Friday, September 2, 2016

President Duterte recognizes struggles of IPs and Lumads for self-determination – PCO ASec. Banaag

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 2): President Duterte recognizes struggles of IPs and Lumads for self-determination – PCO ASec. Banaag

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary (ASec) for Legal Affairs Ana Marie Banaag on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte has high regards for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Lumad concerns, giving emphasis on their clamor for recognition and desire for self-determination under a federal form of government.

Banaag, in a press conference, said the President recognizes the clamor of the IPs and Lumads to freely exercise their rights over their domain and resources.

Banaag, a lawyer and the former Municipal Mayor of Natonin, Mountain Province, said “the President, being a lawyer himself, is aware of the struggles of the Cordillera people and Bangsa Moro for self-determination.”

Banaag said the President feels that both regions were neglected by previous administrations, in terms of development.

The President will make sure that both regions will be treated as separate federal states once the shift from the present presidential form to federal form of government will be achieved in the future, Banaag added.

Banaag accompanied Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping who represented PCO Secretary Martin Andanar in the 107th Baguio Charter Anniversary program at the Baguio Convention Center.

“We support the Abueva (Dr. Jose Abueva) version of dividing the country into federal states because it includes separate federal states for the Cordillera and the Bangsamoro in recognition of the struggle of the IPs and Lumads for self-determination after being neglected by the government over the past several decades,” she said.

Banaag added, “there is nothing wrong if the Cordillera Region will continue to enhance its advocacy on autonomy vis-à-vis the shift to federal form of government by the Duterte administration.”

Banaaag encouraged the leaders of the Cordillera Region to continue the enhanced clamor for regional autonomy in order to gain attention from the advocates of federalism on the need to treat the region as a separate independent state.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=919598

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.