By JM Agreda/Sunstar

10. Development in autonomy?

Stale as a topic for most Cordillerans, especially the youth, and expected never to be a trending topic on Twitter or in any similar site. Local autonomy advocates never gave up in its 23-year quest for Cordillera autonomy.

After all, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Juan Ngalob said “there is no real development in the region without autonomy.”

But pursuing autonomy is not only this year’s dilemma, as lawyer Nestor Atitiw’s group continues to assert the jurisdiction of the Cordillera bodies (Cordillera Regional Assembly, Cordillera Bodong Administration and Cordillera Executive Board) created under Executive Order 220 to educate people and, with their Constitutional mandate, to pursue autonomy.

“It’s clearly stated in the Constitution that we are in command of the bid for autonomy,” Atitiw said.

But on which group will succeed, we can only hope for the best for the region, and it shouldn’t take 23 years more.

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