SAGADA, Mountain Province – Rep. Maximo Y. Dalog, Jr. assured the people of the Cordillera that lawmakers will be refiling the consolidated bill seeking the establishment of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) to fulfill the constitutional mandate creating the long overdue autonomous region.
Dalog, who was the only lawmaker who personally attended the kickoff program of the 35th founding anniversary of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) here last July 1, 2022, stated the need for Cordillerans to continue working together for the passage of the autonomy bill for the benefit of Cordillerans.
Cordillera lawmakers are in agreement to refile the consolidated autonomy bill in the upcoming 19th Congress for referral to the appropriate committees for their action, especially that the bill had been extensively deliberated upon by the members of the House committee on local government during the 18th Congress.
The lawmaker claimed that Cordillera district representatives will be working together to convince the members of the House committee on local government to pass the proposed autonomy bill when submitted for deliberations.
Congressman Dalog rallied autonomy advocates to continue intensifying the ongoing information and education campaign at the grassroots level so that they will be ready to ratify the autonomy legislation that will be signed into law for the creation of the CAR.
At the close of the 18th Congress, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the consolidated bill seeking for the establishment of the CAR but this was already late because both chambers adjourned their sessions last June.
According to him, the realization of the establishment of the autonomous region is giving justice to the sacrifices of the brave Cordillerans who risked their lives in defense of their ancestral lands and domains.
Autonomy advocates pointed out that the establishment of the autonomous region is the way to go for the Cordillera because the regional government can adopt laws and policies relevant to the situation in the region and implement projects that are appropriate to the conditions thereat with lesser restraint from the national government.
He challenged the Cordillerans to take advantage of the constitutional mandate for the establishment of the autonomous region to chart the region’s growth and development directions as it will be the regional government that will be at the helm of the implementation of programs, projects and activities applicable to the contexts of the different parts of the region.
