Cordillera government execs re-oriented :RDC renews thrust for regional autonomy

By RedjieCawis

BAGUIO CITY – The Regional Development Council has started what it called renewed thrust for regional autonomy with around a hundred government regional line agency heads, executives and senior officials of offices recently briefed on the matter here at Teachers Camp.

Organized by the Cordillera Association of Regional Executives together with the Regional Development Council-Cordillera, the forum on regional autonomy for Cordillera executives was aimed at re-orienting different government line agency and organization heads and other senior officials on the region’s  quest  for  autonomy.

CARE president, regional director John Castaneda of Department of Interior and Local Government, said the forum updated agency heads on initiatives undertaken by the RDC and other groups particularly in information, education and communication campaign on Cordillera autonomy.

He added conducting a forum for CAR executives and senior officers will provide them the opportunity to be appraised anew on regional autonomy as they review  the provisions of the former House Bill 5595, which is the draft organic act.

The role of regional line agencies and other government organizations in an autonomous set up is very important and it is important they understand the autonomous set up of government.

He said one objective was the CARE and RDC would solicit support from the government executives for implementation of programs to make Cordillera an autonomous region.

Castaneda added the forum was one of the pre-summit activities being conducted regionwide in preparation for regional summit on autonomy next year.

He said different outputs to be gathered in the scheduled activities of the pre-regional summit will be used as inputs for the bigger regional summit and become  reference so recommendations for the proposed new house bill on autonomy would be made.

During the forum, RDC private sector Representative Dr. Virgilio Bautista discussed possible benefits of an autonomous region,adding the RDC is pushing for the autonomy to hasten development in Cordillera provinces.

Lawyer Delmar Carino discussed the salient features of House Bill 5595 or the Autonomy Organic Act while Mayor Mauricio Domogan talked on history and principles of the Cordillera regional autonomy.

Forum participants raised issues and concerns on the former autonomy organic act and issued  recommendations or amendments to the bill during  workshops