Village-based talks on autonomy urged

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- While talks are hastened by regional officers and officials on the proposed Cordillera autonomous government to national leaders, folks in villages remain ignorant on what regional autonomy is all about as they called for barangay-based consultations.

Barangay captain Anastacio Domling of eastern Antadao and Nanette Alangui of southern barangay Suyo said consultations on regional autonomy be done during their barangay assemblies or meetings.

The basic question of what autonomy is, was the most asked question in four separate consultations here in the eastern, central, southern and northern zones of Sagada organized by the Peaceful Environment for the Advancement of Communities and Education (Peace) with the support of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda).

Executive Assistant Angel Baybay to the Provincial LGU of Mountain Province traced the history on the quest for regional autonomy with the old Mountain Province then composed of then districts Abra, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, and Kalinga Apayao till the districts split as separate province with the creation of the now Mountain Province as one province separate from the other provinces. The regionalization law split the six provinces where Mountain Province and Benguet joined Region 1 and other provinces to Region 2.

Not until the mid ‘80s when some groups including the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) met with then President Cory Aquino at Mt Data, Bauko to clamor for federal regional autonomy. The meeting led to the passage of Executive Order 220 which stamped preparation for the autonomous region of the Cordillera and making way for the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region with Baguio City as the regional capital.

With the lobbying for regional autonomy by groups including Cordillera People's Alliance, provision for regional autonomy for the Cordillera and Muslim Mindanao was enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.

The call for regional autonomy meant self determination of the Cordillera peoples to their natural and economic resources and political governance.

Failed plebiscite followed in 1990 and 1998 where only Ifugao and Apayao voted yes respectively for regional autonomy till its awakening again for the third take in 2007 till now.

“Why are we campaigning for regional autonomy when autonomy in Mindanao failed,” barangay captain Fermin Lumbaya of Kilong asked.

The autonomous government of Muslim Mindanao gained their autonomous state led by Governor Nur Misuari in 1989. This autonomous governance in Muslim Mindanao however failed as noted in mismanagement and corruption of autonomy funds.

Lumbaya asked anyone from Mindanao to share any good or beneficial experience of Mindanao as basis for Cordillera autonomy.

Baybay noted Mindanao has differing practices from the Cordillera noting the leadership of the datu in Mindanao who wields authoritative power as compared to elders in the Cordillera who have consensus decisions in cultural and socio-political issues.

“Where have we failed why we are campaigning for autonomy,” Barangay captain Ben Manawen of Tetep-a Norte asked.

Cultural autonomy

Manawen asked his query within the framework of autonomous settings where villagers freely govern themselves and express their sentiments and decisions on their cultural practices and opinions on matters crucially concerning them including their opposition against large scale mining and energy project intrusions as noted in Mountain Province.

The role of elders in policy making was a major recommendation by Indigenous Peoples Representative to the Municipal Council Jaime Dugao who hails from southern Ankileng barangay.

Dugao in his proposal stressed elders be selected by consensus as noted in customary village practices and not by election as found in the manner of choosing the regional assemblymen and regional governor in the proposed bill on regional autonomy.

As a policy making body, Dugao said the council of elders will be represented from the barangay level who will choose their own representatives to the municipal level and the municipal representatives who will choose their provincial and city representatives who will make up the council of elders in the regional body.

As customary in cultural communities, elders do the decisions in cultural activities and have their say in socio-political matters affecting the community including resolving conflicts in territorial and ownership disputes of their ancestral properties and domains.

Econ-political autonomy

In southern Sagada where vegetables and fruits are abundantly grown, community women leader Annie Sumedca asked what role regional autonomy will have on the fluctuating prices of vegetables.

“Can farmers dictate on the prices of vegetables if we become autonomous,” she added.

Michael Umaming of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) stressed on the policy making role of an autonomous region anchoring on the Cordillera with rich natural resources and peoples having distinct customs and practices.

The Cordillera’s resources include minerals potential for mining, waters potential for hydro power and the wind and sun potential for renewable energy including its agricultural mountainous terraces fit for vegetables and agro-forest products such as coffee.

Large scale mining is currently found in Benguet and some parts of Kalinga. Hydroelectric energy is located in the Mountain Province, Benguet and Ifugao.

Despite Benguet providing hydropower for the region and the rest of the nation and mineral resources from mining industries contributing to national wealth, the Cordillera only contributed 1.95% to the national economy in 2012 lower than the Ilocos Region’s contribution of 3% with the National Capital Region contributing the most at 35.7% as noted from NEDA records.

Umaming noted taxes of capitalist companies who operate in the Cordillera pay their taxes in their central offices in Manila.

He also forwarded inclusion of the source of headwaters on the definition and coverage of ‘host communities’ as to their share on taxes with reference to the House Bill that Baguio City mayor and former Baguio congressman Mauricio Domogan filed in Congress which remains to be unfavorably responded to.

A persistent question was asked by Tetep-an elder and former barangay chairman Basilio Owatan on the financial scenario of what becomes of an autonomous Cordillera. “Can we support ourselves as a region if we have already become independent and financial subsidy is depleted?” he asked.

Umaming noted the shares of the Cordillera from national wealth when it becomes an autonomous region including 40% of the taxes from national wealth to be allotted for the regional government and 1% of the national internal revenue taxes as share of the regional autonomous region as stated in House Bill 4696.

Features of an autonomous region on the election of a regional governor and members of the regional legislative assembly together with P75 billionpeso financial subsidy in 10 years and what functions an autonomous state should handle and should not handle as stated in House Bill 4696.

Other comments

Economic, social and educational development programs and policies are some of components that an autonomous region shall handle aside from administration and creation of sources of revenues and control on its ancestral domains and natural resources.

A national policy needing amendment is PD 705 declaring lands above 20% in slope and over as public land as contrary to what indigenous peoples of the Cordillera consider their ancestral lands as their private and communal properties.

Educator Patrick Pooten said social services such as health and education should find more attention in an autonomous region. As it is, not all citizens have free PhilHealth benefits and far flung villages still lack classrooms including college education still dominated by private schools with high tuition fees.

In northern Sagada, assurance of lessening or disappearance of corruption if there is an autonomous region was asked. Northern folks forwarded that strict monitoring mechanisms should be in place.

Here in central Sagada, the question of whether there shall be demilitarization of armed groups-New Peoples Army (NPA) and the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army aside from other armed groups- was asked should there be an autonomous region.

Sagada while it was declared as a peace zone in the late 1980s had long been violated of its state of being a peace zone with the occurrence of AFP-NPA ambushes since its declaration. (Gina Dizon)

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