EDITORIALS

Imposing Cordillera autonomy on the people
The Regional Development Council in the Cordillera will be holding a forum on autonomy tomorrow (Oct. 15) at the Bulwagang Juan Luna of the University of the Philippines College Baguio to serve as part of the research agenda in the region’s long standing quest for self-governance.

According to RDC members, they would try to “get inputs from government agencies, non-government organizations and concerned constituents on how to convince voters to approve an Organic Act that would be subjected to a plebiscite in due time.”

This is where the 15 million peso budget for so-called autonomy consultations would go. The consultation has a flawed start – putting the cart ahead of the horse, to quote an adage. Read the second paragraph of this editorial again. If the previous two organic acts were rejected by most Cordillerans, it was because these were flawed as proper consultation processes were not observed. Added to this, results of the consultations were believed to have been “doctored” to suit the powers that be.

Comes now this third thrust for another organic act. The question thrown at constituents should be: Would you like an organic act for a Cordillera autonomous region or not? If you are for or against, please state your position.

What is happening with the consultations: they are asking the people to approve an organic act like the RDC has the sole right to decide that Cordillera constituents need to approve and organic act for the region so that their lives would become better. Preposterous is the word.

Anyway, the special committee on autonomy of the RDC is headed by Presidential Assistant for Cordillera affairs Tomas Killip and Juan Ngalob, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority in the Cordillera who is interim RDC chairman.

According to the RDC bigshots, they are implementing the decision of the region’s policy-making body to revive debates on autonomy. The results of the forum would serve as part of the inputs of the RDC in order to formulate appropriate strategies on how to improve the voter inclination on the issue on self-governance so that the lapses in the past will not be repeated along the line.

RDC members are saying they are embarking on a “scientific method that will be complemented by extensive research to make local government units financially autonomous in order to achieve the desired success in the autonomy movement.”

Malacanang earlier released P15 million for the RDC to jumpstart the ground works in preparation for the passage of an organic act and its eventual ratification by the people of the Cordillera after fully understanding the benefits of autonomy.

Autonomy advocates believe that an autonomous government is preferred for the Cordillera because of the granting of full control of resources to the regional and local government units and lesser restraint from outside forces. It was only Ifugao province that favored autonomy on the January 30, 1990 plebiscite while Apayao gave its nod to autonomy.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that one province could not comprise an autonomous region, thus, Ifugao and Apayao still remained with the Cordillera Administrative Region after the unsuccessful plebiscites.

According to Ngalob, the “third attempt at Cordillera autonomy would be learning from history and not a repeat of history so that the desire of the framers of the Constitution and the Cordillerans would be realized in the future.”

This RDC consultation is, to repeat, flawed in the first place because it is not meant to get the sentiments of the people on the issue but rather – to ratify a third organic act.

The 1987 Constitution provides the creation of autonomous regions in Mindanao and the Cordillera in recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples for equal opportunities to development and government recognition.

This kind of consultation reflects why the people are we believe, not too keen yet on the realization of a Cordillera autonomous region. If only Cordillera government bigshots would realize that genuine consultations should be done and not ramming a government programs down the people’s throats is the correct procedure – maybe the people would be less suspicious of government motives. Oh well, but what is P15 million for?


Where did the ‘missing’ million peso NIA funds for irrigation projects go?
Where did the millions of pesos allotted for irrigation projects in the Cordillera this year go? A press release said the “Cordillera regional office of the National Irrigation Administration has started implementing restoration and rehabilitation projects to irrigation areas of more than 7,000 hectares in the region to increase production area in order to help the country meet its target in food self-sufficiency and jobs creation.”

The report said the regional NIA has a total program of P222,730,000 pump priming irrigation projects to restore and rehabilitate an irrigation area of 3,788 and 3,555 hectares respectively.

Kalinga, which is the rice granary of the Cordillera, got the bulk of the allocation with P55.30 million for 16 projects in the area. This was followed by Apayao with P45.12 million for 13 projects.

Benguet had 44 projects with an allocation of P39.12 million; Ifugao with P34.77 for 27 projects; Mountain province with P33.26 for 40 projects and Abra with P15.16 million for 12 projects.

As of May 16, NIA reported 21 percent physical and financial accomplishment restoring 371 hectares and rehabilitating 1,432 hectares. This reportedly benefited 617 farmers and created 632 jobs.

According to the report, NIA-CAR has prepared a three-year pump priming irrigation projects until 2010 to develop and maintain irrigation systems in support of the agricultural development program of government and to provide adequate level of irrigation service on a sustainable basis in partnership with farmers and local government units.

Under the construction of new irrigation projects, proposed are the Tineg River IP in Abra, Marimay SRIP in Apayao, Harbip in Benguet, Rizal IP in Kalinga, and Upper Butigue SRIP in Mt. Province

These proposed projects were endorsed by the Regional Development Council to the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle Development Champion Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap for inclusion in its Medium Term Philippine Investment Program.

Some local government officials in the region are questioning where the money went as according to them, the projects haven’t been started in their areas. The regional NIA office could come up with a report on where and how the funds were spend and who got these and have this printed in local papers.

The Northern Philippine Times would gladly print it to clear the issue.