BAGUIO CITY – The third attempt of the Cordillera to achieve autonomous status hurdled the first step in law-making after the seven lawmakers in the region filed the bill establishing the Autonomous Region in the Cordillera with the House of Representatives late Monday afternoon.
House Bill (HB) No. 5343 which seeks to establish an autonomous region in the Cordillera (ARC) was authored by Abra Rep. Joseph Sto. Nino Bernos, Apayao Rep. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang, Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, Benguet Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat, Jr., Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang and Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog, Sr. and will be calendared for first reading by the House leadership when Congress goes back to session after the Holy Week break.
The proposed autonomy bill was an offshoot of the work of the Technical Working Group of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera that was tasked to conduct an extensive review of the pertinent provisions of HB 4649 that was filed in the previous Congress, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, Republic Act (RA)) 6766 or the first Organic Act of the Cordillera, the draft of the first Cordillera Regional Consultative Commission (CRCC), RA 8438 or the second Organic Act of the Cordillera and all other related laws.
Mangaoang said the final bill underwent minor revisions last Monday to accommodate the desired changes introduced by Go and Cosalan to some of the provisions before it was filed by Go with the House Secretary-General’s office.
Earlier, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza called on Cordillera leaders to unite in working towards the achievement of an autonomous region while supporting the plan of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to shift from the current set up of government to federal form because it is the privilege of the region having been granted by the Constitution to have the chance of being autonomous in the future.
Dureza committed to the Cordillera leaders that he will take the issue with the President once the autonomy bill will be filed by all the Cordillera congress representatives considering that preparations are also being finalized for the crafting of a new Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Mangaoang described the procedures undergone by the proposed autonomy bill to be ‘challenging’ having been subjected to various revisions after certain objectionable provisions were raised by Cordillera lawmakers during several meetings last January.
“What is important is that we were united in having a common stand for the refiling of the proposed autonomy bill so that we will have something to start with. Although the road towards the realization of the establishment of an autonomous region will be very difficult, we have to work double time with the support of our people to be able to realize the dreams and aspirations of those who struggled in the past for our region to be recognized,” Mangaoang stressed.
Mangaoang expressed confidence that issues being raised against the establishment of the autonomous region will be effectively and efficiently addressed by the Cordillera leaders and the concerned government agencies that will be tasked to undertake the required information education campaign on the quest for self-governance. By HENT