Cory and the Cordillera

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March L. Fianza

When someone dies, the situation becomes an emergency – if it is not already one. It’s like being in a state of calamity where we think of ways on how to make things comfortable for those who are suffering, especially those who are grieving over their loss. We set aside differences and condole with the family and relatives.

Thus, people from all walks of life came from all around to express their sympathy to the bereaved family of former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Thick, long queues of a mixture of the “big” and “small,” rich and poor filled the streets outside the Manila Cathedral under the heat and rain.

But ever silent and respectful as the Filipino is, those who went to commiserate with the Aquino family patiently waited for their turn to view the remains of their hero. This, even when the more affluent, influential and close friends of the family overtook the queues and were allowed ahead without having to wait in line.

And even President Arroyo who dropped by swiftly like a breeze, understandably made things easier for the family by allowing them to go ahead with a private funeral, sans Malacanang honors given to presidents, as this was what they wished.

Her very brief visit was expected. Maybe it was because she did not want to prolong the agony of edginess in a tense atmosphere of a largely opposition crowd. And it would be improper for the sitting president to snob the wake of a former president.

But GMA did not end her respect for Tita Cory when she left the Manila Cathedral. She ordered full military honors for the funeral – a tradition accorded to all presidents of the republic.

Thick crowds filled the streets. It reminded many of us of Ninoy’s casket being carried away on a truck of yellow flowers. It was a historic moment that the Cordillerans could have been part of.

As Cordillerans, we are obliged to surrender respect to the president who was responsible for our region’s existence and for other reasons that need to be retold for the sake of many who are uninformed.

While President Cory was being brought to her final resting place last week, I was talking to Gabby Ganggangan, former mayor of Sadanga, Mt. Province . Over beer and brandy, we reminisced as he he voiced out his appreciation about a president who he described as “awan katumbas na” (incomparable).

He said it could have been fitting for Cordillera, especially its leaders to have made their presence felt at the wake of Tita Cory, or that a delegation representing Cordillera should have been organized. I completely agree.

In the first place, Cordillera owes its existence to President Cory for uniting the provinces of Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao that were then lumped with Region 2, with Baguio-Benguet, Mt. Province and Abra that were under Region 1, which became the present Cordillera Administrative Region.

By virtue of Executive Order 220 signed on July 15, 1987, Tita Cory wisely granted the wish of the provinces that used to belong to the old Mountain Province to be re-united under a single region, considering their geographical situation and their likenesses in terms of customs, traditions or culture.

The order was opposed by the military and some influential persons then, but she issued the order anyway, thinking that self-determination would trigger new developments.

Creating the line government agencies on the regional level subsequently followed one after the other with personalities all rushing to be appointed as directors by President Aquino.
Cordillerans, especially those affected by the proposed Chico Dam project in Bontoc, Mt. Province and Kalinga, to a certain extent are “indebted” to President Cory, too.

A few months after signing EO220, President Cory gave the Cordillerans another surprise when one of his cabinet secretaries announced in a meeting in Manabo, Abra that she has ordered the closure of the Cellophil logging and pulp-making operations that has been threatening the homelands and rights of the tribes within the area.

Better late than never but finally, two big projects that have already taken precious lives and recruited rebels were cancelled by the single and immediate act of Tita Cory.

On September 13, 1987; President Aquino exchanged tokens with Cordillera rebels led by then rebel priest Conrado Balweg in a “sipat” (start of peace negotiation) in the sleepy community of Mt. Data , Bauko, Mt. Province.

Peace negotiations in other parts of the country opened following the Mt. Data accord, which many described as the “first successful peace negotiation” in the Philippines.

Ganggangan said, Cordillera may be insignificant in terms of the number of votes that it can deliver during elections, but still Cory brought her cabinet to Mt. Data .

Cory’s presence in Mt. Data marked the sincerity of her government to listen to the aspirations of the region. In time, in time this weakened the insurgency in the Cordillera as NPA rebels started to come home.

Messages of condolences may have been sent but that simply looked like compliance letters that do not have the impact of true and sincere appreciations that could be personally felt by the bereaved family if a delegation was physically present in President Cory’s wake. Sabali met ah!

By the way, when the family of the late Congressman Victor Dominguez was in grief, no delegation from his home province escorted his remains from Manila to Baguio , which was supposed to be an act that is usually done to province mates who die outside of our own region. That was the information I gathered from a well-placed source.

Have we lost our traditions? When did Cordillerans stop honoring their dead the way they should be, especially those who have been their benefactors? At least for GMA, she mustered the courage to face her critics, many of whom were at Tita Cory’s wake.
She knew that politics had to take a back seat for awhile because honoring the departed was the primary task for everyone at that moment. I learned from it. -- marchfianza777@yahoo.com