Autonomy in a federal state

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina P. Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- This 29^th celebration of Cordillera Month once more highlights the call for regional autonomy after Executive Order 220 was authored into law July 15 of 1987 by then President Corazon Aquino 29 years ago. These years have not made significant impact from the first plebiscite in 1990 with only Ifugao having said yes but opted to say No in the second attempt in 1998 where only Apayao voted yes. 

With this  historical scenario of  nearly a 10-year difference from the first plebiscite not  getting any significant change in the second  attempt brings us to a question of how great optimism could there be for  a  third attempt is unclear as a cloudy sky.

In the present and previous recent years, information- dissemination has taken quite saturated levels in the government sector which may be safe to assume that perceptions amongst this sector to saying yes to autonomy could be quite optimistic.

Though this cannot be  generalized to the broad mass of people  who may still be in the stage of asking ‘what is  autonomy’, a question  asked 29 years ago, as manifested in recent barangay fora  this writer  facilitated  with PEACE, a non-government organization and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

There is hope for a third attempt of regional  autonomy among  those whose minds are  open, liberal and informed. Yet be pessimistic over the  majority of  Cordillerans who may stay as cynical and as passive 29 years ago up to now may be due to not being  informed or plain negative on the issue demanding more work in information-education campaigns. 

Much more so where lawmakers in the regional level are not that united on their stand for Cordillera autonomy makes the question hazier to be answered with positive yes.  

And much more so where President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for federalism is getting popularly floated nationwide.

One question asked often is if there is a  need to talk about regional autonomy or not anymore as asked in  recent regional forum organized by NEDA. Or forget talking about autonomy and talk about federalism instead. Or talk about both and the relation of one to the other.

That is, one cannot talk about autonomy only and ignore talking about federalism much as federalism is the current topic to talk about being drummed up by the President himself.

And much more so too that intentions and directions of getting federal in a national scenario is basically the same as getting autonomous in a regional level.   

And with the basic question of what autonomy is  from a basic direction  of  administering and managing ourselves  as a region   economically,  politically, culturally and socially comes as a clear  picture of what it means much as  intentions of getting  federal is basically the same.

As what Mountain Province Rep. MaximoDalog said in an interview, the basic reason and approach is common  in both political systems -the devolution of power from  central command-  except  on  issues of  national concern and interest such as  foreign affairs  or security. But that other features of this political set up be studied as to financial capacity and geographical belonging, he said.   

With popularly floated calls for federalism which has somehow subdued or confused regional autonomy now sets the question of   the latter’s relevance at this times of a drummed up calls for federalism.  

Aggressively floated by the Duterte administration, calls for a federal system of government needs formation of a Constitutional Convention obviously to  change the present Constitution leading towards this system.

A federal system of  government  is seemingly making  a strong scent of  getting into the political system of government.  A federal system may subdue the already enshrined autonomy provision for the Cordillera and Mindanao or get deleted much as intentions of administrative, economic and political control are basically the same powers of  local devolution.   

      Where the constitution may not strike out the constitutional provision of autonomous states sets the question if being regionally autonomous could be set up in a federal state where the envisioned state may have a wider scope.

      Meantime, major topics of concern are the geographical divisions of what could be federal states.

Geography and capacity

Dalog said debates are ongoing on three geographical  options for  federal states:  1)   major  zones of the country composed of  northern Luzon, central Luzon, Visayas and  southern Mindanao;  2)  regions  having similar  ethnographic cultures, and 3) the existing regions.

Dalog sees the third option as most feasible for the Cordillera being a region already established and populated by a people relatively having the same cultural ways.

Financial capacity though sets the basic issue of going regionally autonomous or going federal state.

Dalog says we look at examples of other countries having federal systems where states with lesser financial upkeep are supported by states with richer capacity. Something to think over how much is the need of one state that it can have the capacity to give to another. Which could be Makati sharing to other lesser in financial capacity in the northern, visayas or southern areas.

Quickly going to Cordillera scenario on it being financially able and the question of how far the people shall give consent to income generating industries such as mining.

        Dalog is pessimistic on Cordillera people favoring large scale mining much as people have seen the effects of this type of unearthing the wealth of the earth and much more so as people have been more attuned to small scale mining.

The congressman  nevertheless is optimistic on  the Cordillera getting into renewable sources of  energy- wind, solar and mini hydros-  as  major sources of  income to be able to finance itself apart from  regular subsidy that the national government shall give to its federal states should it be this case in the near future.  

        And it’s not only a matter of renewable energy, the congressman said. Cordillerans themselves should be the ones to invest and manage industries located in their own territories.

Same with tourism which is a major source of livelihood among tourist-visited communities.

‘I wish our people will invest in tourism considering that road networks have already opened up connecting Mountain Province to its municipalities, Dalog said.

‘Why not a convention center where some 500 or a thousand delegates can converge in a national or international conference in Sagada for example,’ he added.