QUEZON CITY – Committee on Local Government Chair Pedro Acharon motioned for the approval of House Bill No. 4649, “An Act Establishing the Cordillera Autonomous Region” during the committee meeting held on February 1, 2016 at the House of Representatives – Batasan Complex.
The motion was made after Mountain Province Representative Maximo Dalog read the committee report submitted by the Ad Hoc Committee chaired by Cong. Nicasio Aliping, Jr., containing the accounts of the seven public hearings conducted in CAR in July 2015.
Also present was Kalinga Representative Manuel Agyao who co-authored the bill.
“The Ad Hoc Committee recommends for the approval of House Bill 4649, An Act Establishing the Cordillera Autonomous Region”, said Dalog.
He cited, “The Ad hoc Committee received no objection, or major proposal to amend the proposed measure, in fact, those who attended the public consultations expressed their overwhelming support for the passage of the proposed measure. The Committee is in receipt of several manifestos, resolutions coming from the local governments of the Cordilleras including non-government and peoples’ organizations, endorsing and supporting the proposed measure which was presented to them during the public hearings.”
Dalog highlighted the inherent constitutionality of the proposed bill and stressed on its clear-cut purpose to allow the region to catch up with other regions in terms of development.
The bill obtained support from Representative Winston Castello of Quezon City and Representative Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya manifested intent to co-author the bill.
Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez said that under the new rules of the house, it will be a priority bill in the same committee if refiled in the 17th Congress.
No objections or amendments on the proposed Cordillera autonomy bill were posed by members of the committee present in the hearing which motioned for its approval.
It could be recalled that the second hearing of the proposed organic act was in June 2015. This plenary deliberation made through the Committee’s last meeting before the adjournment of the third regular session of the 16th Congress starting February 6.
The same bill will then undergo subsequent hearings in the 17th Congress.
by: Mark Allen Ponciano, SPCAR