TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang challenged local government officials to show their commitment in the region’s quest for autonomy by spearheading the signature campaign supporting the immediate passage of the pending autonomy bills in Congress and for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to certify the same as priority administration measures to ensure its enactment into law.
He said that for Kalinga, the signature campaign for autonomy had started several months ago where the same is now gaining ground and will be ready to be submitted to Congress and the Office of the President in the future.
He pointed out that the signatures of Cordillerans will be very instrumental in convincing his fellow lawmakers in passing the autonomy bill and the President in certifying that the pending autonomy bill in Congress is a priority administration measure to ensure its immediate enactment into law.
In his message during the celebration of the 35th founding anniversary of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) last July 15, 2022, Congressman Mangaoang challenged local leaders from the different parts of the region to initiative their own signature campaign in support of the region’s renewed quest for autonomy to help convince lawmakers in Congress to immediately act on the passage of the autonomy bill and for the President to consider certifying the pending measures as urgent to fastrack its passage into law for the benefit of the present and future generations of Cordillerans.
Pending in the House of Representatives is House Bill (HB) 3267 authored by all Cordillera congressmen seeking the establishment of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) which had already been approved by the House committees on local government, ways and means and appropriations.
Autonomy advocates had been reiterating that self-governance will greatly help in addressing the region’s development concerns as the autonomous regional government will be empowered to craft the region’s own policies and programs feasible to the prevailing conditions with lesser restraint from outside forces.
In 2006, the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera embraced autonomy as its overarching agenda for the development of the region after having stagnated for quite some time which paved the way for the conduct of initiatives towards the attainment of self-rule.
Series of pulse surveys showed that there is an increasing percentage of Cordillerans who are now fully aware of the importance of autonomy and will vote in favor of the autonomy law when submitted to them for ratification during a plebiscite that will be scheduled for the said purpose.
The RDC-CAR is spearheading the efforts towards the realization of the long overdue autonomous region prescribed under the pertinent provisions of the 1987 Constitution as the same remains elusive for over three decades.
Mangaoang said that the third crack for the establishment of the autonomous region will be instrumental in ascertaining what will be the future of the cordillera.