LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Regional Office 1 held an eight-day certification program to help cooperatives in Ilocos Norte improve their business management.
The training, conducted from Feb. 25-28 and March 4-7, aimed to equip Cooperative Development Officers (CDOs) from 17 local government units (LGUs) with the knowledge and skills to train local cooperatives on proper business management and legal compliance.
The program covered topics such as cooperative principles, good governance, and financial and business management — all essential for running organized, efficient and sustainable cooperatives.
Through the training, CDOs learned to help cooperatives create clear policies, manage finances responsibly and ensure transparency and accountability in their operations.
Van Enriquez, senior cooperative development specialist at CDA Regional Office 1, stressed the importance of following business standards in managing cooperatives.
“We want to capacitate these cooperative development officers to discuss mandatory training. One aspect of cooperatives is a business enterprise model to know the standards on how to run a business, aside from the basic principles and values embedded with cooperatives as basics,” Enriquez said.
Lectures, hands-on exercises and demonstrations on cooperative management skills prepared CDOs to guide cooperatives in improving daily operations, addressing challenges and making informed business decisions.
On the last day, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) held a special session on teaching methods, helping participants improve their communication and training skills so they could better guide cooperative members. By mastering effective training techniques, CDOs can now transfer their knowledge more clearly and efficiently to cooperative leaders and members, ensuring proper implementation of business practices.
Filipina Porio, head of the Cooperative Research and Information Training Section, said the program ensures CDOs are trained and certified to conduct mandatory training for cooperatives.
“This training signifies these CDOs are accredited and possess the certified authority to conduct mandatory training within their local cooperatives, adhering to Republic Act No. 11535,” Porio said.
Rochelle Razalan, a focal person from LGU-Batac City, said the training provided the skills needed to support and guide local cooperatives.
“This activity is a great avenue for us focal and designated cooperative LGUs to be utilized as resource persons to train the cooperatives in our municipality or city,” Razalan said.
With their new skills, certified CDOs are ready to help cooperatives improve their operations and contribute to community development. (CCMT/MTDA/GEVM, PIA Ilocos Norte)
