“The Third Cordillera Autonomy Act Drafting Committee Technical Working Group (TAADC-TWG) is set to officially endorse to the TAADC the draft Cordillera Autonomy Act on May 16, 2011”.

Thus reported Mr. Cesar Liporada, Chairman of the Cordillera RDC Development Administration Committee (DevAd Committee), during the RDC ExCom meeting held last May 5, 2011. It is the DevAd Committee that coordinates the activities of the TAADC-TWG. 

The said TWG is a body under the TAADC which was created through RDC Resolution No. CAR-55, series of 2011. Headed by Baguio City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, the TAADC was tasked by the CAR RDC to prepare the draft Cordillera Autonomy Organic Act.  Shortly after its creation, the Committee constituted a Technical Working Group which was tasked to provide the technical support needed to process the consultation inputs and prepare the Organic Act draft for the TAADC consideration.

To date, the TWG’s inputs came from consultations conducted by the LGUs of Mountain Province, Kalinga, Ifugao and the Baguio City. Comments were also formally received from the NTC, the DILG and the PPA.  The region’s PSRs, through the Shontoug Foundation, also provided inputs gathered from consultations conducted for various cooperatives and POs in various municipalities of Mountain Province, Ifugao and Benguet.  Still to be submitted are reports from Abra and Apayao.

Additional inputs from former members of the CRA and other individuals also form part of the consolidated output. Aside from these, four versions of the proposed Autonomy Act were also forwarded to the TWG. These came from the Kalinga, Baguio City, the PPA and Mr. Liporada.

After the May 16 endorsement of the draft Organic Act by the TWG, it shall be subjected to further deliberations by the TAADC Core Group.  The RDC intends to submit the final output to Congress by July 2011 for consideration.

The renewed pursuit of autonomy is the CAR RDC’s over-arching theme of regional development.  This is translated through the Cordillera Regional Development and Autonomy Program, the implementation of which began in 2008.