Cordi coops, Baguio cops vote for autonomy in mock plebiscites

By Marlo Lubguban

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Some 71 percent of 200 who joined a forum on Cordillera autonomy here voted yes to autonomy with 26% undecided and 3% saying no.

Both “undecided” and “no” voters urged extensive information dissemination drives to gain greater understanding and support to the movement.

They expressed hesitation due to lack of a filed bill in Congress.
The mock plebiscite was held when the Cordillera Cooperative Development Authority in coordination with National Economic Development Authority-Cordillera held the forum o here Oct. 25 to gain support from cooperatives in Cordillera during commemoration of Cooperative Month here in this capital town.

Autonomy advocates Paulino Tumapang and Gary Pekas discussed regional autonomy in the Cordillera and its key features.

Tumapang said cooperatives have been represented in the pursuit of autonomy with active leaders among cooperatives in Cordillera such as Emerita Fuerte, who are also involved in drafting the proposed Cordillera Organic Law.

Tumapang cited a provision from the proposed draft bill forwarded to the Cordillera congressmen which states that the ARC “shall promote and encourage creation and organization of cooperatives as instruments of economic development, social justice, and people empowerment.”

Pekas added while creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region did help improve the situation of the region, it is only a temporary set-up and is less than what is envisioned in the 1987 Constitution.

One participant asked if autonomy would lessen corruption in the region to which Pekas replied that the issue of corruption remains a concern as long as people vote corrupt officials.

Tumapang and Pekas emphasized that autonomy is necessary for the Cordillera not for the ending of corruption but to correct the injustices of the past while addressing unfitting laws and policies which relegated the unique culture and geography of the region.

In Baguio City, the Baguio City Police Office in coordination with NEDA-Cordillera organized an information, education, communication forum on Cordillera autonomy last Oct. 30.

Autonomy advocates Briccio Domondon and Peter Dumaguing discussed the basic concepts of autonomy and the region’s current advocacy.

Expounding on the concept of self-determination, Deputy City Director Edward Aquintey said during the Spanish colonial period “our forefathers in the Cordillera have always fought for freedom to protect and govern the land that is their own. Rich in culture and tradition, as well as natural resources: the preservation of these wealth has always been the foremost reason for the fight for self-determination and Cordillera autonomy.”

Domondon said indigenous peoples of the Cordillera have practiced forms of self-determination and self-rule for generations.

Domondon cited ethnic practices, such as the bodong, pechen, and tungtongan, which are similar to today’s institutionalized Katarungan Pambarangay.

He added that the Katarungan Pambarangay is basically a copycat of what has been practiced by the various tribes of the Cordillera.
            Dumaguing of Ifugao said many indigenous and sustainable practices can be institutionalized in an Autonomous Region of the Cordillera such as the Ifugao forest management system of Muyong.

He said Cordillera autonomy was enshrined in the 1987 Constitution to promote social justice in exchange for the years of resource exploitation and developmental neglect experienced by the people of Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera.

On defining a Cordilleran, Dumaguing said that the proposed organic law would not exclude non-indigenous Cordillerans.

Versions of the proposed Cordillera Organic Law, he added, define the Cordilleran as someone who is domiciled in the region.

Recently, however, members of the Organic Law drafting committee have clarified that indigenous peoples of the Cordillera shall retain their rights under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act to include the five pillars of ancestral domain, self-governance and empowerment, tribal justice systems and human rights, cultural integrity, and entry into agreements and peace pacts.

The police officers responded by voting a majority “yes” during the mock plebiscite for Cordillera autonomy.

To show her support for the advocacy, one police officer said that “we should not rely on the organizers to raise awareness on Cordillera autonomy since we ourselves are already aware of this”.

The RDC through NEDA-Cordillera engages partners in both the private and government sectors to raise awareness and gain support for Cordillera autonomy.

             RDC officials said considering the region’s unique traditions and geography, autonomy as the best approach to achieving sustainable development in the Cordillera region as envisioned in the Philippine Development Plan.