TABUK CITY, Kalinga – As part of the city Cooperative Month 2024 celebration, the city government, through the City Cooperatives and Enterprises Development Office (CCEDO), conducted the first ever “2024 Coop Quiz Bee Competition-Schools Category,” at the City Hall Conference Room on October 9, 2029.
According to Karen Uera, Chief of CCEDO, their dream of inculcating the ideals of cooperatives for everyone is now gradually coming to fruition with the young people being instilled with a sense of cooperativism.
“We are on a mission to be the first cooperative city in the Philippines and one requirement is for more than 60% of the whole population become members of a cooperative,” she said.
Furthermore, Uera stated that the quiz bee is only one of their October activities as the previous week, they also held indigenous games competition, Zumba, and fitness walk/run.
She was pleasantly surprised that so many people participated in these activities and promised that since schools and young people responded favorably to the activity, it will be the first of many, and they should anticipate more in the upcoming years.
Ultimately, she advised the contestants that what matters most throughout the competition is not winning but rather the experiences and lessons gained.
Hon. Kristian Wandag, Committee on Cooperatives and CSO’s Chairman, lauded the contestants and their coaches and thanked their participation during the event.
He stressed that the Cooperative Month is a time to celebrate the power of teamwork and collective action.
“Remember, cooperatives thrive on the principles of collaboration, democracy, and shared goals,” he said.
Wandag addressed the contestants saying that as they answer each question, they should think about how cooperatives can empower communities and drive positive change.
Finally, Wandag stated that the city government will keep implementing various laws and programs to support activities aimed at improving the cooperative sector.
Denalyn Jontoc of Tabuk City National High School won the first prize at the end of the competition with a cash prize of PhP10,000 followed by Joerlyne Mae Puyoc of St. Tonis National High School and Rizalde Lardizabal of Calaccad National High School in second and third places, with PhP8,000, and PhP6,000 cash prizes, respectively.
The other contestants received tokens, certificates, and consolation prizes of PhP3,000 each.
As an additional bonus, some of the contestants also received rewards from their sponsoring cooperatives in the form of cash gifts or free memberships. By Edward Joseph Gacuya