President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Philip Tingonong of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG), as the new Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) Co-Chairman for 2019 to 2022. Tingonong is the first RDC-CAR Co-Chair in 7 years since Virgilio Bautista, who served from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2012.

He is a leading member of the CCAGG, civil society organization which monitors government infrastructure projects in the province of Abra and the rest of the Cordillera. Tingonong was the former Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator of Abra who served for 40 years and during which he frequently represented the Abra Governor in RDC meetings.

A staunch autonomy advocate, he briefly served as a member of the Cordillera Executive Board. He recently led the committee that reviewed the proposed Organic Act establishing the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera filed in the 17th Congress. The review committee provided inputs and recommendations for the new bill for the 18th Congress. The bill was eventually filed as House Bill No. 5687 and Senate Bill 1232.

RDC Chair and fellow Abrenian Governor Joy Bernos commended Tingonong and committed to work together for the development of the whole Cordillera region. Tingonong is one of two nominated private sector representatives for RDC Co-Chair.

There are 14 private sector representatives who form an integral part of the Cordillera Regional Development Council. They represent the private sector of the 6 provinces and 1 chartered city of the Cordillera and the sectors of labor, development administration, environmental management, social development, infrastructure development, economic development, and indigenous peoples’ concerns. According to the RDC-CAR guidelines, a Chairman of the RDC may be from the government while the Co-Chair may be from the private sector, or vice-versa.