Tesda chief bats for Cordillera state amid talk on federalism
IN LIEU of the proposed autonomy for the Cordilleras, Technical Skills and Development Authority director general Guiling Mamondiong urged stakeholders in the region to pursue for federalism during a summit in the Summer Capital.
Mamondiong was the guest speaker during the Summit on Federalism with a theme: "Pursuing Muslim and Indigenous People's Development" last week to delegates coming from Regions 1, 2, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The secretary general is also endorsing the position paper of the Cordillera Group led by Task Force EO 220, the Cordillera People's Liberation Army - Cordillera Bodong Administration (CPLA-CBA), Coalition for Cordillera Federal State, Cordillera Basic Sectors Congress and Indigenous Peoples of the Cordillera Administrative Region to President Rodrigo Duterte.
"We are supporting the Cordillera State." said Mamondiong. “This is the change the President would like to implement, let us change the rotten system of unitary government inot a Federal system, which is better for Cordillera, because you have already a law
in Executive Order 220."
Mamondiong added he will personally endorse to President Rodrigo Duterte the position paper of the Cordillera Groups in Malacañang.
“We have this chance and better options as the President is determined to reconfigure the rotten system of unitary governement into a government of the people. The President wants the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights over ancestral domains. He wants the sectoral representatives to have the power to chart the destiny of the Cordillera State; to have clearly defined power over the control and supervision of Cordillera's natural resources for the advantage of Cordillera State,” added the TESDA director gen- eral.
Earlier, Secretary Jesus Dureza, in his Memorandum for President Duterte dated December 12, 2017, strongly endorsed the position paper of the Cordillera Peoples' Liberation Army/Cordillera Bodong Administration (CPLA/CBA) chaired by Molina, Task Force EO 220, Cordillera Basic Sectors Congress for the Reactivation of CAR Bodies under Executive Order 220, series of 1987.
Dureza, in his recommendation, said the CAR Bodies are merely inactive and an executive order from the President alone, without passing a law by Congress, will already activate what could be the mechanism for a Federal State for the Cordillera.