TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Cordillera autonomy advocates must recalibrate their strategies for a consolidated upstream lobby with the Office of the President and Congress for the immediate passage of the Organic Act, a senior lawmaker said here recently.
Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang said that it is still best for autonomy advocates to concentrate their lobby with Congress and the Office of the President so that their strong voice will help in convincing lawmakers and the Chief Executive to enact the desired autonomy law.
“We do not object to the ongoing efforts to autonomy in conducting information and education campaigns in the grassroots level. It is also equally important for us to make noise upstream so that we will get the attention of lawmakers in passing the pending autonomy law and for the President to sign it into law,” Congressman Mangaoang stressed.
The three-term lawmaker pointed out that House Bill (HB) 3267 authored by all Cordillera lawmakers which seeks to establish the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) is currently pending deliberations with the House committee on appropriations after it was passed upon by the House committees on local government and ways and means.
He expressed hope that the House committee on appropriations will be able to report on the proposed autonomy bill before Congress goes on adjournment for its second regular session so that it will be submitted to the House committee on rules when Congress resumes its third regular session for submission to plenary debates and period of amendments.
According to him, informing and educating the youth on the region’s quest is also important to gather support but it is still best for such efforts to be concentrated in lobbying for the timely passage of the bill to avoid confusion on what had been earlier provided to the concerned sectors as the possible contents of the proposed measure.
Mangaoang admitted that he was disappointed on the earlier position submitted by the finance department that the establishment of the autonomous region will be realized by 2028 which runs counter to the desire of the Cordillerans that it should be already established the soonest once the proposed law will be enacted to chart the direction of the region in terms of growth and development.
He pointed out that the establishment of the autonomous region should be realized during the incumbency of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. so that the Cordillera will be able to get substantial support from the present administration in terms of government-funded programs, projects and activities to contribute in speeding up the growth and development.
On the other hand, Mangaoang said that one of the salient points of the proposed autonomy bill is that the block grant that the region will be getting from the national government will be used exclusively to implement income-generating projects that will make the region financially independent after the 10-year period of the said grant.
“The region must establish its financial viability through the putting in place of sustainable sources of income for the government right at the start of the operation of the autonomous region with the use of the block grant. We should be forward-looking so that the autonomous region will be viable even after the 10-year period of the grant,” the congressman added. By Dexter A. See
