Tabuk City, Kalinga – Provincial Administrator Teddy Gullay said the proposed Cordillera Autonomous Region Bill, or House Bill No. 6981, includes safeguards to ensure that the regional government will not impose taxes already being collected by local government units.
The clarification was made during the regular flag-raising ceremony on June 29 at the Kalinga Sports Center in Bulanao, where Gullay shared key points discussed during the Multistakeholder Forum on the proposed Cordillera autonomy held on June 23 in Baguio City. Gullay attended the forum as the representative of Governor James S. Edduba.
July also marks Cordillera Month, an annual celebration that has been observed for 39 years to commemorate the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) through Executive Order No. 220, signed on July 15, 1987. The month-long observance promotes the region's rich cultural heritage, history, unity, and the continuing pursuit of genuine regional autonomy.
This year's 39th Cordillera Month officially kicks off on July 1 at the Benguet Sports Complex in Wangal, La Trinidad, hosted by the Province of Benguet with the Regional Development Council (RDC)-Cordillera. Carrying the theme "Smart Cordillera: Enabling Local Enterprises through Digital Transformation and Accelerated Regional Autonomy," the opening program includes the Tungtungan di Kordilyera Kapihan forum, presentations of the month-long lineup of activities, solidarity messages from Cordillera officials and national government representatives, updates on the proposed Cordillera Autonomous Region bill, and the traditional beating of the Cordillera Unity Gong to formally open the celebration.
The proposed Cordillera Autonomous Region Bill seeks to establish an autonomous government for the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), as provided under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, while keeping the region an integral part of the Republic of the Philippines.
The measure aims to grant the region greater authority over governance, development planning, cultural preservation, and natural resource management, while the national government will continue to exercise authority over national defense, foreign affairs, immigration, customs, and monetary policy.
According to Gullay, one of the major concerns raised during the forum was the possibility of double taxation. However, he said officials clarified that taxes already collected by local government units cannot be imposed again by the autonomous regional government.
"...diay pagrugrugyan da nga there will be a double taxation, awan. Because those already items being taxed by the local government ket haan nga mabalin nga i-tax manen ti regional government in case nga matuloy," he said.
Gullay also shared that the proposed measure provides for a five- to 10-year transition period to allow the gradual establishment of the autonomous regional government.
"And then diay transition period adda diay transitory provisions idiay house bill nga 5 years or 10 nga there will be a subsidy of P10 billion for he first 3-5 years diyay, and for another 5 years, P5 billion. Didiay ti in-assure da nga haan tayo madanagan ta plus points kanyatayo. So from now on, at least we will support the estaablishment of the Cordillera Autonomous Region," he said.
He added that government employees in the region will continue receiving their existing salaries and benefits if the measure is enacted, while national government agencies operating in the Cordillera are expected to transition under the autonomous regional government.
The proposed bill is still pending in Congress. If passed and signed into law, it must also be ratified by the people of the Cordillera through a plebiscite before the Cordillera Autonomous Region can be formally established.
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