DavNor promotes coop integration for ASEAN 2015

DAVAO DEL NORTE, October 10 (PIA) - - A cooperative development specialist in the province encouraged the cooperatives to integrate to prepare for the ASEAN Integration in 2015.

“Cooperatives, especially those small ones, should integrate with each other to be able to compete with foreign companies in the ASEAN Economic Community.”

This was stressed yesterday (October 9) by Engr. Humber Cabunoc, OIC – assistant provincial agriculturist and senior development cooperative specialist, during the Kapihan sa Kapitolyo at the GSP Hall.

Cabunoc said that cooperatives in the same line of business should pool all their resources to survive the economic integration.

“We are looking now into the sectors that will be most affected on this integration like the agricultural sector,” he said.

For this cooperative month celebration, the Provincial Cooperative Development Council (PCDC) will conduct a symposium on October 14 in Tagum City and October 24 in Sto. Tomas for cooperative members in District 1 and District 2 respectively.

Cabunoc disclosed that one of the topics in the symposium is the ASEAN Integration on 2015.

Miriam Baloyo, vice-chairperson of Tagum Cooperative, said that cooperative integration was realized in Canada.

“Years before we were talking about cooperative integration here in Mindanao, Canada had already done it and it was successful,” Baloyo said.

She said that it also took them years before they can realize the integration because of the fact that some cooperative officials might lose their power.

“It is good that we started discussing about this; at least this is our first step towards the sustainability of cooperativism in the province,” she added.

Meanwhile, the provincial government continues to provide educational and financial assistance to cooperative.

Cabunoc revealed that a budget of P 2.25-million was allotted for this year for cooperative development, which includes providing technical and mandated trainings to cooperatives in the province.

He said that through the Davao del Norte Credit Surety Fund program, the provincial government facilitated the financing of 22 cooperatives availing a total of P 65-million loan. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)