Thursday, September 27, 2007 NoCot mayor opposes creation of IP town By Malu Cadelina Manar
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The City Government is opposed to the move to create a separate town for the indigenous peoples in North Cotabato, saying the plan might contradict the moratorium issued by the Malacañang on the creation of towns and provinces in the country.
Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco said there is no need to create a town for the lumads as the City Government has already shelled out millions to develop their sanctuary, ancestral lands, and preserve their culture and traditions.
One of the villages now being developed as a tourist spot because of its potentials is Barangay Ilomavis, site of the Mindanao geothermal production field of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), which the lumads want to consider as the seat of the proposed Apo Sandawa municipality.
"As the head of this LGU, I just cannot give up Ilomavis. Much money has been poured out to develop the place," said Gantuangco.
Ilomavis, dominated mostly by the Bagobos and Manobos, is considered the richest village in Kidapawan City.
The PNOC-Energy Development Corporation is paying the city an annual royalty tax of some P75 million for the use of Barangay Ilomavis in geothermal production.
When asked, DILG city officer Chris Yarra said Ilomavis has yet to pass the minimum requirements before it can be a considered a town or city.
Among the most important things to consider are the income and the population of a certain area.
"So far, the village has not passed these requirements," said Yarra.
The Cotabato Tribal Consultative Council (CTCC), a consultative arm of the PNOC-EDC for the lumads, proposed that Barangay Ilomavis be the seat of the IP town to be created in North Cotabato.
Such proposal, according to CTCC chair Datu Samuel Asicam, has already been endorsed to North Cotabato's 2nd district Rep. Bernardo Pinol Jr.
Piñol, however, has not issued his official stand on the proposal.
He said that before he submits the proposal to the House for deliberations, he plans to conduct more public consultations on the issue.
"This needs further study," said Pinol.
If the proposal pushes through, 14 villages from this city and two towns in North Cotabato would comprise the Apo Sandawa municipality.
The name Apo Sandawa is derived from the lumad's supreme god who lives in Mount Apo, the country's highest peak.
The lumads also consider Mount Apo as part of their ancestral domain.
