The three (3) cooperative recipients in Region 1 were acknowledged for their exemplary performances and contributions to improving the quality of life of Filipinos during the 10th Villar SIPAG Awards on Poverty Reduction held at the Villar Sipag Center, C5 Extension Road, Las Pias City, on December 16, 2022.

The Villar SIPAG manages the awards program, which is a hub of advocacies, activities, and initiatives to benefit underprivileged Filipinos. This year, fourteen (14) cooperatives from across the country were recognized for their outstanding community enterprise initiatives as models of good practices in poverty reduction. Moreover, they were acknowledged in order to inspire and encourage cooperatives to continue working to improve the lives of their communities.

Bagnos Multi Purpose Cooperative of Banna, Ilocos Norte, Fatima (Vigan) Multi Purpose Cooperative of Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, and St. Paschal Baylon Multi Purpose Cooperative of San Quintin, Pangasinan were the three (3) cooperative awardees for Region 1. Each awardee received a trophy as well as a cash incentive of two hundred fifty thousand pesos (P250,000.00) to be utilized to start a new enterprise or expand an existing one.

Former Senator Manny Villar and Senator Cynthia Villar spearheaded the awards ceremony, which was also attended by Deputy Speaker Camille A. Villar, Mr. Manuel Paolo Villar, President & CEO of Vista Land, and USEC. CDA Chairman Joseph B. Encabo graced the event and delivered an inspirational message.

The cooperative must qualify and satisfy the following criteria to be considered outstanding: effectiveness, significance, financial viability, sustainability, and adaptability.

Senator Cynthia Villar commended all awardees and encouraged them to continue to demonstrate best practices and be inspired in serving the people. (By: Jackie De Leon, Sr. CDS)