LUNA, Apayao – Senator Aquilino “Ko-ko’Pimtntel IV will be the guest of honor and speaker during the celebration of the 28th founding anniversary of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) which will be held at the Bienvenido Verzola gymnasium on Wednesday, July 15, 2015.
Pimentel is a strong advocate for autonomy and he was the one who filed the senate version of the previous House Bill (HB) 5595 or the old autonomy bill under Senate Bill (SB) 3115 sometime in February of 2012 but the same never saw light in the Senate committee on local government.
The senator is being eyed by autonomy advocates in the region as the one who will again champion the bill that will establish the autonomous region in the Cordillera in the senate in the coming months.
The Apayao provincial government led by Gov. Elias C. Bulut will be the host local government while the Cordillera office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-CAR) under the able leadership of regional executive director Engr. Ralph Pablo will be the host agency being the head of the watershed and environmental preservation and protection committee of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera for this year’s CAR founding anniversary activities anchored on the theme “Conserving the Environment Towards a Greener Cordillera.”
The week-long CAR foundation anniversary activities kicked off here last Thursday, July 9, 2015, with the Unity Gong Relay that went around the provinces comprising the CAR and will end up here in time for the main program on July 15.
Aside from the main program, another highlight of the 28th CAR anniversary will be the conduct of a public hearing by the House committee on local government on the salient provisions of House Bill (HB) 4649 or the bill that seeks to establish the autonomous region in the Cordillera right after the prepared program in order to gather the sentiments of the people of Apayao on the renewed pursuit for regional autonomy.
One of the highlights of this year’s CAR anniversary activities will be the turnover of the unity gong from the host province to the RDC-CAR chaired by Abra Gov. Eustquio Bersamin who will also turnover the same to next year’s host local government which will be Baguio city and the sectoral committee on economic development and social services of the RDC-CAR chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR) under the leadership of regional director Janet Armas which will be the lead agency.
The CAR founding anniversary main program will be preceeded by a colorful and culturally-inspired civic military parad composed of delegations from the different local governments, Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, along the main roads of Luna leading to the Verzola gymnasium.
On July 13, Apayao and RDC-CAR officials will spearhead the opening of the agro-industrial and jobs fair that will feature the various products from the different provinces for the local residents and visitors to appreciate and for the promotion of the same to visiting tourists from other places.
The week-long celebration will also be highlighted by the ecological tour for visitors wanting to visit the Marag Valley and the Lossoc caves as well as the Nagan river in order to provide the opportunities for such tourist destinations to be aggressively promoted that will result to the expected increased tourist arrivals in the province in the future.
On July 14, Gov. Bulut and the Apayao officialdom will host the guests and participants to the so-called Governor’s Night and the Search for Mr. and Ms. Cordillera that will feature the different participants from the different parts of the region.
Members of the House committee on local government will be in the province after the first round of consultations in Baguio City last July 10 in order to conduct the grassroots public hearing on the renewed pursuit for autonomy in the Cordillera.
By Dexter A. See
