“Special Region” not Legally Feasible –Mayor
VOL. XVIII, NO. 6(Nov. 15-21)
BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan is positive that a “special region” created through an executive order (EO) is “not legally feasible.”
The city’s top executive gave the statement during the regular media Ugnayan last Wednesday, hours after arrival from Japan. The mayor said he learned of the plans to draft an EO, on his way to Japan last weekend. It was reported that a National Economic and Development (NEDA) Technical Working Group (TWG) led by Regional Director Mila Rimando starts drafting said EO with the help of budget experts and congressmen from the 6 provinces and 2 cities of the Cordilleras.
This was an offshoot of a suggestion from President Benigno Aquino, Jr. through Apayao Elias Bulut in Cagayan, last August, it was known.
EO 220 was signed into law by former President Corazon Aquino in 1987, during the transition government, when she was exercising both executive and legislative functions, Mayor Domogan reminded. Thus, an EO could not amend said law. Only congress could do that, Domogan emphasized.
A meeting of the Regional Development Council is thus being scheduled, the mayor said.
As to the Cordillera bodies; Cordillera Regional Assembly (CRA), Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBAd) and Cordillera Executive Board (CEB), the mayor intimated that assessment by the national government was unfortunately “not good,” thus a non-operational budget. They were not abolished, the mayor said, but with a budget of P1, which the supreme court sustained./juliegfianza