1) The document outlines the terms of reference for an IEC (information, education, and communication) campaign on regional autonomy in the Cordillera led by local government units. 2) The goal is to raise awareness of the proposed Third Organic Act that would establish regional autonomy and gain support for its approval through intensive IEC targeting the grassroots from 2012-2013. 3) The IEC campaign will be coordinated by a Regional Composite Team and involve Provincial and Municipal Composite Teams conducting forums, assemblies, and other activities at the regional, provincial, and municipal levels.

1. Draft as
of Feb3
Terms of Reference for LGU-led IEC on Regional Autonomy
A. Background
In October 2007 to January 2008 a baseline survey on Regional Autonomy
revealed a high level unawareness on the Constitutional provisions on Cordillera
regional autonomy and on the substance of autonomy itself. Sixty five (65) percent of
the voting age Cordillerans, based on the sample survey respondents, are accordingly
uninformed, unaware or misinformed (40% and 25% respectively); and thirty five (35)
percent are fully aware of the autonomy issue of which twenty (20) percent are
decidedly pro-autonomy and fifteen (15) percent are decidedly anti-autonomy
IEC activities through fora, assemblies and the media heightened interest from
both in favor and against autonomy. Focus of the IEC then were more on the history
and advantages of Regional Autonomy.
With the Draft Organic Act now in Congress and with a filed House Bill 5595
which seeks to establish regional autonomy in the Cordillera, IEC activities will now
focus on the content of the Draft. With the 3rd Organic Act expected to be passed by
Congress in early 2013, the RDC's IEC strategy has to be refocused and effectively
managed to ensure the approval of the 3 rd Organic Act and that the election for the
Officials of the Autonomous Region coincide with the May 2013 elections.
Fig. 1. Overall framework for the pursuit of in Pursuit of the Cordillera Autonomy
The RDC IEC Strategy shall be pursued in two pronged strategies – the
Upstream and Downstream Strategies. The Upstream Strategy shall focus on IEC and
Alliance building with national government officials and key entities at national level to
purposely ensure that the currently filed House Bill 5595 shall be fully supported
graduate to an Organic Act. The Downstream Strategy shall focus on IECs, Alliance

2. Building and Capability Building Programs for regional, provincial and municipal
stakeholders, down to the grassroots level.
The RDC shall provide funding support to the provinces and municipalities, who
with their mandates, machineries and logistics, will lead the IEC campaign with an aim
to reach the broadest number of Cordillera electorates.
B. Objectives of the IEC
The general objective is to raise awareness of people on the content of the
proposed Third Organic Act, get their support for it, and eventually mobilize them to
campaign for its approval. The specific objectives are:
1. Conduct at least one IEC on Regional Autonomy with every organized group
at the provincial or municipal levels or with whatever appropriate geographic
composition that could best mobilize the members;
2. Conduct at least one IEC on Regional Autonomy in every barangay.
C. Target Audience/Duration
An intensive IEC campaign shall target the broadest of the grassroots specially
the middle income group to the very low income group during the first three quarters of
2012. The grassroots will be reached through their organizations (e.g. senior citizen,
womens, youth, farmers, PTAs, etc), service agencies (e.g. DSWD for the CCT
beneficiaries), and the barangay structures. Result of the intensive IEC will form part of
the RDC’s inputs to Congress, which shall be assumed to have approved a Final
Organic Act by the end of the third quarter of 2012.
An impact assessment survey shall be undertaken after the intensive IEC
campaign. Results of the survey should guide RDC which areas to focus its campaign
and what strategies to undertake to ensure that most Cordillerans understand, support,
and campaign for the Organic Act. The two-month campaign period after Congress
approved the Organic Act shall also eb considered and integrated as part of the IEC
strategy.
The Cordillera electorate should now be ready to approve the Third Organic Act
after the first quarter of the 2013 and can hold a synchronized election by May 2013.
D. Content of the IEC
The focus is on the provisions of the proposed Third Organic Act. Its seventeen
articles shall be divided to at least nine topics to be shared by a composite team of eight
people that have expertise or are willing to develop expertise on particular articles of the
proposed Act.
Proposed Topics for the IEC on Regional Autonomy
(with focus on the provisions of the Proposed Third Organic Act)
Topic Content Speaker
Topic 1 Article I The Autonomous Region, Territory and People
Article II Declaration of Principles and Policies PIA
Article III The Cordillera Autonomous Region

3. Topic 2 Article IIIA The Relationship of the Regional Autonomous
Government with the Local Government Units DILG
Article IIIB The Relationship of the Regional Autonomous
Government with the Local Government Units
Topic 3 Article IV Elective Officials of the Autonomous Regional
Government – their Qualifications, Terms of Office,
Vacancies and Succession
Article V The Regional Executive Department DILG
Article VI The Regional Vice Governor
Article VII The Regional Legislative Assembly
Topic 4 Article VIII Patrimony, Economy and Development NEDA/
DENR
Topic 5 Article IX Sources of Revenue and Other Fiscal Matters DBM/BLGF
Topic 6 Article X Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Trade and Industry, DA/DTI/
Tourism and Cooperatives DOT/CDA
Topic 7 Article XI Education, Science and Technology, Language, Arts DepEd/
and Culture, and Sports CHED/
DOST
Topic 8 Article XII Social Justice and Welfare DSWD/
Article XIII Peace and Order DILG/PNP
Topic 9 Article XIV General Provisions
Article XV Amendments or Revisions PIA
Article XVI Transitory Provisions
Article XVII Effectivity
E. Funding Support
A P750,000.00 per province was already allotted from the 2011 Special
Autonomy Fund (SAF) of the Cordillera Regional Autonomy and Development Program
(CRADP). Depending if the provinces have submitted their full liquidation report of their
previous SAF accounts and have submitted documents (e.g. Terminal Report) as
stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the RDC, the money can now
be accessed after satisfying required documents (e.g. MoA, Work and Financial Plan).
More amount can be accessed as the 2012 General Appropriations Act has
allotted P15 million for Cordillera Autonomy. Again their releases will be dictated by
auditing and accounting rules.
RDC will also stand firm by the rule that if a downloaded fund has not moved in
three months, this will now be a basis to transfer the fund to better performing LGUs.
F. IEC machinery
1. The RDC through the Project Management Office (PMO) in close cooperation with
Regional Line Agencies, and Provincial and Municipal LGUs shall organize a
Regional Composite Team (RCT), Provincial Composite Teams (PCT), and
Municipal Composite Teams to coordinate and monitor IEC activities in the region,
the provinces and the municipalities. The provincial and municipal composite teams,
as they are directly engaged with the grassroots, should have a multi-sectoral

4. composition that includes personalities from the church, the Civil Society
Organizations and the Academe. This is important as it would diffuse imputation of
political motives as compared to a team comprised mostly of politicians or politician
representatives.
The Provincial Management Task Force on Regional Autonomy in Mountain
Province, a team that conducted consultations for the Third Autonomy Act Drafting
Committee (TAADC), would be the closest example of such a multi-sectoral group.
The RCT, PCTs and MCTs shall make use of local level institutions like PTA, youth
associations, farmers organizations. It should also maximize agencies to reach to
agency grassroots clients such as DA for the farmers’ organizations, MGB for the
small-scale miners or DSWD for the CCT beneficiaries.
2. The Regional Composite Team (RCT) shall be constituted by the RDC from various
agencies and RDC Private Sector Representatives (PSR) that have mandates or
expertise on particular articles of the Draft Third Organic Act. The RCT can elect
among themselves its convenor and will report to the RDC Chairman through the
PMO. The RCT shall:
 Serve as trainors in the conduct of the IEC campaign to members of PCTs
or MCTs;
 Serve as speakers on IEC activities of regional characteristics (e.g.
regional assemblies of people’s organizations or regional trainings
sponsored by government agencies);
 Serve as members of a pool of speakers that could be tapped by the
PCTs and MCTs in their IEC campaigns;
3. The PCT shall be formed through the Provincial Governor. It could be reorganized
or reactivated from the old body that did provincial coordination for the Third
Autonomy Act Drafting Committee (TAADC), which has a convenor appointed by the
governor. The PCT shall:
 Plan and coordinate trainings for MCTs and facilitate the formulation of a
municipal IEC plan by the MCTs;
 Serve as trainors to members of MCTs;
 Serve as speakers on IEC activities of provincial characteristics (e.g.
provincial assemblies of people’s organizations or regional trainings
sponsored by government agencies);
 Serve as members of a pool of speakers that could be tapped by the
MCTs in their municipal IEC campaigns.
4. In cooperation with the municipal mayors, an MCT shall also be organized in every
municipality. The MCT shall also have a convenor to be appointed by the mayor. It
shall:
 Coordinate and plan activities with organized groups and in every
barangay within the municipality;
 Serve as speakers in IEC activities within the municipality.

5. G. IEC Materials
In support to the IEC, the PMO will ensure that copies of the Draft Third
Autonomy Act for mass distribution shall always be available. The PMO shall translate
the draft in Ilocano, which is the common dialect in the region.
H. Monitoring of IEC Activities
MCTs must provide reports to the mayor and to the PCTs, for consolidation, at
least two days after the conduct of the activity. PCTs must submit a consolidated
provincial report to the governor and the RDC chairman through the PMO.
All IEC activities must provide immediate reports including behavioral feedback.
The PMO will provide MCTs and PCTs monitoring forms that will reflect necessary
information (Physical/Financial accomplishments as well as post IEC feedback report).