Cordillera: Still not autonomous after 21 years of preparation

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - More than half of the people of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) have no idea that the 1987 Constitution provides for their autonomy. That's why after 21 years since the Constitution was passed, they still have not become the Cordillera Autonomous Region – not even after two plebiscites, one in 1995 and another in 1998, both of which failed. To be exact, 64 percent of the people in the region know nothing about autonomy, according to a survey conducted from October 2007 to January 2008 by the Regional Development Council. "This is lamentable, and at the same time an eye opener," Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan told several hundred participants of the Walk Cordillera Walk advocacy campaign on Monday at the Baguio Athletic Bowl. It was Juan Ngalob, the director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), who cited the results of the survey. Last Monday also happened to be the 21st anniversary of CAR, which was was created on July 15, 1987, supposedly as a first step to its becoming an autonomous region. More statistics While other parts of the country are clamoring for federalism and autonomy, Cordillerans have no idea what such concepts could mean to them, politically or economically. Ngalob cited more figures that should worry Cordillera politicians: • 40 percent of Cordillerans do not know if the CAR is ready to become autonomous. • More than a third think CAR is not ready yet to become autonomous. • 66 percent of Cordillerans would not know how to vote should a third organic act need to be ratified in a plebiscite, as set in the Constitution. • Only 19 percent would vote to ratify an organic act. • 15 percent said they would votes against ratifying an organic act. Refocusing efforts But Ngalob remains confident that the groundwork has been laid down and that an information campaign could still lead to autonomy. According to Ngalob, the government has decided to refocus its efforts to regional development and autonomy to enable local officials to deliver functions devolved by the national government, such as sharing taxes among regional agencies. To achieve that, Domogan said some local officials are now proposing to amend Executive Order 220 which paved the way for the creation of the CAR. "Let us work together to achieve what is good under EO220 without giving up the dream for autonomy," Domogan said. An autonomy law for the Cordillera is being crafted now, according to the legislator. He admitted that how past political leaders in the region here wanted to ram through the organic act without people really understanding the meaning of autonomy. Shift To federalism Autonomy advocate Gabino Ganggangan, a former mayor of Sadanga town in Mountain Province, claims that the first two autonomy drafts were government sponsored laws that were "planned to fail." The issue of autonomy, he said, had become so unpopular that even the earlier prime movers had shifted strategy by adopting a more prominent stance for federalism. Leaders of the newly unified Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) and its political arm, the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) has agreed to pursue Cordillera autonomy’s political and economic development agenda this time. But it will do so in a wider and broader scope through a federal form of national governance, according to Miguel Guimbatan Jr., who had helped the CPLA and CBA. Lawyer Joel Obar, a former CBA chief executive, explained that the term autonomy has lost its meaning after being misused, abused, and tainted with several negative connotations. "Federalism is an answer," Obar said. Obar still encourages advocates to resume their passion for self-determination and self-governance through federalism. He suggests a separate federal state also for the Cebuano’s, the Ilongos, and the Warays. Newly elected CPLA chief of staff Mando Mosing, alias Ka Mando, said: "Federalism has been our stand even before the autonomy concept was introduced. We have a unique resource base and cultural background. Development efforts should start from here." In 1986, Mosing received the peace tokens from President Corazon Aquino during the Mount Data peace accord with the CPLA. Common culture, common aspirations The upland region of the Cordillera is still composed of indigenous people in the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Apayao. Each have diversified practices but with a distinct and common cultural heritage, history, and aspirations. CBA president Marcelina Bahatan suggests that other areas with distinct culture and resources might want to develop and be governed with their own unique way through a federal regional government. A national movement to shift to a federal form of government is gaining ground with the proposal of maintaining 11 federal estates. From north to south, they are: 1. Northern Luzon 2. Cordillera 3. Central Luzon 4. Metro Manila 5. Southern Luzon 6. Bicol 7. Western Visayas and Palawan 8. Central and Eastern Visayas 9. Northern Mindanao and Zamboanga Peninsula 10. Davao Region and Central Mindanao 11. Bangsamoro (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) According to the federalism proposal: "Each is an autonomous regional government of the federal republic. The territory of the different 'estados' is determined by a combination of geographic contiguity of their component areas, their ethnic, linguistic and other cultural aspects, and their socio-economic potential and viability." - GMANews.TV