Draft autonomy organic act open to public scrutiny

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan Wednesday said the draft working document of the Third Autonomy Act which has just been completed by the Third Autonomy Act Drafting Committee (TAADC) is open to public scrutiny and suggestions, corrections and counterproposals to the act are welcome during the public forum on June 10, 8:30 a.m. at the Baguio City multi-purpose hall.
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Everybody is invited to this second forum where we intend to take up the draft act, provision by provision, and you are welcome to present your suggestions and counterproposals so I hope everybody will be ready to present them,” the mayor said.

The TAADC last Wednesday conducted the first forum where the draft working document was presented by Regional Development Council (RDC) co-chair Dr. Virgilio Bautista and RDC Development Administration sector chair Cesar Liporada.

The presentation centered on the salient points and provisions of the draft act particularly on principles and policies, regional structures, development areas, revenues and funding and improvements from the second autonomy act which was also used as basis in drafting of the new one.

The draft act consists of 139 sections and 17 articles dealing on the following topics: Territory and People; Declaration of Principles and Policies; the Cordillera Autonomous Region; the Regional Legislative Assembly; the Regional Executive Department; Local Government; the Cabinet; Anti-Poverty Council, the Regional Planning and Development Board, the Regional Advisory Council, the Regional Management Staff and Mandatory Positions; Patrimony, Economy and Development;

Sources of Revenues and Other Fiscal Matters; Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Trade and Industry, Tourism and Cooperatives; Education, Science and Technology, Language, Arts and Culture and Sports; Social, Justice and Welfare; Peace and Order; General Provisions; Amendments or Revisions; Transitory Provisions and Effectivity.

Domogan said the draft act was based on the inputs collated from the regionwide consultations conducted with the various sectors both public and private.

He lauded the members of the TAADC for completing its gargantuan task of collating and analyzing the voluminous proposals culled from the consultations and eventually condensing them for incorporation in the draft.

“I see their hardship because there are so many inputs from the consultations and I know they did their very best to come up with the draft considering all the proposals. We commend the members of drafting committee for a job well done,” he said.

The mayor said draft act was aligned with the direction and principles laid down in renewing the pursuit for autonomy for the third time which is for the Cordillera region to finally establish a permanent regional identity where it will have freedom to manage its people and natural resources, enjoy more financial benefits from the national government while retaining the existing benefits and powers presently being enjoyed. – A Refuerzo