Whereas Clauses. WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 1, Article X of the 1987 Constitution, there shall be created an autonomous region in the Cordilleras;

WHEREAS, Section 15, Article X of the Constitution provides that the autonomous region in the Cordilleras shall consist of provinces, cities, municipalities and geographical areas sharing common and distinctive historical and cultural heritage, economic and social structures, and other relevant characteristics within the framework of the Constitution and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 6, Article XVIII of the Constitution, the President has the power to continue to exercise legislative powers until the first Congress is convened;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 14, Article X of the Constitution, the President shall provide for regional development councils or other similar bodies composed of local government officials, regional heads of departments and other government offices, and representatives from non-governmental organizations within the regions for purposes of administrative decentralization to strengthen the autonomy of the units therein and to accelerate the economic and social growth and development of the units in the region;

WHEREAS, the incumbent President is sympathetic to the common desire of the peoples of the Cordilleras to be immediately granted meaningful participation in the conduct of their affairs, in order to enable them to prepare for regional autonomy;

WHEREAS, the constitutional mandate for the creation of an autonomous region in the Cordilleras has been preceded by the movement for local autonomy and administrative decentralization before and since the period of authoritarian rule (September 1972 - February 1986), as manifested by the work of the 1971 Constitutional Convention, the 1976 resolution of governors and other leaders from the Cordilleras, and finally the regional autonomy representations at the 1986 Constitutional Commission;

WHEREAS, on September 13, 1986, the President of the Philippines met with the representatives of the Cordillera Bodong Administration and the Cordillera People's Liberation Army, presided over the alasiw (exchange of peace tokens) to signify the sipat (cessation of hostilities), and acknowledged their aspirations for Cordillera autonomy;

WHEREAS, the immediate creation of a Cordillera Administrative Region is a sound and reasonable measure by which the people of the Cordilleras can immediately participate in the pursuit of peace and development and enjoy the benefits thereof;

WHEREAS, the Constitution envisions the building of a just and humane society, and the National Government is pursuing the goals of national reconciliation, peace, unity and development in the country;

WHEREAS, pending the convening of the first Congress and the enactment of the organic act for a Cordillera autonomous region, there is an urgent need, in the interest of national security and public order, for the President to reorganize immediately the existing administrative structure in the Cordilleras to suit it to the existing political realities therein and the Government's legitimate concerns in the areas, without attempting to pre-empt the constitutional duty of the first Congress to undertake the creation of an autonomous region on a permanent basis;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree: