House Ad Hoc Committee to Hold Autonomu Public Hearings
June 27, 2015
THE House of Representatives Committee on Local Governments, through an ad hoc committee, has scheduled a series of consultations in the six provinces and Baguio City in the Cordillera region to get the pulse of the people on House Bill 4649, or the bill creating the Cordillera autonomous region.
This was bared by Baguio City Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping Jr. Wednesday as he also aired the hope that Congress will approve the bill soon so that President Benigno Aquino III can sign it into law before he bows out of office next year.
The House committee opted to create an ad hoc committee to conduct the hearings in the capital towns of the six Cordillera provinces and Baguio City and designated Rep. Aliping as its chairman.
“In consultation with the other Cordillera lawmakers, we have come up with the schedule of public hearings for the entire month of July,” Aliping said.
All the Cordillera Representatives authored the bill and are expected to muster their constituents to attend the public hearings so that the ad hoc committee can get the aspirations of Cordillerans on what they want an Autonomous government to be.
Rep. Aliping said the public hearings will be kicked off in Baguio City on July 10 to be followed in Apayao on July 15 – Cordillera Day, then to Bangued, Abra on July 22. On July 23, the ad hoc committee will travel to Bontoc, Mt. Province and then to Lagawe, Ifugao on July 24, followed by Tabuk City, Kalinga on July 30 and La Trinidad, Benguet on July 31.
Rep. Aliping said the members of the committee on Local Governments are expected to attend each consultation as they take advantage of the two-month Congressional recess to hold these meetings.
There are 20 members of the ad hoc committee.
“Hopefully, before the year ends the House and the Senate will have passed their versions of the law so President Aquino will be able to sign it by early next year,” Rep. Aliping added.
“But due to time constraints, the plebiscite to ratify the law may not be held on May next year, but we believe the plebiscite could be held as early as 2017,” Rep. Aliping stressed./Carl C. Taawan
