By Gigi G. Estanoco
BAGUIO
CITY – A consultation for the Indigenous Peoples Legislative Assembly in the
Cordillera Administrative Region (IPLA-CAR) for regional autonomy in Benguet
and Baguio City was headed by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace
Process (OPAPP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership
with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP-CAR) and Cordillera
Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR).
The activity was attended by around 120 indigenous peoples
of Benguet and Baguio City.
This
activity was a follow-through of the CAR Peace Conversations held November 2017 where participants unanimously
expressed support to the HB5343 but with reservations the proposed bill does
not fully embody important issues of the Cordillera IPs in their quest for
self-determination.
Thus provincial consultations are being held to gain
grassroots support through a more inclusive process of consultation on autonomy
among indigenous peoples.
“The Organic Act [HB5343] should be passed not to create
positions for the politicians, not to create another layer of bureaucracy but
to address and to correct all the historical and ongoing injustices and
wrongdoings to the people of the Cordillera,” said Dept. of Justice Assistant
Secretary Cheryl Daytec-Yangot.
The consultation included a
workshop for the participants to review and comment on the provisions of the
house bill that directly affect IPs. Among participants, 32 were selected to
represent the IPs of Baguio City and Benguet and to present the consultation’s
results during the Regional Legislative Assembly to be held in Baguio City on
November 22-24.
Similar consultations were held in Ifugao, Apayao,
Mountain Province, Abra, and Kalinga from November 7-9.
No comments:
Post a Comment