Republic Act No. 11364 was signed by President Duterte last August 8, 2019. This is the law reorganizing and strengthening the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and at the same time repealing RA 6939, the original charter of the Agency. Expect a more muscular CDA and reinforcements will soon be arriving to augment its lean personnel.
Here are some of the salient provisions:
On the strengthening of CDA, its powers are expanded, increasing the limited powers which was found in the first Charter such that officers and members of co-ops can now be disciplined, suspended and/or removed and charged in court for violation of co-op laws, rules, regulations, issuances of the Authority and their own articles and by-laws. Officers and even members must make good and be serious in doing their sworn duties and responsibilities. Acts contrary to co-ops principles and concepts should no longer be tolerated.
The Authority can issue cease and desist orders to co-ops and other orders and notices to preserve the assets and documents of co-ops subject to a dispute or litigation. This is just proper considering the previous experiences where the Authority cannot protect the interest of members while their co-op is being abused. As part of its adjudicatory powers, the Authority can hear and decide inter-cooperative and intra-cooperative disputes, controversies and/or conflicts. The decisions of the Authority are appealable directly to the Court of Appeals. I believe more lawyers and accountants will be hired because of this power.
On the reorganization, the Board of Administrators shall now be known as the Board of Directors that shall come from 6 cluster of co-ops namely: Financial Services (Credit, Banking and Insurance), Consumer, Marketing, Producers and Logistics cluster; Human Services (Health, Housing, Workers and Labor Services, Education and Advocacy) cluster; Agriculture (which include Agrarian, Farmers, Dairy, Fisherfolk) cluster; and Public Utilities (Electricity, Water, Communications and Transport) cluster.
Still on the reorganization, the Executive Director shall be known as the Administrator with 5 Deputy Administrators. The Administrator shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines while the Deputy Administrators shall be appointed by the Board. Any personnel lower than the Deputy Administrators, shall be appointed by the Administrator. The regional offices may soon have more personnel with backgrounds on those mentioned in the 6 clusters, I presume.
And there’s more. Co-operatives shall also be a part of the curriculum both in formal and non-formal education, particularly in the K to 12 level. It shall be offered as a field of study in undergraduate and graduate studies in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and if there is no such offering, a 3-Unit subject on co-operative development and administration shall be included.
The soon to be reorganized CDA looks promising. The crafting of its implementing rules and regulations is ongoing. We hope to have an Authority that will be more responsive to the needs of the co-ops and its services be closer to the people. For me, that is the bottom line.
