Pro-people platform pushed
CANDIDATES running for government positions this May 2016 elections should have platforms on culture, poverty, employment and environment which are considered the major issues among the Cordillera people according to the Regional Development Council (RDC).
These issues were culled by the RDC and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) from random questions which were utilized during the first Regional Candidates’ Forum held recently in Baguio City.
The RDC gathered the issues and concerns that affect the public through social media and from written questions from the audience during the
two-day forum.
“We consulted the various sectors and consulted them on what questions they wanted to ask to our congressional and gubernatorial candidates,” Marissa Cabato of the RDC said.
Most questions received by the RDC were on the preservation of cultural integrity, poverty reduction, deterioration of forest and watersheds, business climate improvement and investments, environment concerns, agricultural and infrastructure development as well as regional autonomy.
Cabato explained NEDA-RDC organized the regional forum to educate the public as smart voters come Election Day.
“The thrust of NEDA-RDC is to lead the region for sustainable and inclusive development and we will only be able to achieve this if the people of the region elect the right leader,” Cabato explained.
Mara Claridades, a Political Science student of the University of the Cordilleras considers the candidates’ platform should resolve the problems of the society.
Claridades considers free education should be a major program among congressmen and governors as well as employment after graduation.
According to the 2015 Small Area Estimates (SAE) of poverty prepared by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Baguio City and the adjacent Benguet municipalities of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay – keeps its status as among the least poor city and municipalities in CAR.
Five- group cluster analysis was performed using the 90% confidence interval of poverty incidence among population ( 1= bottom/ poorest cluster and 5 = least poor cluster).
In the BLISTT, Tublay is the only municipality outside Cluster 5 although it is the most improved in Metro Baguio followed by Sablan and Tuba that decreased by 10.1 and 9.6 percentage points, respectively. Baguio City, La Trinidad and Itogon consistently belong in the least poor cluster since 2006.
Among the uppermost cluster ( Cluster 5), only three municipalities are outside Baguio City and Benguet Province: Tabuk City and Rizal in Kalinga and Sagada in Mountain Province.
Coming from Cluster 2 in 2009, Sagada is the most improved. Bokod in Benguet and Rizal in Kalinga also made a considerable improvement moving two clusters up.
Another five Benguet municipalities comprise Cluster 4. Kabayan and Buguias are the most improved climbing up from Cluster 1, followed by Atok and Kapangan coming from Cluster 2. In total, 11 out of 13 municipalities of Benguet are among the least poor areas in the region, leaving out only Kibungan and Bakun.
In the bottom clus- ter, there are 24 municipalities and half are in Abra, four in Apayao, four in Ifugao and two each in Kalinga and Mountain Province. Only eight municipalities in the cluster decreased their poverty incidence with Bucloc in Abra exhibiting the biggest decline while the others became poorer.
The areas that slid far down from Cluster 3 are Conner and Pudtol in Apayao, Hungduan in Ifugao and Pasil in Kalinga. The other five municipalities that slid down from a higher cluster ( Cluster 2) are Tanudan in Kalinga, Sadanga in Mt. Province, Luba in Abra, Aguinaldo in Ifugao, and Calanasan in Apayao.
Out of the 24 municipalities in Cluster 1, 11 remained in the poorest cluster since 2006.
The RDC challenges Cordillera candidates to develop platforms that would address poverty based on the present poverty rate of the region in the name of development.