From February 17 to 19, 2025, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) successfully conducted the Cooperatives Business Continuity and Resilience Pilot Testing at the CVMPC Conference Hall, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. The initiative aimed to strengthen the preparedness and resilience of cooperatives in the MIMAROPA Region, ensuring they can withstand and recover from potential disruptions.
Participating Cooperatives
The pilot testing included five cooperatives representing different asset categories and industries, ensuring diverse perspectives and applicability of strategies. These cooperatives were:
- Jubilee Oriental Mindoro Consumers Cooperative (Micro, Consumer Cooperative – Consumer Business)
- City Government of Calapan Employees Multipurpose Cooperative (CGCEMCO) (Small, Multipurpose Cooperative – Credit)
- Gabay sa Kaunlaran Agricultural Cooperative (Medium, Agriculture Cooperative – Agriculture Business)
- CALSEDECO Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CALSEDECO MPC) (Large, Multipurpose Cooperative – Credit)
- Calapan Vendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CVMPC) (Medium, Multipurpose Cooperative – Credit)
Each cooperative sent five participants, comprising officers and members, to ensure that knowledge gained would be effectively disseminated within their organizations.
Three-Day Program Flow
Day 1: Laying the Foundation
The first day focused on understanding business continuity and self-assessment. The sessions included:
- Preliminaries – Opening remarks, introductions, and setting expectations.
- Overview of Cooperatives Business Continuity and Resiliency (CBCR) Assessment – Highlighting the importance of Assessing the cooperatives for action planning.
- Alternating Discussion and Self-Assessment – Participants analyzed their cooperative’s current resilience and identified areas for improvement.
- Assignment – Cooperatives were tasked with providing feedback and preparing responses to the situational challenges related to disruptions in operations.
Day 2: Action Planning and Strategy Development
The second day focused on developing concrete action plans to enhance cooperative resilience. Activities included:
- Preliminaries – Recap and expectations for the day.
- Presentation of the Situations – Each cooperative shared their insights and approaches to handling operational disruptions.
- Short Discussion on Action Plan – Facilitators guided participants on how to create an effective and practical BCP.
- Answering and Reporting of Action Plan – Cooperatives drafted their action plans and presented their strategies, receiving feedback for improvement.
Day 3: Finalization and Evaluation
The last day emphasized monitoring, evaluation, and ensuring long-term continuity efforts. Activities included:
- Preliminaries – Recap of the previous sessions and setting objectives for the final day.
- Wrap-up for Session 1 and 2 – Key takeaways from self-assessment and action planning.
- Discussion of Step 3 – Monitoring – Introducing methods to track progress and ensure sustainability.
- Completion of CSM and Post-Evaluation Form – Gathering feedback from participants to assess the effectiveness of the pilot testing.
Awarding of Certificates – Recognizing the commitment and participation of cooperatives and their representatives.
Impact and Future Steps
The three-day pilot testing provided cooperatives with a structured approach to CBCR Assessment and Action planning. The interactive sessions and hands-on exercises helped them identify risks, develop action plans, and establish monitoring systems to ensure operational resilience.
As part of the next steps, the participating cooperatives committed to:
✔ Internally monitoring the implementation of their CBCR Assessment Tool.
✔ Providing updates to the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) for continued guidance and assessment.
✔ Applying lessons learned to strengthen overall cooperative resilience in MIMAROPA Region.
This initiative marks a significant milestone in cooperative development, setting the groundwork for a more resilient, sustainable, and prepared cooperative sector in Calapan City and beyond.
