BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The newly installed Regional Peace and Order Council chairman said that sustained efforts to maintain the peace and order will be the key factor in helping achieve the quest for regional autonomy which is now gaining support from the grassroots level.

Ifugao Governor Eugene Balitang, who took over the chairmanship from Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan recently, said that he would focus on the vision of the RPOC to achieve peace and order in the different parts of the region to sustain its image as one of the most peaceful regions in the country.

Balitang said that when the people can show that the region is peaceful and orderly, this would show the rest of the Filipinos including the peace keeping force of the nation, line agencies and national offices that the region is ready for the regional autonomy being pushed and spearheaded by the Regional Development Council (RDC), the region’s policy-making body.

“Being a peaceful region would give a good signal to the President that we are indeed all set to be a Cordillera Autonomous Region pursuant to the mandate of the 1987 Constitution that provides for the creation of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera,” he said.

He said that hesitations for supporting the autonomous status of the Cordillera could be affected by the violence being experienced in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The peace and order situation of the region would convince people and Congress in particular to support the autonomy bid of the region since the culture of the people in Mindanao is totally different from the culture of the Cordillerans who are peace-loving citizens, he said.

The governor said that the RPOC would be an active partner in pushing for Cordillera autonomy simultaneous with its main function of instilling peace and order programs that will be embraced by the local governments and concerned agencies.

One of the assets of Cordillerans in settling disputes in their respective areas is the indigenous way of solving conflicts through constant dialogues and consultations among contending parties with the council of elders acting as mediators.

Balitang sought the cooperation of local officials and concerned stakeholders in the uphill climb to achieve lasting peace even in far flung communities to allow people to be actively involved in economic activities since peace is also considered an important ingredient of economic progress.

For the past several years, the Cordilleras had been significantly gaining ground against communist rebels in far flung communities in the region through the implementation of various development projects that allowed people to feel the presence of government rather than believing on the propaganda of the rebels against the programs and projects of the different line agencies.