The unpopular call for Cordillera autonomy

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Autonomous governments are born out of a pressing demand from oppressive economic and political situations.  We can refer to Burmese indigenous peoples who had long wanted to have a separate state from the Burmese government considering the militarized system of Burma until now.  

We also refer to Bangladesh then known as East Bengal under the  British hold eventually becoming a part of Pakistan in 1947 and  politically autonomous from Pakistan in 1971 after nine bloody  months of liberation moved by a language movement.

We talk of  Indonesia  which got in place regional  governments   in 2001 in response to its  problem on  corruption  and placed regional offices  lessening  national control  over  regional administration similar to the Philippines’ devolution of  administrative powers to local government units following the  Local Government Code  of 1991.

Autonomous governments were born out of a pressing need to change a political system. The celebration of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance on the 30th Cordillera  Day this April 2014  recollects the very  call  for  Cordillera autonomy  hinged on the right to self –determination when in the  ‘80s, CPA leaders  took on the call for regional autonomy  at a time when  political  crisis was at its peak. 

Despotic President Ferdinand Marcos fled the country,  stole money of the Filipino people and stashed in foreign banks.  Political crisis was high much as insurgency was high.  Human rights violations were rampant. Economic conditions were at a low. 

Migrant workers increased.   The Left split with other members of the political Left. The Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) led by former New People’s Army leader Fr. ConradoBalweg was born out of their split with the NPA. 

Corazon Aquino ran for president and won over her call for freedom and democracy over dictator  former president  Ferdinand Marcos.  Equally, the call for regional autonomy was at its peak and so found inclusion in the provisions of the 1987 freedom constitution.

Now in the current scenario, I don’t see a high and demanding need by people for political change at the moment.  People are not actively talking about regional autonomy whether they are informed or not. 

In House Bill  5595 or the proposed  3rd organic act establishing a Cordillera Autonomous  Region, the framers of the  proposed law led by Baguio  mayor Mauricio Domogan, chairman of the  drafting committee wants  to ensure  LGUs internal revenue allotments  and government positions.  Of course,   even if there is no regional autonomy, LGU funds and government positions shall still be in place. 

HB 5595 and so with the other  Cordillera regional autonomy bills  also  wants Cordillera autonomy  to secure for themselves  the people of the Cordillera, “their ancestral domain, develop their economy,  promote their  cultural heritage and establish a system of  self governance within the framework  of the Philippine Constitution;  and that the   exploitation, exploration, development employment and utilization of natural resources  found in the Cordillera  shall be  under the  control, permission and supervision of the regional government.”

This call is highly speculative unless and until national laws are amended and give way to regional systems to let the Cordillera consistently control and supervise its natural resources.

Amendments to the law can be initiated by our representative lawmakers.  It’s a question if the national lawmakers and the President will favour natural resources at the control of the host community.  This, to include how much share from income of natural resources do we want for ourselves and how much share shall be given to the national government.

As it is, as provided by the local government code of 1991, the municipality and province gets 60% and the national government gets  40% from income realized from natural resources. 

Regional autonomy is useless without control of our natural resources much as these compose the lifeblood and distinction of our communities. We refer to land where finds minerals- gold, nickel, copper- providing a sizable income to national economy and its exploration and utilization  controlled by the State. We refer to waters providing a major source of hydroelectric energy not only for the Cordillera but for the immediate lowland places as well, and benefits  accruing only to host communities as defined by the  EPIRA law  posing questions on the coverage of  the source of the waters within the  definition of host communities.

Even the very  land where we source our  food and livelihood  and build our homes are considered  as forest zone blessed by  PD 705 providing for a 20% in slope and over as  public land. Like a sword of  Damocles , the State will expropriate the forest reserve and public land anytime.

We even have RA 7076 or the Peoples Small Scale Mining Act of 1991 where small scale miners are required to be registered otherwise face legal and criminal consequences  if they  transport their ores and mine tailings without a mining permit.  Those travelling without the permit are harassed along the way and some  charged and fined. Since the law was passed  there is no approved  legal mining permit of small scale miners in the Cordillera despite miners’  applications for Minahang Bayan years ago.

 What’s wrong?  The law provides that mining applications cannot be entertained with pending mining applications. Where  foreign and their local counterpart- mining  companies have  already applied mining  lands prevents  small scale miners to  apply for Minahang Bayan and thus the persistent harassment  over their mine ores and tailings when these are transported .

Where amendments happen first on the controlled state of our natural resources, I would have faith and be open in the call for a Cordillera regional autonomy. Amendments   happen in Congress so let this be realized first, unless in regional autonomy,  the regional  government   shall get dominant and be controlling over a national law.  Unless and until PD 705, Mining Act of 1995 and other controlling laws are in place, forget about regional autonomy.  What is the point of a Cordillera regional autonomy with calls for self determination and control on natural resources when controlling national laws are in place.

Otherwise, we already have a devolved system of government where we enjoy a relatively   reasonable degree of self rule- supervising our own regional ranks and enacting our own ordinances to generate revenues  guided by  national laws.  

We already have a regional administrative region where regional offices and personnel   are in place to transact   government business and facilitate  functions to the national level.

We already have laws in place to demand our share from national wealth. The most to do is to demand these. Is there a need for an autonomous government to demand our share from income realized from our natural resources.

All this proposal  in HB 5599 of  a 75 billion peso subsidy over a period of  10 years  to develop  the Cordillera’s  natural  resources  dangles an enticing  amount of money  vulnerable to corruption much as the public knows that  government projects are corrupted with fishy SOPs to government officials and officers. What fate does this 75 billion money have once it lands in the hands of corrupt government officials and officers?  Unless the call is to place systems and penalties to combat corruption which is currently the plague of Philippine politics and economics, I would agree to regional autonomy. 

As it is with this third attempt to regional autonomy, questions posed during public fora in separate venues in Mountain Province still show lack of information to pessimism to critical. Seemingly, only the ones in government ,  those who expect positions in a state of regional autonomy and others who enjoy autonomy funds  are the ones who are for Cordillera autonomy.

The rest may be either sceptical  or not in favour of  regional autonomy, and  others plainly disinterested on what autonomy is all about, and others may be silently favouring autonomy for whatever  reason that is.

Major questions paused so far in Mountain Province as noted in separate fora are these: will there be no corruption when Cordillera autonomy sets in? Shall it not be another failed autonomous Mindanao? Shall the mining law and PD 705 be amended or repealed so that we can control our resources? What benefits do we get from our minerals and waters if we have regional autonomy? What difference shall it make when autonomy sets in compared to the present?  Shall there be no nepotism when autonomy is realized?

It’s a persistent  concern to gauge the readiness of the people to an autonomous state much as they are the ones who are the actors and recipients  of an autonomous government.  How empowered  and organized are sectoral and peoples organizations, barangay constituents  and the private sector in standing up and calling for an autonomous government?  How active are people in forwarding their desired structures and systems of governance on politics and economy.  If this basic ingredient of empowerment is in place, then we can press for, assert and have an autonomous Cordillera regional government calling for the political and economic control that we want for our natural wealth  and for ourselves as a people of the Cordillera.

Otherwise, forget about regional autonomy.