Undersecretary Alexander B. Raquepo, widely known as Alex, has dedicated over four decades to the cooperative movement as a member, with more than 20 years of leadership experience in various cooperative roles. His passion for promoting cooperative values and empowering communities has shaped his illustrious career.
Recent Leadership Roles & Contributions:
Alex is a former Chairperson of the Sta. Cruz Savings and Development Cooperative (SACDECO), a billionaire cooperative and recipient of the Gawad Pitak Ginintuang Award. He has also served as the Chairperson of the Ilocos Consolidated Cooperative Bank (ICCB) and the Election Committee (ELECOM) Chairperson of CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative (CLIMBS). Additionally, Alex has been an active member of various cooperative organizations, including:
- Vice President of the Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC)
- Board of Trustees (BOT) Member of the Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives
- Education Committee Member of Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC-Vigan City) and NAFeCoop (Cagayan de Oro City)
His extensive leadership experience extends to several significant roles, such as formerly serving as the National President of the COOP-NATCCO Partylist since 2019, Former Chairperson of NORLU CEDEC (Northern Luzon Cooperative Development Center), and Former Chairperson of the National Cooperative Development Council (2022-2024). He is also the current Regional Cooperative Development Council President for Region 1 (2020-2025) and the Cooperative Finance Cluster President for Region 1 (2020-2023). Recently, he was elected as President of the Cooperative Banks Directors Club (COBADIC) of Bangkoop.
Recognitions & Awards:
Alex’s leadership has been widely recognized. In 2017, he was honored with the National Coop Leadership Award by the prestigious CDA Gawad Parangal Awards. He was also named the Cooperative Ambassador Awardee for Region 1 in 2016, underscoring his invaluable contributions to the cooperative movement.
Advocacies:
A staunch advocate for cooperative good governance, financial literacy, and gender equality, Alex was named one of the Male Gender Equality Role Models by the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF). His dedication to promoting cooperative education is evident as an accredited trainer for NATCCO, GERC, LBP Countryside Development Foundation (LCDFI), NSCC, Cooperative Union of Baguio City and Luzon (CUBCL), and several other cooperative organizations.
Training & Education:
Alex’s commitment to personal and professional growth is reflected in his diverse educational background. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture and a Master’s Degree in Management from the University of the Philippines (UP). He has also completed advanced training in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and courses on Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperative Management from institutions such as the Development Academy of the Philippines and the Co- op College (UK) and Co-op College (Philippines). Alex has attended various international conferences and training programs across countries including Hong Kong, China, Sweden, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.
Personal Life:
Alex is married to Evelyn De Castro and is a proud father to three grown-up sons and a doting granddaughter.
