Cordillera autonomy bill slated for filing in Senate

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Sen. Paulo Benigno Bam Aquino IV is set to file a bill in Senate to create a Cordillera autonomous region.

“The Cordillera is already mature to achieve autonomous status after 27 years of effectively and efficiently administering affairs of government in the regional level, thus, the need for approval of the autonomy bill in both chambers of Congress,” Aquino said,

The senator was here as guest of honor and speaker during the recent 3rd founding anniversary of the Cordillera Youth Leaders, a organization of youth leaders in the Cordillera.

“I have dialogued with various autonomy advocates in the region and I have seen the importance of the Cordillera achieving autonomous status, especially in charting its development road map in the future,” he said.

He commended all seven Cordillera congressmen in filing House Bill 4649 or the act that seeks to establish an autonomous region in the Cordillera and considering there is no senator who filed counterpart bill in the Senate.

When asked if he could bridge the gap between his cousin, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, who seems to be lukewarm on the issue, and Cordillera leaders, Sen. Aquino said the administration is not setting aside concerns of the Cordillera.

He said it was former President Corazon C. Aquino, the President’s mother, who envisioned the creation of an autonomous region in the Cordillera which must be fulfilled before President Aquino steps down from office in 2016.

He appealed to Cordillerans not to be jealous on priority being given by the administration for immediate passage of the Bangsa Moro framework bill since it is already in the pipeline as the government is also looking into the concerns of the Cordillera as another priority to be addressed by the administration.

“The Cordillera autonomy issue will be given attention by the administration once the Bangsa Moro measure has been submitted to both chambers of Congress for deliberations and I am happy to be one of the prime movers of Cordillera autonomy once it will be brought to our attention by the people,” Senator Aquino added.

He urged Cordillerans to push establishment of an autonomous region to boost economy and progress of the region considering authority given to the regional autonomous government to manage rich resources of the Cordillera which had been exploited by multinational companies.

Sen. Aquino also urged the youth in the Cordillera to help in advocating for self-governance saying “present and future generations will be the ones to reap the fruits of autonomy in terms of the development that will trickle down to the countryside and inclusive growth that will improve the lives of indigenous peoples, particularly those living in the remote communities of the region.”

“I am from Tarlac but I am willing to fight for the concerns of Cordillerans because I have seen how they have struggled over the past several decades just to gain their permanent regional identity and for a bigger share from the national resources to perk up economic growth,” Aquino said.

Aquino said the two rejections done by the Cordillerans to the two previous autonomy laws simply illustrates their willingness to fight for what they want and not just be satisfied on mere compromises offered by the national government just to achieve their desired self-governance.

He said the third attempt for regional autonomy must now be taken seriously not only by the Cordillerans but also the national leadership so that the autonomy bill to be passed will be in accordance to what the people want as what came out during previous consultations and inputted in the proposed bill so that there will be no waste of peoples ’money and resources as well as efforts in passing the measure.

CAR was created by virtue of Executive Order (EO) No. 220 issued by former President Corazon C. Aquino on July 15, 1987 which pulled out the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Mountain Province and the City of Baguio from Region I and the provinces of Ifugao, Kalinga and Apayao from Region II to comprise the special administrative region which is temporary in nature.