IPs push amendments to Cordillera autonomy bill

BAGUIO CITY – Representatives from indigenous groups in the Cordillera pushed amendments to House Bill 5305 to make the region autonomous.

Heated debates and passionate discussions were concluded through a resolution to this effect from delegates of the Indigenous Peoples’ Legislative Assembly – Cordillera Administrative Region (IPLA-CAR) here on Dec. 8.

The delegates approved Resolution no. 2 Series of 2018 entitled: “A resolution adopting and endorsing the outputs of the Indigenous Peoples Regional Legislative Assembly to the members of the House of Representative and the Senate for their consideration.”

The resolution and its proposed amendments were handed to Rep. Mark Go of Baguio City who committed to consider the amendments by submitting the document to the technical working group on HB 5343 of the House of Representatives’ committee on local government hearing.

Led by Office of the President in the Peace Process, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples NCIP and United Nationals Development Project in coordination with National Economic Development Authority-Cordillera Administrative Region, the IPLA-CAR is an initiative of the OPAPP Indigenous Peoples’ Peace Panel.

The OPAPP-IPPP is the Cordillera counterpart of the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples’ Legislative Assembly wherein IPs of ARMM provided inputs in the BOL.

Delegates said they were confident their amendments will add value to the proposed organic act and secure rights for indigenous peoples and non-IP Cordillerans.

Lawyer Evelyn Dunuan called on media to help in “proper information and education campaign on the third attempt at Cordillera autonomy.

“Help us in reaching out to as many people as possible,” she said. “Whatever we are doing here today will not just benefit us – our families and communities – but the generations in the Cordillera to come”.

Jefferd Zambrano, the Indigenous Peoples’ Mandatory Representative of Barangay Puguis, La Trinidad, proposed to revise Section 4 of HB 5343 which defines a Cordilleran.

The proposed amendment maintained that “a Cordilleran is one who is domiciled in the region.”

It added “indigenous peoples shall have the freedom to retain their distinct indigenous and ethnic identity in addition to their Cordilleran identity”.

Labio Calingayan, IPMR of Barangay Loakan, Baguio City, said “people need to be aware and the grassroots level is key in gaining support for the organic act.”

He said autonomy will bring much-needed representation and development for the Cordillerans.

The NEDA-CAR is working with stakeholders in different sectors and prioritizes grassroots level to raise awareness on Cordilleran autonomy.

This was in direct response to the past two plebiscites where failure to get the ‘yes’ vote in both cases to approve proposed organic acts to make the Cordillera autonomous were attributed to lack of proper information dissemination. -- NEDA-SPCAR