Cordillera officials stage ‘unity gong relay’ for autonomy

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- A ‘unity gong” passed in the hands of all Cordillera governors and the mayor of Baguio City last week to symbolize what government officials said, was the renewed thrust to make the region autonomous in celebration of the 27th Cordillera Month. 

Since 2012, the Unity Gong Relay had become part of the celebration which officials said, symbolized unity for the region’s pursuit of regional autonomy and development.

For this year, the “gong relay” started from Abra, then to Baguio, Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, then Kalinga. On July 14, it will be brought to Apayao, then back to Abra in time for the Cordillera Day celebration on April 15.

All Cordillera congressmen filed House Bill 4649 June 11 at the Lower House called “An Act Establishing the Cordillera Autonomous Region.”

Once given final approval by Congress, the Act would be subjected to a plebiscite for Cordillera constituents to approve it or not.

The bill was signed by congressional representatives Ronald M. Cosalan of Benguet; Nicasio M. Aliping Jr., Baguio City; Eleanor Bulut-Begtang, Apayao; Manuel Agyao, Kalinga; Teodoro Baguilat Jr., Ifugao and Maximo Dalog of Mountain Province. 

All congressional representatives earlier agreed to refile the bill and establish a lobby group to convince President Aquino to certify the measure as urgent administration bill.

The bill was a revised version of House Bill 5595 which the previous Congress filed December 2011 but which failed to go beyond the Lower House committee on local government.

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The Regional Development Council has embarked on an information drive to make Cordillera constituents aware of provisions of the bill with the gong relay as part of it. 

In Line with autonomy and with the theme “Boosting the Economic Competitiveness of the Cordilleras for ASEAN Economic Community 2015,” the RDC and other government officials said, there was need for the region to build up its competitiveness in preparation for the ASEAN integration come 2015.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Director Julius Caesar Sicat, chairman of the Regional Development Council Sectoral Committee on Economic Development, led the launching of the 27th Cordillera Month celebration in Bangued, Abra Wednesday with Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin.

After the program, the group travelled in a caravan with RDC officials to Baguio City where Bersamin turned over the gong Thursday to the city government headed by Mayor Mauricio Domoganas the first stop in the celebration.

Later in the day, Domogan turned over the gong to Benguet Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan at the Baguio-Benguet boundary in km 3 near the Chinese Bell Church.

A program espousing benefits of autonomy was later held in the afternoon at the new building of the Provincial Capitol of Benguet in the capital town of La Trinidad.

On Friday, the caravan traveled with delegates of Benguet to Mountain Province where the unity gong was turned over Gov. Leonard Mayaen and Rep. MaximoDalog at the boundary of Benguet and Mountain Province in Barangay Sinto, Bauko.

Yesterday, the team turned over the gong at the Ifugao-Mountain Province Highway Boundary in Banaue, followed by a program at the Capitol led by Lagawe with Gov. Dennis Habawel and Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr.

In the afternoon, the team traveled to Tabuk City in Kalinga to turn over the unity gong to Kalinga officials led by Gov. Jocel Baac and Rep. Manuel Agyao.