05/02/2020 R.A. 6766 codes of these communities. The Cordillera Assembly shall, in consultation with the Supreme Court, define their composition and jurisdiction in accordance with this Act. It may also create a Council of Elders and provide for its organization and jurisdiction. Section 2. The decisions of the special courts shall be final and executory: Provided, however, That nothing herein contained shall affect the original and appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as provided in the Constitution. ARTICLE VIII Local Government Section 1. The territorial and political subdivisions of the Autonomous Region are the provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangay or ili, where applicable. For purposes of this Organic Act, the ili refers to a tribal village occupying a definite area within the Autonomous Region. Section 2. The territorial and political subdivisions shall enjoy local autonomy. Section 3. The Cordillera Governor shall exercise general supervision over local governments. Provinces with respect to municipalities, and cities and municipalities with respect to their component barangay or ili, shall ensure that the acts of their component units are within the scope of their legally mandated powers and functions. Section 4. Subject to the Constitution and national policies, local government units are entitled to an equitable share in the proceeds of the utilization and development of the natural resources within their respective areas, in the manner provided by regional law, including sharing the same with the inhabitants by way of direct benefits. Section 5. The term of office of the elective local officials except that of the barangay or ili officials which shall be determined by regional law, including customary law, shall be three (3) years. No such official shall serve for more than three (3) consecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected. Section 6. Cities within the Autonomous Region shall be governed by their charters. Nothing herein shall be construed in any manner as to diminish the powers and functions already enjoyed by these cities. ARTICLE IX Accountability of Public Officers Section 1. Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives. Section 2. The Cordillera Governor and the Cordillera Deputy Governor may be removed for and conviction of culpable violation of the Constitution and this Organic Act, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of all the Members of the Cordillera Assembly. The Cordillera Assembly may initiate the removal of the Cordillera Governor or the Cordillera Deputy Governor under this section by a majority vote of all its Members. The Cordillera Assembly shall promulgate the necessary rules to carry out effectively the purposes of this section. Section 3. No proceedings for the removal of the Cordillera Governor and the Cordillera Deputy Governor shall be initiated more than once within a period of one (1) year. Section 4. Without prejudice to the provisions of Section 2 hereof, the Cordillera Assembly shall provide for a system of recall of all regional and local elective officials: Provided, That no recall shall take place within one (1) year from the date of the official's assumption of office or one (1) year immediately preceding a regular election in the region. Section 5. A public officer or employee shall, upon assumption to office and as often thereafter as may be required by national law, submit a declaration under oath of his assets, liabilities and net worth, to the chief of the office concerned. In the case of the Cordillera Governor, the Cordillera Deputy Governor, the Members of the Cordillera Assembly and heads of offices, such declarations under oath shall be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman and shall be published in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the region. ARTICLE X Personal, Family, Tribal and Property Relations Section 1. Customary laws affecting personal, family, tribal and property relations in the Cordilleras shall be recognized among members of the indigenous tribal group or cultural community. Section 2. Marriages solemnized between or among members of the indigenous tribal group or cultural community in accordance with the indigenous customary laws of the place shall be valid, and the dissolution thereof in accordance with these laws shall be recognized. Section 3. The Regional Government shall promote a program of responsible parenthood which shall be based on the parent's free and informed choice on the number of children they should have without prejudice to their religious and cultural values. Section 4. Peaceful settlement of family disputes done in accordance with customary practices shall be recognized. Section 5. Subject to the Constitution and national policies, acquisition, disposition and encumbrance of property in accordance with customary laws of the place shall be recognized and protected. Section 6. Upon agreement of the parties, peaceful settlement of disputes involving property rights and ownership shall be governed by the customary laws of the place where the property is located. Section 7. The Cordillera Assembly shall provide for a system of registration of births, marital status and deaths of members of the indigenous cultural communities, and the necessary documentation required therefor. ARTICLE XI Ancestral Domain and Ancestral Lands Section 1. The Regional Government shall undertake measures to protect the ancestral domain and the ancestral lands of indigenous cultural communities. Subject to the Constitution and national policies, all lands and natural resources in the Autonomous Region that have been possessed or occupied by indigenous cultural communities since time immemorial, except when prevented by war, force majeure, or other forms of forcible usurpation, shall form part of the ancestral domain. Section 2. Ancestral lands consist of lands under communal or tribal ownership. https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1989/ra_6766_1989.html 7/14