EDITORIAL

Solving the Cordillera’s economic woes

Would autonomy for the Cordillera solve its economic woes? This is the question being posed by regional development council members to constituents which the former themselves answer in the affirmative.

Nothing bad with being an optimist but then, according to the average man on the street basing from “informal surveys” of newsmen, most don’t know what autonomy is. RDC members are saying the region could have an economic boom if the people ratify a third organic act for a Cordillera autonomous region.

As of this time, according to the RDC, various Cordillera local government units and an institution need at least P33.9 million to fund the implementation of small poverty alleviation projects that would spur the economic development in their areas of jurisdiction.

Presidential assistant for Cordillera affairs Tom Killip said that they will try to raise the said funding through a first-ever donors forum to be held next month in Metro Manila.
The donors forum is a project of the RDC in the Cordillera, in partnership with the office of the Presidential Assistant for Cordillera fairs and the office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process.

The various poverty alleviation projects of San Quintin and Tubo, Abra need a total of P7.5 million; Pudtol, P3 million; Kibungan, Benguet, {9.6 million; Alfonso Lista, Banaue, Hingyon, Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry (ISCAF) and Tinoc in Ifugao, P6.7 million; Tanudan in Kalinga, P1.4 million and Bontoc, Sadanga, Sagada and Tadian in Mountain Province, P5.7 million.

According to Killip, the Cordillera is considered a conflict area and considering that it is a predominantly indigenous peoples region, it should be among the areas for government support like Muslim Mindanao since it needs to catch up to meet its targets in the millennium development goals and address historical inequity issues on delivery of basic needs to reduce poverty incidence.

Being an indigenous peoples region, it has accordingly been discriminated from the benefits of development with the slow Implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. RDC members are saying autonomy could stop discrimination. 01711404943

Killip is saying the region cannot solely depend on government poverty alleviation programs with its limited resources and coverage, thus, the RDC his office and the OPAPP adopted the strategy of endeavoring to access through a donors forum small funding from embassies, the Overseas Development Assistance community and selected non-government Organizations.

The RDC is hoping to open relationships with donor agencies for accessing bigger funds for the region’s development projects vital in uplifting the economic condition of far-flung communities. The donors’ forum will be an activity where projects of the first 14 local government units and an institution in the region will be presented to donor agencies for appropriate funding requirements.

The donors’ forum aims to get the commitment from donors to fund presented project proposals and forge linkages with donor agencies, particularly embassies, ODA community and NGOs for future requests for the funding of more relevant poverty alleviation projects.

The RDC could temporarily stop its autonomy information drive which had not gone off the ground and tap more funds from the government or foreign entities and pour these on the region. This way it could be of help more to the people instead on concentrating on its approach of pushing autonomy instead of knowing what the people want – whether they want autonomy or not.