The Davao City Cooperative Development Office has rolled out the city government’s “Coop Serbisyo Caravan” to help the organizational viability and business sustainability of the micro and small cooperatives.
The Caravan runs from April 4 to April 29, 2022, on per district schedule. It started in Calinan District on April 4 and will be followed in Toril District on April 8; Marilog District (April 12); Talomo District (April 19); Buhangin District (April 20); Tugbok District (April 21-22); Poblacion (April 25); and, Paquibato District (April 29).
Luzminda C. Eblamo, the Officer-in-Charge of the City Cooperative Development Office (CCDO), in an interview on Davao City Disaster Radio said the Coop Serbisyo Caravan is part of the social recovery efforts of the city government that started in 2019 to help micro and small cooperatives in Davao City.
“Ang atoang total number of cooperatives in Davao City we have 756 coops as of 2020. However, of the 756 only 400 are what we call operating coops. So dako dako. There are 300 plus coops nato na for dissolution. These are non-compliant. These are the cooperatives that we are trying to help (We have 756 cooperatives in Davao City as of 2020. Of the 756, only 400 are, what we call, operating coops. So the number is quite big. There are more than 300 coops for dissolution. These are those who are non-compliant. And these are the cooperatives that we are trying to help),” Eblamo said.
She said that the main objective of the Caravan is to ensure that the cooperatives are compliant with the requirements of the cooperative policies through the submission of reports to the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
“Statistic will tell us that for the past three years na nag conduct ta sa atoang Serbisyo Caravan na increase gyud nato ang atoang compliant cooperative kaya nga this Serbisyo Caravan we make sure we do it in every first quarter of the year (Statistics will tell us that for the past three years that we conducted this Serbisyo Caravan, we increased the number of the compliant cooperative. This is why we make sure that we do it every first quarter of the year),” she added.
Eblamo said that the Coop Serbisyo Caravan is a form of one-stop-shop consisting of city agencies and other stakeholders that are helping cooperatives.
“Kung atong mga kooperatiba gusto nila moadto sa Department of Agriculture para mangutana kung unsa ang mga programa na pwede nila ma-avail sa ilang kooperatiba, they can go to the desk of City Agri isa lang na siya ka example (If our cooperatives want to go the Department of Agriculture to ask for programs that they can avail, they can go to the desk of City Agriculturist Office, it is only an example,” she said, adding that her office, as an accredited training provider by CDA, can help provide trainings for the cooperatives.
Eblamo said that the trainings provided by her office are free to help cooperatives, especially the small and micro cooperatives and those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, sustain their organizational viability and at the same time their business continuity. (CIO)
