How about a regional body that would promote and push for tourism in the beautiful north?

This is the idea behind Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos' filing of House Bill (HB) No. 3109, which seeks the creation of the Northern Luzon Development Authority (NLDA).

According to Bernos, the proposed NLDA will serve as a long-term, inter-regional body that will harmonize development in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley and play up the area's tourism potential.

In her explanatory note, Bernos stressed the urgent need for institutionalized planning and coordination in the north.

She pointed out that "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 noted that while past administrations recognized these gaps through mechanisms like the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle, “The abolition of these mechanisms without establishing a long-term successor has left Northern Luzon without a coherent, institutionalized development framework.”

HB No.3109 proposes that the NLDA be headquartered in San Fernando City, La Union, with satellite offices in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, and Baguio City. The athority will have a 50-year renewable mandate and will work closely with 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 authority 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.

Bernos emphasized that these provisions will complement the efforts of other tourism measures recently filed by fellow Northern Luzon lawmakers, including Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos’ HB No. 3120, which seeks to declare Abra as a priority Tourism and Cultural Heritage Area.

She says that HB No.3109 also aligns with her own HB No.3110, which seeks to institutionalize community-based tourism nationwide and ensure that local communities earn from the benefits of tourism.

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

In Ilocano, she added: “No kayat tayo a rumang-ay, masapul a makitinnulong. Agkaykaysa tayo tapno agbannuar ti Amianan. (If we want to prosper, we must help one another. We need to stand together for the North to stand out.)”

Bernos expressed confidence that with the passage of HB No.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 for generations to come," she said.