory note said.
The authors also said two Organic Acts for an autonomous region were enacted in 1990 and in 1998 however, both measures were rejected by the Cordillerans due to the insufficiency of provision that will guarantee genuine autonomy and self-governance and the lack of time to intensify the information and education campaign for the Cordillerans to understand the true essence of autonomy.
“Following these two failed attempts, extensive information dissemination campaigns and public consultations were conducted to craft a legislative measure that truly reflects the need and aspiration of the people of the Cordilleras for regional autonomy. In recent years the movement for autonomy finds fortitude in the commitment of the Duterte Administration to support this Constitutional mandate,” they said.
The Cordillera lawmakers believe that autonomy shall serve as the foundation upon which the people of Cordillera shall be empowered to pursue sustainable and inclusive growth, through the management of their natural resources, protection and development of ancestral lands, and the promotion of the rights and culture of the indigenous people of the Cordillera.
“It is through its progress and growth as an autonomous political entity that the Cordillerans can tap its potentials and contribute to national success. The collective aspiration of the Cordillerans for genuine autonomy is rooted on the right to self-determination of the people fueled by a long history of struggle for the recognition of their rights. It is high time that we make good on this Constitutional mandate, and allow the Cordillerans to determine their political status and to freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development,” the congressmen explained.
They also added: “By adopting necessary amendments and proposals, we have consistently endeavored to evolve this legislative measure as a product of the collaborative participation of all stakeholders. With clearer understanding of autonomy, its implications and effects on the lives of our people and on the future of Cordillera, the time is ripe for us to once again present to the Cordillerans the opportunity to realize this deeply ingrained desire.”
Dalog, he said that today is the opportune time for the people of the Cordillera to fulfill the Constitutional mandate of having a government of self-determination. “With our burning desire to have the opportunity to chart our own destiny, we have refined the House Bill filed since the 15th Congress into the current House Bill which would be more acceptable to the people through intensive public consultation with various political and community leaders, government agencies, civil society organizations, the private sector and our constituents from the grassroots. It is thus imperative and timely that the lifelong dream of Cordillerans be realized through the passage of an Organic Act establishing the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera,” he said.
Among the salient features of the bill is found in Article III Section 6 of the proposed bill which shall afford the autonomous region an equitable share in the national budget and development assistance in addition to other financial assistance, support and subsidies to subsidize the region’s development.
Regional powers to be devolved to local government units particularly in areas of education, health, human resources, science and technology and people empowerment was also mentioned in the house measure.
In relation to the use and management of resources, Section 16 recognizes the regional government’s share with the national government in the exploration, development and utilization of its natural resources, conservation and protection of natural resources by promoting the sustainable use and management thereof and adopts environmentally sound and appropriate technology in the management of natural resources. The use of renewable energy shall also be promoted for power generation.
In the Senate, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who currently chairs the Committee on Rules, has also committed to file a counterpart bill in order to help facilitate the swift and smooth passage of the bill into law.
In related developments, a multi-stakeholder gathering on Cordillera autonomy has been scheduled on December 12, 2019 held in Baguio City.
By HENT with reports from Erlindo Agwilang, Jr.
Illustration by Don Ray Ramos
