House fund group to study substitute bill for Cordi autonomy

By Bob Lyndon B. Daroya

BAGUIO CITY – A substitute bill creating a Cordillera Autonomous Region shall be tackled by the House committee on appropriations when it resumes sessions.
    This, after the National Economic and Development Authority Cordillera through the “social preparation of Cordillera Administrative Region into an Autonomous Region (SPCAR) program headed a workshop Nov. 3 to define functions of the proposed autonomous region and gathered regional autonomy advocates heeding to Baguio City Rep. Mark Go’s request to review provisions under the devolved powers from the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that can be adapted as additional functions for the proposed organic act establishing the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
    The group reviewed and discussed 55 provisions under Article V Section 2 of the BOL stating devolved functions from the national government to the Bangsamoro regional government.
    The autonomy advocates agreed the Cordillera has the capacity to assume and implement governance when it will become an autonomous region.
    Under the proposal, regional line agencies will maintain their operations in the region in the proposed organic act.
    They agreed on humanitarian services and quarantine regulations do not fall under the mandates of RLAs.
    The group also discussed the possibility of strengthening the provision on the payment of environmental services having the region as the water cradle of the north that provides clean water to low land provinces.
    They will endorse these to Rep. Go to be added in the substitute bill under Article V Section 25 “Devolved Powers” on the Regional Government.
    The advocates expressed their gratitude to the regional NEDA and Regional Development Council for the support in advancing strategies to attain Cordillera regional autonomy.
    NEDA Regional Director Susan A. Sumbeling said their agency,  through the SPCAR program will continue in supporting and providing platforms to make Cordillerans well-informed about regional autonomy.
    She thanked autonomy advocates for their support in the pursuit of regional autonomy.
    She added it is essential for different parties involve to work hand in hand to realize the goal for regional self-determination.
    The 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates the creation of an autonomous region for Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera. Muslim Mindanao is now autonomous through the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law establishing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019 while the Cordillera Administrative Region still awaits its turn to have an acceptable organic act to establish the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
    The SPCAR program was created in 2007 to prepare the Cordillera for regional autonomy.
    It is the overarching program of the RDC which the NEDA-CAR serves as Secretariat.