P-Noy’s absence unnoticed in co-op event

The Philippine co-operative movement marked 100 years in fitting ceremonies held in the capital city last February 5 and I wonder if the Office of the President had logged the milestone in the Chief Executive’s calendar of activities for the first week of February.

Unlike  the arrival of the Fallen SAF commandos in Villamor Air   Base which the President skipped in favor of a car show, this time his absence in the co-op movement’s centenary did not merit any attention or even earn for him negative comments by the sector.  This is not surprising because the movement does not invite celebrities to hype any occasion.  Moreover, the sector is so resilient and self-reliant that it does not require VIPs to make an event notable.

Act No. 2503 or the Rural Credit Act was passed on Feb. 05, 1915 and paved the way for the organization of cooperatives in the country.  The government perspective needs to be contextualized with a much earlier milestone, around 1898 when Dr. Jose Rizal introduced the system to the people of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Sur.

Our national hero had traveled extensively to Europe in 1887 during which time Germany was practically abuzz with Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen’s idea of a self-help organization to counter the ill-effects of the industrial revolution.

Act No. 2503 through which the legal framework of the co-operative movement has developed for the past 100 years cannot be simply brushed aside.  But in the sense that a co-op centennial cannot happen again in our lifetime, ka-anugon nga wa motunga si Presidente Aquino sa kick-off ceremony if only to be in solidarity with the third sector which he has leaned on as a channel for inclusive growth.  Indeed, despite economic setbacks, natural calamities and fragmentation among its members, co-operatives have endured and persisted in the journey of 100 years, thanks to their members’ hard work, creativity and perseverance.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with executive officers of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) and hear updates about the institution’s disaster risk and rehabilitation management efforts. According to chief executive officer Dominica Chua, DRRM is a key campaign and advocacy of RAFI to uplift the vulnerable sectors of society.

In the same interview over Co-op TV (CCTN Channel 47) Evelyn Nacario Castro of the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center remarked that she likes to think of co-operatives not as a formal structure, but rather as an adjective applying it to the bigger realm of collaboration.

I am struck by the observation while talking with Malaquias Soco,  barangay captain of Pakna-an, Mandaue City.  Mr. Soco, who will appear in Co-op TV this Saturday, is a firm believer of co-operatives.  Before his election as village chief five  years ago, he founded the community-based organization known as Pakna-anon Multi-Purpose Cooperative.  The co-op became dormant but gained a new lease in life in 2010.

PAMULCO’s core service revolves around a cottage industry which has endured for many generations – broom-making.

Captain Soco is not ashamed to say that he grew up in a family that makes brooms for a living.  He used to peddle brooms, too, but his life’s course changed when he met a co-operator who mentored him in the rudiments of a self-help organization.

The village chief has partnered with PAMULCO in making the cottage industry  instrument for poverty alleviation in a village of 30,000 people or 6,000 households.   With hard work and perseverance, PAMULCO was able to bring the co-op benefits to more than 300 members, drawing the support of private organizations like the Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and government institutions like the Department of Labor and Employment.

AFI and DOLE have extended PAMULCO financial grants to enable local artisans to produce quality brooms.  The co-op buys their products, markets it locally at the same time serve as distribution arm throughout the country.

PAMULCO has likewise earned the support of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes who signed a lease agreement with the co-operative to use a foreshore area as the broom-maker’s water pit (where buli fronds are soaked and washed before they are combed, dried and attached to a bamboo handle).

The 5,000-square meter lot holds a lot of promise not just for the co-op but also for 1,200 families living near the area.  These people used to live near rivers and creeks, constantly exposed to dangers of flooding and landslide.  Thanks to the efforts of the local government, they are now safely settled in a 6.5-hectare lot that Mayor Cortes converted into a socialized housing project.  I think that enabling these former informal settlers to live near the PAMULCO facility is providential because the co-op’s production center and material recovery will rise in the area.

Opportunities then for livelihood are countless as the buli fronds that Pakna-anons comb to earn a decent livelihood and inculcate a love and care for tradition.

Quite naturally, the cottage industry is the capital by which villagers want to attract local and foreign visitors.  For four years now, the village stages the cultural activity called Silhig Festival.  The Sinulog-like festivity will be held this  Sunday, February 15 and although it is to thank God for his blessings, the celebration is also a tribute to the villagers’ co-operative and unsinkable spirit.

Congratulations!