80% Benguet folks in mock plebiscite favor Cordillera autonomy

By Bob Lyndon Daroya

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- A mock plebiscite was conducted in a public forum here with 80 percent of participants voting in favor of Cordillera autonomy while 20 percent were undecided. The Social Preparation of CAR into an Autonomous Region (SPCAR) program gathered church leaders and Sangguniang Kabataan officials of Benguet for the information, education and communication (IEC) forum on Cordillera autonomy held here at Wangal, La Trinidad on May 31, 2021.
    Speakers Francis Likigan and professor Greg Taag conducted the seminar in partnership with the National Economic Development Authority Cordillera to brief participants on basic concepts and history of the region’s pursuit for autonomy.
    Likigan and Taag, both members of the Regional Development Council IEC speakers’ bureau, spoke on the history and pursuit of autonomy in relation to Cordilleran identity, responsive policies for the region, and progress.

The participants said there should be more IEC activities and speakers’ training for church leaders as they can have IECs within their respective congregations and they are already accustomed to speaking to a large number of audiences.

Taag said communities including the youth and church are very important partners in attaining  Autonomous Region of the Cordillera.

The RDC adapted the pursuit of regional autonomy as theme for Cordillera development since 2006.

The RDC-CAR through the SPCAR program is continuing pursuit for regional autonomy by raising awareness and gathering support for autonomy through its IECs, alliance building and capability- building activities among Cordillerans.