TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte (PIA) – – The Koop Kapatid scheme has done well in assisting cooperatives get through the rigors of continued operation with the assistance of a partner established cooperative.
Senior Cooperative Development Specialist (SCDS) Annabelle J. Banaga of Davao del Norte Cooperative Development Office has made this impression as the Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao del Norte has adopted the Koop Kapatid Program introduced by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
“Gi-adopt nato ang Koop Kapatid. Among gi-facilitate nga ang dagko nga kooperatiba maoy mohatag ug serbisyo sa mga gagmayng koop. (We have adopted the Koop Kapatid Program. We are facilitating the large cooperatives to extend services to small coops),” she said during the Cooperative edition of Kapihan sa DavNor.
Citing a specific example, Banaga said the Tagum City-based Visayan Village Tagum Rural Waterworks and Multi-services Cooperative (VITRUWASCO) extends its technical and financial assistance to Talaingod Water System Cooperative.
“Ginasubaybayan siya gikan sa iyang management sa iyang financial documents, ang pag prepara niini para dili ingon nga mawala sa dokumento ug operasyon. Gihatagan siya sa maayo nga mkuha gikan sa Vitruwasco.
[It is being assisted and monitored as to management of its financial documents, preparing these document so it won’t get lost in terms of document preparation and its operation. It is being given whatever it can learn from VITRUWASCO.
She also said that the Tagum City-based billionaire Tagum Cooperative has assisted a number of small cooperatives, and it has eventually gained recognition from PLGU of Davao del Norte for its numerous assistance to small coops.
In the same forum, SCDS Maria Theresa B. Dave of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) XI cited the Koop Kapatid Program as among the initiatives of CDA that runs in line with the 6th principle of cooperativism: Cooperation among Cooperatives.
Under this program that anchors on the concept of big brother helping small brother coops, the grown coops are referred as the “partner” while the smaller ones are the beneficiary cooperatives.
“VITRUWASCO and others, are the ones identifying the cooperatives they can assist and help. Aside from financial and technical assistance in terms of bookkeeping and preparation of reports, they are also donating computer and laptops to help them (small coops) sustain their operation,” she said referring to the small beneficiary coops.
Having seen some successes of the Koop Kapatid Program, CDA is still encouraging large coops to continue providing assistance to small coops as well as show inspiration and extend guidance.
“Kung gi-unsa ninyo pag-abot ang inyong standing karon, pwede ta magtinabangay,“ she said addressing the full-grown coops.. “Wala ta aning ‘talangka’ mentality og ginatabangan nato ang mga koops to push, para maabot pud nila ang naabot nga tagumpay sa ilang operation as cooperatives,” Davao said.
[Whatever you have done to reach your standing, we can be of help to each other. We don’t have that crab mentality and we are helping coops to push so they would be able to reach the success in their operation as cooperatives.]
Aside from the teaming-up of big and small brother cooperatives, CDA also implements major programs based on the Presidential directives given to it.
These are programs on consolidation or clustering/merging, capability building, access to financial assistance especially to agricultural cooperatives, access to market and technology, participation to trade fair, and policy and regulatory support. (JMDA, PIA XI)
