ARMM loopholes fixed in Cordillera autonomy bill

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Loopholes in implementation of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao that resulted to numerous problems were rectified in provisions of House Bill 5595 and Senate Bill 3115 which seeks to establish an autonomous region in the Cordillera, thus, the fear of the people on the creation of another Ampatuan regime will not happen, a top official of the Regional Development Council in the Cordillera said.

During the joint RDC-Cordillera Administrative Region, congressional and city consultation on autonomy here at city hall last week, Dr. Virgilio C. Bautista said there will no Ampatuan regime that will be created once the Cordillera Autonomous Region will be established because there are appropriate safety nets that were included as provisions in the bills to prevent abuses in the powers of the regional officials.

More importantly, he explained the culture of Cordillerans and Muslims are totally different, thus, it will be difficult for any leader to abuse his or her powers under an autonomous set up.

Bautista said Muslim leader, lawyer IscatMastura, former ARMM Executive Secretary, encouraged Cordillerans to push for autonomy since they are in a better position to achieve self-governance due to peace-loving cultural people with prevailing peace and order in the region.

Domogan meanwhile said it is not autonomy that is the problem in ARMM but it was the people who took turns in running affairs of the region who became the problem because of alleged abuses in their powers that resulted to too much corruption.

According to him, results of congressional inquiries conducted on the problems that cropped up in the ARMM when he was still a congressman showed the people who were placed in power were the actual problem and not on the whole autonomy system.

Under HB 5595 and SB 3115, Domogan explained the areas prone to abuses such as in the allocation of the region’s resources, the distribution of funds to the local governments comprising the autonomous region and the powers of the regional governor to control the same among others were subjected to limitations.

The local chief executive claimed in the distribution of the P10 billion subsidy to the regional government, it was specified that 20 percent will remain with the regional government while 10 percent each will be given to the six provinces and one city while 4 percent will be given to the component city of Tabuk and the 6 percent will be treated as reserve for first-class municipalities that will be upgraded into cities in the future after the creation of the autonomous region.

Domogan said regional line agencies will have control of their respective budgets without interference considering that the regional government will simply oversee the implementation of their respective programs, projects and advocacies to the different parts of the autonomous region.

 “Autonomy is the best legacy that we will be able to leave for our children and our children’s children because it will be their vehicle towards a developed Cordillera region. We might be enjoying the fruits of an autonomous region but it will be short live,” Domogan said, saying the city is at the height of a massive information and education campaign to inform the people on the benefits of self-governance.

 Domogan rallied Cordillerans to unite in favor of autonomy because the national government will take advantage of any crack in the region’s unity and make it as an excuse not to grant the desired subsidy for the region of P10 billion for the first five years and P5 years for the succeeding five years and evade their obligation to bringing development to the countryside through self-governance.