Autonomy blues

LETTER

Members of old Cordillera bodies tasked by Executive Order 220 to prepare the region for autonomy give their sentiments on the issue during a press conference in Baguio last week. From left: Moises Comaat of the Cordillera Regional Assembly Emilio Liwanen of the Cordillera Executive Board, lawyer Nestor Ati-tiw of the Cordillera Budong Administration, Ciriaco Filog of the CEB, Richard Kiaki of the Interim Cordillera Interest Group and Raffy Wassan of the Igorot Liberation Front. -- Redjie Melvic Cawis

Nowhere in Executive Order 30 signed by then President Arroyo can anyone see with the aid of a magnifying glass the magic words “Prepare Autonomy” written. Section 1 of said EO states: “There is hereby created a Cordillera Regional Development Council (CRDC) which shall be the primary institution for setting the direction of economic and social development in the Cordilleras and through which regional development efforts shall be coordinated.”

It’s crystal clear that even a moron can interpret that the job of the CRDC as provided by Sec. 1 is to set the direction of economic and social development in the Cordillera and not to embroil themselves in affairs of autonomy.

Arrogating unto themselves the functions of the Cordillera Administrative Region’s bodies puts them in a risky position aggravated by the fact that they spent more than P33 million of government funds for their own purpose.

These concerned officials of CRDC can be sued for abuse of authority, usurpation of power, misuse of public funds and other violative acts under the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act if they persist in continuing their autonomy campaign.

It’s but prudent and incumbent upon them, if they have delicadeza, to desist from their self-assumed role because an interim group composed mostly of aged adherents of autonomy are awaiting from President P-noy their marching orders.

Furthermore, autonomy is a political issue so the legal bodies to undertake preparation of autonomy in the Cordillera are the Cordillera Bodong Administration, Cordillera Executive Board and the Cordillera Regional Assembly as mandated by EO 220 signed by the late President Corazon Aquino.

Hence, civil servants like National Economic Development Authority regional director Juan Ngalob and others are prohibited from engaging in any political activity as provided in the Civil Service law rules and regulation.

Their main function as NEDA personnel is compromised due to duplication of functions which paralyzes the office and the services that’s expected of them.

The granting of fund to the CRDC on August 2007 by then DBM Secretary Rolando Andaya is deemed a misappropriation of fund so this is one issue that we are going to raise in the Truth Commission of this administration.

We strongly believe that Andaya was misled and pressured to agree to release said fund. We strongly believe that he was in doubt as to the legality of CRDC so much so that during the budget negotiation between DBM and delegates of RDC-CAR held at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in June 2, 2006, Andaya agreed provided that Cordillera congressmen support the move.

“This was subsequently obtained via a joint letter of CAR congressmen collectively supporting that same that then NEDA director Romulo Neri agree that the autonomy budget be attached to the NEDA budget as an agency to which Neri agreed provided the same shall not affect the NEDA budget ceiling.” (This statement was quoted verbatim from RDC-CAR website.)

Our group, the Interim Cordillera Interest Group (ICIG) isn’t criticizing the officials nor the staff or RDC-CAR created by EO 30.

Instead our letters sent to Ngalob, the acting chairman of RDC and to media outlets are meant to be fair warning and

Eye openers to their misconduct when they reinvented themselves to encroach on functions and duties of the deactivated CAR bodies.

As a political partriarch and lawyer, Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan should be the first to offer the peace pipe of unity and harmony among our group and his group by way of supporting the reactivation of the CAR bodies instead of mouthing foul words against the incompetence of their leaders which a rational mind interprets adversely as make-believe act to conceal their desire to continue spearheading the multi-million funded autonomy campaign to satisfy their own agenda at the expense of aforesaid “incompetent leaders.”

And as a lawyer, he knew for a fact that EO 30 didn’t provide a mandate for RDC-CAR to inform, educate and campaign for autonomy in the CAR.

Rep. Maximo Dalog and Gov. Leonard Mayaen of Mountain Province, Gov. Nestor Fongwan and Vice Gov. Crescencio Pacalso of Benguet signed our letter sent to President Benigno Aquino last July 9, 2010 regarding: “Urgent regional problem of the Cordilleras regarding autonomy,” while Mayor Domogan didn’t sign when presented to him for his signature.

Autonomy failed twice when presented for voting in the Cordillera. The very main reason for its failure though others may debate is the scenario that politicians with eyes focused on the regional governorship were in the driver’s seat and it’s perceivable that this time, autonomy will fail for the third time because Mayor Domogan, the driver of RDC-CAR and the most potential candidate for regional governor according to “table survey” is in the forefront of the autonomy campaign. -- Beepo Kiaki, ICIB co-chairman