by Vency D. Bulayungan

BANAUE, Ifugao, Tuesday March 15 - In order for the local chief executives and the Provincial Information Education Campaign and Advocacy team to better understand the concept of autonomy, the provincial government here conducted recently an executive summit on Cordillera regional autonomy here.

Governor Eugene Balitang said that autonomy primarily seeks to establish a system of governance that promotes the Cordillera peoples way of life, recognizes their indigenous rights, and allows them to chart their destiny as a people within the framework of national sovereignty.

The summit was participated by about 100 mayors, municipal planning and development coordinators, and barangay captains from the municipalities of Banaue, Lagawe, Hingyon, and Hungduan.
Balitang said that the Regional Development Council (RDC) has agreed to start consultations on the drafting of the third organic act for the Cordillera regional autonomy.

“Part of the RDC approach is to continue to broaden, deepen and intensify, the performance of the programs and projects particularly on information, education and communication even as capability building activities are simultaneously being implemented,” Balitang said.

The said summit is the first of a series of consultations done in the different municipalities in the province which were clustered. Cluster 2 consisting of the Municipalities of Aguinaldo, Mayoyao, and Alfonso Lista will have their summit on  March 22, while Cluster 3 composed of Kiangan, Tinoc, Asipulo, and Lamut is scheduled on March 25.

The provincial sub-committee on Information, Education and communication/Advocacy for regional autonomy in the provincial level consists of the provincial legal Officer, provincial administrator; Provincial Planning and Development coordinator, provincial accountant , the Philippine Information Agency, supervising population officer and chief administrative officer. *(PIA-CAR/ Ifugao)