BAGUIO CITY—Cordillera lawmakers and members of the Regional Development Council in the Cordillera agreed to give the renewed quest for regional autonomy a last chance while adhering to the present administration’s plan to shift from the current presidential form to federal form of government.
In the recently concluded Cordillera leaders forum held at the House of Representatives, Cordillera congressmen agreed among themselves to refile the revised autonomy bill.
Further improvements on the contents of the bill prior to its refilling were instituted during a series of meetings to be held among the lawmakers pushing for its immediate passage.
The group of lawmakers seek to file the revised version before Congress goes on a break sometime in March and meet the timelines set with the RDC-CAR.
Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. said Cordillera congressmen will have a unified stand to file the revised autonomy bill and for them to forego their “biases” against the proposed legislative measure and allow their constituents to be the ones to decide whether or not their legislative districts will join the autonomous region during a plebiscite.
He said there is no definite timeline for the administration’s proposed shift to federal form of government.
“That is why it is still best for the Cordillera to pursue the renewed quest for autonomy which is considered to be a definite move rather than awaiting a proposal for federalism that still remains in the air,” Baguilat stressed.
Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang, meanwhile, claimed it is high time for local officials and concerned government agencies to work double time in informing and educating the people about the advantages of joining the autonomous region instead of the region being torn apart and go for the local governments to go back to their original regions.
For her part, Apayao Rep. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang said autonomy is still one of the available options for the region while federalism remains an alternative.
Likewise, Kalinga Gov. Jocel C. Baac admitted that the autonomy fever in his province had died down and that it might be best for the region to await the development on the shift to federal form but he was convinced that it is also important to give autonomy a last chance with the support of Cordillera congressmen who must file and facilitate the passage of the autonomy bill to meet the prescribed timeline.
Apayao Gov. Elias C. Bulut, Jr. expressed support to autonomy and federalism but there is a need to concentrate information and education campaign activities to the youth to win their hearts to vote for autonomy once it will be subjected to a plebiscite.
Mountain Province administrator Amador Batay-an, who represented Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr., and Executive Assistant V Rafael B. Talllocoy, who represented City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, expressed the support of the provincial and city governments to the renewed quest for autonomy.