By Joseph Zambrano (JDP/JBZ- PIA CAR)

BAGUIO CITY. Dec. 26(PIA)-- For the third time a bill is filed in congress for the creation of an autonomous region in the Cordilleras that will fast track development and President Benigno S. Aquino III is asked to certify it as a priority for its realization.

According to Baguio City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, chair of the Third Autonomy Drafting Committee (TADC), all Cordillera leaders should lobby and make a manifest asking the President to confirm House Bill 5595 an urgent bill.

House Bill 5595 seeks for the establishment of a autonomous region for the Cordillera composed of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Baguio City

Please read more at Cordillera Express, December 26, 2011.

By Michael G. Umaming

Finally, all parties to the conflict of the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) are open to mediation – first utilizing indigenous processes to be administered by the Council of Elders, before the Governing Board of the college comes in to formalize agreement.

MPSPC grabbed the headlines, when in July 1, 2011, students and members of faculty walked out of their classes with full support from the community forcing its president Dr. Nieves Dacyon, to sign a resignation letter.  The board, however, did not recognize the resignation as it was done under duress. 

The protest dragged on condemning Dacyon for various alleged graft and corrupt practices which was later dismissed by a fact finding committee organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for lack of merit. 

“We are not persuaded by the complaints,” stated the July 29, 2011 Fact Finding Committee’s report, and thus recommended to the MPSPC Board of Trustees to dismiss all complaints.

On November 28, 2011, NEDA-CAR had an unusual Monday morning meeting.  For the first time the staff had two regional directors attending the meeting with them.  Sir John, as fondly called by his staff, introduced the incoming Director, Director Leonardo N. Quitos, Jr.  The two were “exchanging places”.  By virtue of NEDA Special Order Nos. 347-2011 and 348-2011, Director Juan B. Ngalob, NEDA-CAR Regional Director and RDC Vice-Chairman will be transferring to Region I, and Director Quitos will be moving to NEDA-CAR.  For the outgoing Director who has been a part of the NEDA-CAR for the past 22 years, the air was filled with sadness and apprehension coupled with warm anticipation and welcome for the renowned incoming Director who was at NEDA Region I’s helm for the past 18 years.

Thank you, Sir John

Director Juan B. Ngalob will always be greatly remembered for his numerous pursuits that highlight his passion to push for a truly developed Cordillera Region.  It was during his term as the Acting RDC Chairman of the CAR Regional Development Council that the pursuit of regional autonomy was adopted as the overarching theme of Cordillera development.  This decision was made during an RDC Strategic Planning Workshop conducted in March 2006 at Mount Data, Bauko, Mountain Province.  He was instrumental in pushing for an expanded and deepened IEC on the Cordillera Regional Development and Autonomy Program (CRDAP) down to the grassroots level. This helped renew the people’s awareness and interest in regional autonomy. On December 6, 2011, five years after the Mount Data Strategic Planning Workshop, the Third Organic Act bill was filed by Baguio City Congressman Bernardo Vergara, with the support of the majority of the region’s Congressmen.

Ms. Cristina Segnaken-Aban, a native of Benguet, is one of this year’s five PNVSCA Search for Outstanding Volunteers national awardees.

Her accomplishments

Ms. Aban, who is an Associate Professor of the Saint Louis University, founded IYAMAN, Inc. in 1997. IYAMAN is a SEC-registered non-profit, non-stock organization whose main objective is developing community workers among the youth and farmers to serve needy communities through different programs, with scholarships as the entry point.  Since its establishment, it has granted 42 college scholarships, and has graduated 19 college students under the Adopt-a-Scholar scheme.

Through this SEC-registered organization, she also initiated the creation of local and international programs for the youth, professionals, as well as farmers to help them become more productive members of the society.  Trainees, volunteers and staff of these programs also had opportunities for exposure in Cambodia, Thailand and Japan, countries which have also sent volunteers to IYAMAN.

Quezon City: A Project Management Office (PMO) lodged with NEDA-CAR will be created to manage the Cordillera Regional Development and Autonomy Program (CRDAP).

NEDA-CAR Regional Director Leonard Quitos presented the proposal last December 7, 2011 during the special RDC ExCom Meeting at the Sulo Hotel here. The meeting, attended by some Cordillera representatives, unanimously approved the creation of the proposed PMO.

Quitos said that a fully staffed PMO, will provide the structure that will implement the CRDAP.

As of now, there are only three contractual employees financed by the special autonomy fund (SAF). Secretariat work to CRDAP is largely done by NEDA-CAR. The RDC in justifying year-end autonomy bonus for NEDA-CAR staff, which the Commission on Audit (COA) disapproved, has stated that the CRDAP entails a gargantuan task which used to be performed by a fully staffed Cordillera Executive Board. (CEB).

A project in Banaue, Ifugao utilizing hog manure for fuel was given a P 1.36 million grant by the Productivity Enhancement Program (or KR2 Program) managed by the National Economic Development Authority – Cordillera Administrative Region (NEDA-CAR).

The project, entitled “Promoting BioGas Technology at the Grassroots Level”, covers ten barangays of Banaue, Ifugao and has about a hundred household-beneficiaries. It will be implemented starting January 2012 and is expected to be completed in a year.

NEDA-CAR Director  Leonardo N. Quitos, as he turns over a check worth P1.08 million to Mayor Jerry Danipog of Banaue, Ifugao to fund their KR 2 project entitled  “ Promoting Bio Gas Technology at the Grassroots Level”. The amount is a grant from the Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP)  sponsored by Japan and administered by NEDA. Witnessing the turnover are  Councillors Joel Bungallon and Jun Dumar.

House Bill 5595 was filed by Cordillera lawmakers to enact an Organic Act for the Creation of the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera last December 6, 2011.

The bill, initially signed by Representatives Bernardo Vergara, Manuel Agyao and Eleanor Begtang of Baguio City, Kalinga and Apayao respectively, were signed the next day by Representatives Maximo Dalog of Mountain Province and Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao. Only Representatives Ronald Cosalan of Benguet and Jocelyn Bernos of Abra have not yet signed as of press time.

The next task is to make the president certify the bill as urgent, said Vergara, who also admitted that the proposed 3^rd Autonomy Act for a Cordillera Autonomous Region prepared by the Regional Development Council had been forwarded to the UP Law School for review.

Quezon City: I thank RDC for its role in the upgrading of our roads, said Apayao Congresswoman Eleanor Begtang during the special meeting of the RDC ExCom last December 7, 2011 at the Sulo Hotel here.

Three major road networks in this northernmost province of the region were recently upgraded from secondary roads to primary roads by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after much work by the RDC and its NEDA secretariat; the Apayao provincial government; and the regional DPWH.

The upgrading means the roads namely Ilocos Norte-Apayao Road (from Ilocos Norte Boundary, Solsona to Kabugao); Kabugao-Conner-Abbut Road (from Kabugao to Junction Abbut); and Kabugao-Pudtol-Luna Road are given priority by the national DPWH.

In a memorandum to DPWH-CAR, DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson stated that the Ilocos Norte-Apayao Road; and the Kabugao-Conner-Abbut Road are now priority projects.