BAGUIO CITY — The Cordillera office here of the Regional Development Council (RDC) said the renewed pursuit of regional autonomy which is being supported by the Arroyo administration is fast gaining ground in the different provinces in the region.

The RDC is reacting to claims that the quest for self-governance is off track.

Members of the RDC’s sectoral committee on economic affairs, which is in charge of making local government units (LGUs) and concerned sectors fiscally independent, said the programs and projects to boost the development of potential sources of income are in place and in accordance with the schedule of activities.

The region’s policy-making body has released P1 million each to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Tourism (DoT) to tap the economic potentials of the region that could make it financially independent from the national government once it becomes autonomous.

The DA was tasked to boost Arabica coffee production in the different parts of the region in order to provide the needed volume for the international and local markets.

The DTI was tasked to attend to the promotion and marketing of potential local products in the different international and local markets.

The DoT was given the mission of promoting the region as a potential ecotourism destination so that tourists visiting the tourist attractions could enjoy other unexplored sites.

Aside from the massive information and education campaign targetting the youth and academe, government instrumentalities, general public and multi-sectoral groups, RDC is also involved in capability building that would make LGUs and other groups fiscally independent. These are part of a holistic approach to win the people’s support for autonomy, RDC said.

Juan Ngalob, director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in the Cordillera and acting RDC chairman, said the renewed pursuit of autonomy is being done in a deliberate, scientific manner to ensure that the Cordillerans are properly informed of the issues over the quest for self-governance.

Next year, a survey will be conducted by the RDC to determine the voters’ inclination in the autonomy issue.