BAUKO, Mountain Province – The 38th Mt. Data Sipat commemoration, held at the Mt. Data Hotel on September 13, 2024, served as a powerful platform for Cordillera leaders to stress their call for regional autonomy.
The event, coinciding with the 20th National Peace Consciousness Month, brought together representatives from various government agencies, non-government organizations, and institutions, all united in their support for self-governance. The monthlong activity comes with the theme, “Transforming Minds, Transforming Lives.”
Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr., and Congress representative Maximo Y. Dalog, Jr., represented by Political Affairs Officer Dionisio K. Wacdisen, emphasized the need for a unified effort to ensure the success of the region’s third attempt at achieving regional autonomy.
“May this occasion inspire us to consolidate our efforts to make a third attempt at autonomy successful,” Governor Lacwasan stated. “Thirty-eight years of waiting should not discourage us; instead, it should motivate us to work together.”
Echoing the Governor’s sentiments, Wacdisen said: “Let us continue to promote, support, and push for regional autonomy, a government that will empower us to control and administer our interests according to our own initiatives.”
Pag-asa Goldamire Balweg, daughter of Father Conrado Balweg, further elaborated on the significance of regional autonomy, emphasizing its role in self-determination.
“Autonomy is not just a political issue – it is about self-determination, about ensuring that we, the people of the Cordilleras, have the power to shape our future. It is about building on the peace that we have secured and ensuring that our rights, culture, and identity are being fully recognized and respected,” she stated
Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, served as the guest of honor and speaker. He highlighted the lasting peace and development achieved through the peace agreement signed between the national government and the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army, a testament to the progress made over nearly four decades.
Galvez reaffirmed the national government’s commitment to supporting the Cordillera region and its pursuit of lasting peace and sustainable development. He emphasized the implementation of various peace programs, projects, and activities like the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program, which has allocated almost 600 million pesos to the Cordillera Administrative Regio this year for the implementation of 15 PAMANA projects.
To further inspire the people of Mountain Province and to further affirm the commitment of the government to promote peace, Galvez announced that another 600 million pesos will be allocated to CAR in 2025, with over 200 million pesos earmarked for Mountain Province. By Hail, MP
