House panel backs creation of Cordillera Autonomous Region

By Jose Cielito Reganit 

QUEZON CITY – A House panel on Thursday expressed his full support for the establishment of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) which will hasten the economic and social growth and development of the region.
    “The establishment of the Cordillera Autonomous Region has been long overdue. It is high time that we legislate this very important a measure that will give Cordillerans the right to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development,” said Valenzuela City 1st District Rep. Rex Gatchalian, chair of the House committee on local government said after his panel approved House Bill 3267.
    HB 3267 was filed by Representatives Ching Bernos (Abra), Eleanor Bulut-Begtang (Apayao), Solomon Chunglao (Ifugao), Maximo Dalog Jr. (Mountain Province), Mark Go (Baguio City), Allan Jesse Mangaoang (Kalinga) and Eric Go Yap (Benguet).
    “The genuine aspiration of the Cordillerans for genuine autonomy is rooted on the right to self-determination of the people fueled by a long history of struggle for the recognition of their rights,” the lawmakers said in pushing for the creation of CAR.
    They said CAR shall serve as the foundation upon which the people of Cordillera shall be empowered “to pursue sustainable and inclusive growth, through the management, protection and development of their natural and human resources, and the promotion of the rights and culture of the Cordillera people.”
    On July 15, 1987, President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order 220 which created the Cordillera Administrative Region as a transitory coordinating agency in preparation for autonomy.
    Several attempts at regional autonomy have failed, however, in two separate plebiscites that would have given the region autonomy in self-governance much like the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which is now the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
    The House of Representatives has approved a similar measure seeking to create CAR during the 18th Congress, but the Senate failed to pass the bill due to “lack of material time.”
    But with Thursday's approval of HB 3267 at the committee level, Gatchalian hoped that the quest of Cordillerans for autonomy would finally be realized in this 19th Congress.
    As chair of the Committee on Local Government, the Valenzuela City lawmaker will likely sponsor the bill when it will be taken up in plenary sessions.
    “I congratulate the authors of this measure for their fortitude in tirelessly pursuing its passage. We assure our Cordilleran brothers and sisters that this Committee will continue to fully support this measure until its final approval in the House,” Gatchalian said. -- PNA