One of the Cooperative Development Authority- Region I Extension Office targets is to conduct mandatory training for officers and personnel of micro and small cooperatives. With this, the CDA Ilocos Sur Field Office, in partnership with the Candon City Cooperative Development Office (CCDO) headed by Ms. Grace Ramos, CCDO, conducted Fundamentals of Cooperative and Governance and Management for Cooperatives at NLPSC Hall, San Nicolas, Candon City on February 27-28, 2023. Participants are the officers of NSLPSC Employees Credit Cooperative, whose principal office is located in Candon City, and Pamabis Farmers Agriculture Cooperative from Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. CCDO Grace Ramos, PCDS Florentino B. Lorenzana, and CDS II Joy P. Basingel were resource speakers for the said training.

Also, on March 28-29, 2023, in coordination with MCDO Mr. Gary Fernandez, the Local Government of Sta. Lucia and Cooperative Development Authority Region 1, represented by CDS II Florentino B. Lorenzana and CDS II Joy P. Basingel, conducted mandatory trainings for the three cooperatives of Sta. Lucia. Before the training started, Vice Mayor Eduardo Toquero gave the participants his inspirational message. The ever-supportive Mayor of Sta. Lucia, Hon. Joseph Simon B. Valdez, also expressed his support and
encouragement to the cooperatives in his short speech.

Forty-nine officers and members from Metro Luba Coconut Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative, Federated NGOs of Sta Lucia Credit Cooperative, and Bayanihan Multipurpose Cooperative actively participated in the two-day mandatory training. Of the 49 attendees, 23 are males, and 26 are females. All participants showed their eagerness to learn by participating in every discussion.

Ms. Basingel discussed the fundamentals of cooperatives on the first day of activity, while Mr. Lorenzana tackled the Governance and Management of Cooperatives on the 2nd day of the training. Participants presented and explained their outputs. They were also encouraged to share some of their cooperative practices.

To conclude, Mayor Valdez, MCDO Fernandez, and CDA personnel issued the Certificate of
Completion to the participants for successfully and actively participating in the two-day
Mandatory Training. (By: Joy P. Basingel, Florentino B. Lorenzana and Raymund N. Pilorin)