By INNABUYOG-GABRIELA
www.nordis.net

A brief history of the so-called autonomy

On July 15, 1987, President Corazon Aquino signed the Executive Order 220, thus creating the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The recognition of the Cordilleras as a region was meant to “(1) administer the affairs of the government in the region; (2) accelerate the economic and social growth and development of the units of the region; (3) prepare for the establishment of the autonomous region in the Cordilleras”.

The two attempts at regional autonomy have so far failed. In the first referendum, fueled by the Republic Act No. 6766 and held on 30 January 1990, only the province of Ifugao voted yes to autonomy. In the second referendum, fueled by Republic Act No. 8438 and held on 7 March 1998, only the province of Apayao voted yes.

At present, a third attempt at autonomy is in development.

Fight for self-determination

The indigenous peasant women of the Cordilleras reply with a resounding “NO” to the government’s latest attempt at regional autonomy. Dissent against their proposed autonomy does not mean that we refuse to be autonomous; rather, it means that the structure of autonomy being presented to us is deeply unsatisfactory, to say the least. The past attempts at autonomy did not ensure that corruption within the ranks of the regional government will not worsen. These attempts did not ensure that sovereignty over the region’s rich natural resources will be held by its people.

Regional autonomy is part and parcel of addressing the democratic rights and welfare of the Cordillera peoples. It must be based on the Cordillera peoples’ right to self-determination–the right to political, social, and economic decision-making. Regional autonomy must ensure that the rights and welfare of the Cordillera indigenous peoples with be upheld and protected.

What does this new attempt at autonomy promise? Not much, except that if we do not agree to it, the Cordillera’s status as a region will be on shaky ground. It also promises that autonomy will energize the region’s economy, but how? And who will this energized economy benefit? What does it say about the allocations of its budget to social services? Will we have better infrastructure, better schools, better livelihoods, cheaper medical care? It does not promise better livelihoods for our urban and rural poor. It does not promise protection of our natural resources from local and transnational companies that seek to mine and dam our mountains and rivers until there is little left. It does not promise that our women and children will be protected from land grabbing, militarization, discrimination, and other forms of national oppression.

Regional autonomy must stem from an understanding of the rich history and identity of the Cordilleras, and the struggles that its people have had to face throughout the centuries, including and most prominently the struggle for land, life, and resources.

We, Innabuyog-Gabriela, hand-in-hand with the multitudes of peasant women, urban poor women, women workers, students, and professionals in the Cordilleras, assert our demand for genuine regional autonomy.

We demand autonomy that is based on our history of struggle and on our right to self-determination. We demand autonomy that will best serve the needs and welfare of its people. We demand autonomy crafted by the people of the Cordillera, and for the people of the Cordilleras.

We, the people of the Cordilleras, deserve the real thing. We deserve genuine regional autonomy.

Advance Indigenous Peoples’ Struggle For Self-Determination!

Reject Bogus Regional Autonomy! # nordis.net