Sunday, February 11, 2007
Palace earmarks P15 million for Cordillera autonomy drive
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has earmarked P15 million from the approved P1.126 trillion national budget this year to jumpstart the mapping of strategies to jumpstart the revitalized autonomy campaign in the Cordillera.
Mountain Province Governor Maximo Dalog, chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC), said the renewed autonomy campaign is aimed at
teaching local government units to be fiscally autonomous before the region could be ready for the long desired self rule.
He added the continuing appropriation, which will be under the care of the RDC, will be on the perception of Cordillerans on autonomy especially for the present and future generations.
Earlier, the RDC approved the revival of the debates on Cordillera autonomy and requested Arroyo to provide P33 million annually as its working budget to formulate appropriate strategies that could help inform the people on the real purpose and benefits of autonomy.
National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Regional Director Juan Ngalob, concurrent RDC vice chairman, pointed out that the best way to achieve regional autonomy is to make sure that all local government units comprising the Cordillera are financially stable because fiscal autonomy is the foundation of political autonomy.
In achieving fiscal autonomy, he said local officials must not increase existing taxes but instead come up with be resourceful in maximizing their available potential sources of revenue.
Dalog said the funds will be utilized for the preparation and full implementation of the strategies that will finally convert the administrative status of the Cordillera into a full-pledged autonomous region.
The 1987 Constitution provides that autonomous regions will be established in the Cordillera and Mindanao in recognition of their plight for self-governance.
On July 15, 1987, former President Corazon Aquino signed Executive Order 220 creating the Cordillera Administrative Region, which is composed
of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and the City of Baguio in preparation for its autonomous status.
However, the Cordillerans overwhelmingly rejected the two autonomy laws passed by Congress in two plebiscites: one on January 30, 1990 and the other on March 7, 1998.
Ngalob claimed the RDC is not rushing the conversion of the Cordillera into an autonomous region but people must be well-educated on the
benefits of being an autonomous region in the next 20 years or more. (Dexter See)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (February 11, 2007 issue)
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