The City of Baliwag Cooperative Development Council (CBCDC), led by the chairperson, Dr. Andy S. Cruz, together with Mr. Alfredo S. Martin, City Cooperative Development Officer of Baliwag, Mr. Brian John C. Mendoza, Cooperatives Development Specialist II, CDA Region III Extension Office, and representatives from primary and secondary cooperatives in the City of Baliwag, Bulacan, had a two-day knowledge exposure trip to Cebu on January 22-23, 2024.
The first day of the trip started with a courtesy call to Ms. Cristina H. Villamil, Regional Director of CDA Region VII Extension Office, on January 22, 2024. Fortunately, the CBCDC officers and members were able to hear advice from Asec Luz H. Yringco, Head of the Finance Cooperative Cluster, to further develop the cooperatives in the city.
After visiting the CDA Region VII EO, the CBDC officers and members were warmly welcomed by Ms. Farla Carolyn F. Garcia, CPA, Vice President of the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative in which a tour on the cooperative’s premises followed. With approximately 16 billion pesos worth of assets, the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative was tagged as the largest cooperative in Central Visayas and second in the nation. Eager to instill the values and best practices of the cooperative, with utmost pride, a staff from Cebu CFI Community Cooperative presented the cooperative’s history, programs, services, and innovations.
On the second day of the trip, the CBCDC had the opportunity to present and finalize its annual development plan through a strategic planning session. Coordination and consultation with cooperative stakeholders have been highlighted during the session. The plan will be presented to the local government unit of the City of Baliwag for review by the local chief executive and the local poverty reduction team co-chairperson.
Surely, the CBCDC officers and members brought the learnings from the trip back to their hometown to contextualize and apply these to their respective primary and secondary cooperatives. Conclusively, cooperation among cooperatives has been fostered during the knowledge exposure trip.
#cooperation #CBCDCgoestoCebu #cooperationamongcooperatives #parasakoop
Prepared by.
Brian John C. Mendoza, CDS II
