Tagum co-op joins Int'l Year for Co-ops in India

Friday 3rd of August 2012

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Aug 3 (PIA) -- Tagum Cooperative, an affiliate of Association of Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU) joined the celebration of the 2012 International Year for Cooperatives a month ago in Shirdi, State of Maharashtra, India.

This was upon the invitation of the Maharashtra Federation of Cooperative Credit Societies (MAFCOCS).

The Tagum Cooperative delegation was composed of the Director Norma R. Pereyras, chairperson; Director Monica L. Salido, vice-chairperson; Director Miriam R. Baloyo, member of the board of directors and Juris D. Perez , officer-in-charge, general manager.

In a statement, the Tagum Co-op board of directors has considered this invitation from MAFCOCS as a rare opportunity for the cooperative to share its best practices and at the same time pursue its objective to expose officers and management to learn new business approaches and practices of cooperatives from other countries.

The successful conduct of the 2012 International Year for Cooperatives was attended by more than 14,000 co-op leaders and members at the Yaswantrao Chavan Hall.

The participants was headed by Maharashtra State chief minister, Hon. Prithviraj Chavan; Minister of Cooperation, Hon. Harshawardhan Patil; ACCU president, Dr. Chalermpol Dulsamphant; ACCU–chief executive officer (CEO), Ranjith Hettiarachchi, Buldana Urban Cooperative Credit Society-CEO, Dr. Sukesh Zamwar and the rest of the dignitaries of the State of Maharashtra.

This gesture of MAFCOCS of inviting international delegates and covering the cost for the affair is a manifestation that India is eagerly opening its doors for regional cooperation and Asian solidarity, particularly in the cooperative sector, to share their best practices, how they have evolved and their immediate plans for the future.

There were 25 foreign delegates coming from Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and Singapore. All 25 foreign delegates were housed at St. Laurn Meditation and Spa in Shirdi.

During the event, a separate forum for the international delegates was held giving each country representative 10 minutes to present recent developments of their respective cooperatives. What followed was an exchange of knowledge and learning. Pereyras represented Tagum Cooperative and the Philippines and presented the co-op updates and highlights. (pr)