QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 8438)
The plebiscite area consists of the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, and the chartered City of Baguio.
All Filipino citizens domiciled within the territory of the CAR.
The CAR is an integral and inseparable part of the territory of the Republic of the Philippines; its people uphold the Constitution, owe allegiance to the Republic, and are governed under the Organic Act.
Examples include: right to ancestral domain and self-governance within the Constitution (Sec. 2); recognition of local indigenous customs when applicable (Sec. 3); protection of basic rights and welfare (Sec. 4); ecological and benefit-oriented use of natural resources (Sec. 5); social justice and minimizing disparities in access and sharing of wealth (Sec. 6 or Sec. 8); right to participate and be represented in decision-making (Sec. 9).
Natural resources are under the control and supervision of the regional government upon due consultation; however, uranium, coal, and petroleum remain under the control and supervision of the national government (Art. VII, Sec. 4).
Among others: administrative organization; creation of revenue sources; ancestral domain and natural resources; personal/family/property relations; regional planning; economic/social/tourism development; educational policies; preservation and development of cultural heritage; and selected powers/functions of national departments, except enumerated exclusions such as foreign affairs, national defense/security, postal service, coinage and fiscal/monetary policies, administration of justice, customs/tariff, citizenship, naturalization/immigration/deportation, general auditing/civil service/elections, and foreign trade.
Legislative power is vested in the Cordillera Assembly (Art. IV, Sec. 1), subject to constitutional and Organic Act limitations on initiative and referendum.
Members have a term of three (3) years (Art. IV, Sec. 3) and may not serve for more than three (3) consecutive terms.
Regular elections are held on the second Monday of May (Art. IV, Sec. 4[a]). If a vacancy occurs at least one year before the term expires, a special election is called for the unexpired portion (Sec. 4[b]). For permanent vacancies, the regional governor appoints the nominee of the political party of the vacating member, provided qualifications are met and the appointee comes from the same district (Sec. 4[c]).
A bill must embrace only one subject expressed in the title (Sec. 13[a]); it requires three readings on separate days with printed copies distributed to members three days before passage (Sec. 13[b]), except for emergencies certified by the governor; no amendments on the last reading; then vote is recorded in the journal. The bill must be presented to the regional governor—he may sign or veto; after veto, reconsideration requires a two-thirds vote to pass (Sec. 13[c]).
No money shall be paid out except in pursuance of an appropriation made by law (Sec. 11[c] and Sec. 12[a]). Also, provisions/enactments in appropriation ordinances must relate specifically to the appropriation and have limited operation (Sec. 11[a]).
The President exercises general supervision over the regional autonomous government and all local government units in the area of autonomy through the head of the regional autonomous government to ensure laws are faithfully executed (Art. III, Sec. 3).
They are elected at large by direct vote of the registered voters of the CAR (Art. V, Sec. 1). Qualifications include being natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, able to read and write, registered voter in the region, and actual resident for at least five years immediately preceding election (Sec. 2[a]). Their term is three years and they cannot serve more than three consecutive terms (Sec. 4).
No member may hold any other office or employment in government subdivisions/agents including GOCCs or their subsidiaries during the term, without forfeiting his seat (Art. IV, Sec. 8). Additionally, they cannot be counsel before courts/commission/quasi-judicial bodies and cannot be financially interested in contracts or privileges granted during their term (Sec. 9).
The Cordillera Assembly creates a regional police force as an integral part of the Philippine National Police under the administration and control of the National Police Commission (Art. XII, Sec. 2). It is headed by a police commissioner with two deputies, inhabitants of the region, appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Cordillera Governor. The Cordillera Governor supervises the regional police, but city/municipal mayors have operational control and supervision within their units in accordance with law.