October is Cooperative Month: Parañaque City takes part on the celebration

The primaries and secondary cooperatives of Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines assembled for a special flag ceremony at the city hall grounds on October 15, 2012.

The gathering highlights the national award given to one of the city's 115 cooperatives to date.

The Multi-Purpose Cooperative of the City Hall Employees garnered the 1st honors on the small scale category during the awarding held at Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao last October 10 as part of the Cooperative Development Authority's (CDA) program in this last quarter of the year.

Local politicians and cooperative luminaries attended the ceremonies and hailed the achievement of its cooperative sector.

Cooperatives provide jobs and businesses to the local residents of the city.

Parañaque City is also hailed as one of the most saturated local government units in the Philippines when it comes to cooperative unions.

Although, the setbacks may fall into those members who cannot pay back their debts, still, the encouragement to double the membership of the general assembly (GA) of every cooperative was given importance by the speakers.

Aside from the opening ceremony, there will be a two-week bazaar which will showcase local produce or products of participating cooperative unions.

Noted participants on the exhibit include the prisoners at the BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) displaying their handicrafts, ranging from Christmas lanterns, wall decors and picture frames.

Other cooperatives are selling perishable goods like native delicacies, local dishes and handicrafts.

Medical services were also provided for bonafide cooperative members from different unions.

Note: Probably, this will be my last active participation on the credit cooperative which I am a vice chairman on Ethics committee. It's just because I will embark to my career as a seafarer.

Since the establishments of cooperatives in UK , many cooperative unions sprang in the Philippines.

To make the story short, the ideals of cooperativism are now inculcated in the minds of Filipino members.

Although, most of the cooperatives are tax-free, the contribution of this sector to the economic stability of the country should never be ignored.

For example, as most of the board of directors (BOD) and members-in-good-standing (MIGS) faithfully attend CDA-based trainings, there will always be chances that in the future, most of the cooperative unions can provide hands-on seminars to all its new members.

Why will all the ordinary members be obliged to attend such seminars?

This will only be the way to elevate a cooperative union into a trainor's pool.

Isn't it nice to hear a community-based cooperative teaching other primary coops n a citywide seminar or even national conference?

Apart from it, to make the solvency (or stability) and liquidity (provide other business) of one's cooperative visible to its members or the general assembly or stakeholders, it is a must to educate first its members in order to be an effective union.

Definitely, the answer will be yes. Or even a BIG, BIG YES!!!

There's a little trivia that our trainor injected during one of our seminars.

Don't you know that ORACLE once started and funded as cooperative before going into a multi-national software and engineering corporation around the world?

Did i missed this information?

Well, no. But I had to make a research about the information.

It inspires us to be like that company.

Perhaps, we should stick to the principles implemented both in UK and France way back the 19th century.

The Shore Porters Society in Aberdeen (1498) , the Fenwick Weavers Society (1769) or Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers (1844) to name a few are hailed as pioneers in cooperative movement in Europe.

As high prices of goods are enslaving ordinary citizens of this country, Filipinos will always find a way to make it even in purchasing such goods or services.

Cooperatives will provide and you'll never regret if you'll be a member of it now or perhaps, tomorrow.