LA TRINIDAD, Benguet– The provincial board is considering for second reading a proposed ordinance that seeks to enact the province’s Cooperative Development code, creating the Provincial Cooperative Development Office and appropriating funds for the said purpose.
Senior boardmember Robert Namoro, author of the proposed ordinance, stated that among the guiding principles in the enactment of the measure include to develop, install and maintain an effective and efficient local government support system; develop, promote or create opportunities to sustain local economic enterprise development; establish linkages of the various cooperatives in the province; establish a functional and continuously updated cooperative data in the province; establish and strengthen vertical and horizontal linkages for cooperatives within the province and other areas; develop an enlightened core of cooperative members through a continuous systematic cooperative education training; establish and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Benguet Provincial Cooperative Development Council; provide recognition or wards to accredited cooperatives which excel in their economic and social endeavors; establish a regular system of providing opportunities for cooperative members to help themselves and to give preference to cooperatives in the bidding or request for quotations of goods, services or commodities and supplies requested by the different local governments.
Namoro also proposed for the institutionalization of the Gawad Parangal Awards for Cooperatives in the province that will cover all existing cooperatives in the province.
He also recommended the creation of the provincial screening committee to ensure the integrity of the evaluation process of the outstanding cooperatives, cooperative leaders and other relevant awards and citations by conducting an exhaustive review of the documents and to validate the same and make its recommendations to the provincial board of judges.
Aside from the creation of the provincial cooperative development office that will be composed of permanent personnel, the boardmember also proposed the creation of the provincial cooperative development council to oversee the implementation of the programs, projects and activities geared towards enhancing the state of the cooperatives provincewide.
Pursuant to Proclamation No. 493, series of 2003 that declared October 2004 and every year thereafter as Cooperative month, the ordinance declared that the second Friday of October and every thereafter shall be the Cooperative Day in Benguet.
Namoro disclosed that the funds of the council shall be primarily be derived from resource sharing, without prejudice to the right of the council to receive gifts, donations, benefits and grants from any person, including allocations that may come from the provincial government.
For the implementation of the aforesaid code, the boardmembers recommended that the amount of P1 million shall be appropriated from any available fund of the provincial government and that the appropriation may be increased in the ensuing budget years upon request of the concerned office.
Namoro pointed out that the orchestration of efforts and strengthening of the inter-agency coordination between the local government units, non-government organizations, concerned government agencies, government financial institutions, other government agencies with cooperative programs, and the Benguet Provincial Cooperative Development Office aims to undertake activities that will enhance cooperatives viability to improve. By HENT
