Ni NOEL ABUEL
Binigyang pagkilala ni Senador Cynthia Villar ang kahalagahan ng mga kooperatiba sa bansa bilang partner ng pamahalaan at private sector sa paglaban sa kahirapan.
“Nothing can equal the help of cooperatives in the growth of a community and small business and alleviating the lives of farmers and fishermen,” pahayag ni Villar sa idinaos na Philippine Federation of Credit Cooperatives 11th Annual General Assembly and 2023 Educational Forum at Clark Marriott Hotel sa Mabalacat, Pampanga.
Sinabi nito na ang Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) ang partner sa pagtatatag ng mga kooperatiba sa iba’t ibang industriya sa bansa.
“One of the distinct advantages of social enterprises and cooperatives is that they are more attuned and in touch with the needs of the poorer segments of the society,” ayon kay Villar, chairperson ng Senate Agriculture committee.
“The wide geographical reach of micro small and medium enterprises including, social enterprises and cooperatives, in various regions and provinces make their impact more all-encompassing,” dagdag pa nito.
Binigyan diin ni Villar na nakapaloob ang “Bayanihan” spirit sa mga kooperatiba.
Upang kilalanin ang kahalagahan ng mga kooperatiba, pinararangalan ng Villar SIPAG simula pa noong 2013 ang ‘Top 20 cooperatives’ sa bansa na nakatutulong maiangat ang kabuhayan sa kanilang komunidad.
Pinagkakalooban din ang mga ito ng plaque at P250,000 bawat isa.
“Through this recognition, we hope to inspire and encourage cooperatives to continue with their work to uplift the lives of their communities,” ayon kay Villar.
Ipinahayag din nito na mahigpit ang ‘nationwide search’ sa best coops.
“We receive hundreds of applications yearly, and only the best ones are chosen. We make sure that the initiatives of these community enterprises are outstanding models of good practices in income poverty reduction,” aniya pa.
Layunin ng taunang Sipag Awards na kilalanin ang mabubuting gawain at innovations ng community enterprises na nagbibigay ng hanapbuhay at nadadagdagan ang household income partikukar sa mahihirap na sektor.
Itinatampok din nito ‘outstanding initiatives’ ng community enterprises bilang modelo ng good practices sa poverty reduction.
Nagsalita si Villar sa harap ng 390 cooperative leaders mula Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao na kumakatawan sa 1.5 million coop members sa buong bansa.
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