Bill pushes for body to harmonize tourism dev’t in N. Luzon

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

DEVELOPMENT GOALS. The Banaue Rice Terraces in Banaue, Ifugao province, which is a major tourist attraction in Northern Luzon. Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos has filed House Bill No. 3109, seeking the creation of the Northern Luzon Development Authority (NLDA) to harmonize development in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley. (PNA file photo by Liza T. Agoot)

MANILA – Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos has filed House Bill No. 3109, seeking the creation of the Northern Luzon Development Authority (NLDA) to serve as a long-term, inter-regional body that will harmonize development in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley.

HB 3109 proposes that the NLDA be headquartered in San Fernando City, La Union, with satellite offices in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, and Baguio City.

It will have a 50-year renewable mandate and will work closely with local government units (LGUs), national agencies, private stakeholders, and civil society to accelerate socio-economic progress.

A key feature of the bill is its focus on tourism development.

Section 7 of the measure designates tourism as a central pillar of regional development, recognizing its potential to generate jobs, preserve cultural heritage, and foster inclusive growth.

The NLDA will be tasked to identify and promote heritage towns, natural parks, ecotourism areas, cultural landscapes, and coastal and mountain destinations, while also investing in tourism infrastructure like access roads, terminals, accommodations, and visitor centers.
It will likewise support community-based tourism groups and small enterprises, particularly those led by women, youth, and indigenous peoples.

In pushing for the measure, Bernos stressed the urgent need for institutionalized planning and coordination in the north.

“The regions of Northern Luzon — comprising the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley — are endowed with abundant natural resources, cultural richness, and human capital. Despite this, the area continues to face developmental disparities, limited infrastructure, and fragmented governance,” she said in a statement on Friday.

While past administrations recognized these gaps through mechanisms like the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle, Bernos said the abolition of these mechanisms without establishing a long-term successor has left Northern Luzon without a coherent, institutionalized development framework.

“By harmonizing our regional strengths under one framework, Northern Luzon can finally stand out as a unified hub of tourism, culture, and development,” she said.

She expressed confidence that with the passage of HB 3109, Northern Luzon will be able to fully harness its natural wealth and cultural heritage while creating opportunities that will allow its people to thrive without leaving their home provinces.

“Institutionalizing the Northern Luzon Development Authority will ensure balanced, sustainable growth that uplifts our people and protects the beauty of the Amianan (North) for generations to come.”