Rethink autonomy bid, Cordillera execs told
Dar: 32 years of struggle for self-rule too long and costly
BAGUIO City—government officials pushi ng f or Cordillera autonomy must make sure this drive remains relevan tt hree decades afte rt hec reation of the Cordiller aa dministrative Region (CAR), Agriculture Secretary William Dar said here o nf riday.
The 1987 Constitution mandates t he c reation of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera.
‘Stuck in transition’
But Dar sa id t he C ordillera remained “stuck in transition,” having been overtaken by the 1989 creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ,an dit s replacement in January this year, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Musli mm indanao.
“Bu ti f iti ss ti lla relevant solution tor egional development and security, then do something,” Da rto l do fficials during t he C ordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting.
He a dded: “Regional autonomy must be an aspiration of the people, not so mep rogr amf rom t he g overnment with benefits to beg iven tot hem.”
In 1987, then President Corazon Aquin oi ssue de xecutive Order No. 220 to create the CAR, after forging peace wit hf ormer rebel priest ,C onrado Balweg.
Twice rejected
The CAR was designe dto prepare t he p rovinces of Benguet, Mountai np rovince, Ifugao, Apayao , Ab r a an d Kalinga, and Baguio Cit y,f or autonomy.
Bu tt w o or gani c ac t sc reating t hec ordiller aau tonomous regio n we re rejecte di n 1989 and 1990. A third attemp tto create another autonomy law for Cordillera has languishe d in Congress for many years.
“EO 220 was an agreeable response by t heg overnment and the nation tot he clamor for autonomy in t he C ordillera,” Dar said .Bu t he said “the 32 years of thi ss truggle were rather too long and costly.”
“The Cordiller as till [grapples] wit h un derdevelopment, poverty, inaccessibility, the devastation of it sna tural resource base an di nsurgency,” Dar said, adding tha tt his was the reason indigeno us c ommunities had clamored for autonomy.
Dar , wh o serves as Cabinet officer f or r egional development and security, sa idt heb id for autonomy ha ddr agged “too long” an dt he the region’s officials should “t ake a l ong hard loo ka tt his agenda.”
He describe dt he institutional buildi ng as “tough” and would “requir e ha rd wor k and people who believe and work wit hy ou.”
Bill seeks P75 billion
A tt he RDC meeting, Mountai np rovince Rep. Maximo Dalo gj r .sa id a new autono myb ill would bef iled by all Cordillera lawmakers on Dec. 2.
The bill seeks, among other things, t he c reation o fa trust fund for a 10-year subsidy of about P75 billio nf rom the national government.
Previous autonomy measur es s ough t to farm ou tt he subsidy to all Cordillera provinces annually, but Dalog sa idt hey preferre dto preserve the fund sf or big-ticket projects benefiting the region.
But if it’s still a relevant solution to regional development and security, then do something
William Dar
Agriculture Secretary