The “3rd National Summit on Gender and Development (GAD) in Cooperatives” was held April 3-5, 2018, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City, PH. The theme was “Philippine Co-ops Stepping up United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through GAD Mainstreaming” #1phcoop1actionforSDG2030
The Summit was attended by 884 delegates from 336 primary co-ops, unions, and federations; co-op banks; co-op development councils; local government units; national government agencies; and non-government organizations. The Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC) Inc. and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) organized the Summit.
Summit partners were the We Effect-Philippines, Cebu Provincial Government, and CDA-Region 7. Summit co-organizers were Cebu-based co-ops: Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC), Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CPMPC), and Mandaue City Public Market Vendor Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MAVENCO); and Mandaue City Cooperative Development Council (MCCDC).
On the opening day of the Summit, the welcome remarks were given by Dr. Nora Patron, Officer in Charge Director, CDA, Cebu Extension Office; and Dr. Emma A. Nieva, Chairperson, GERC Inc. Messages to the delegates were also delivered by Cebu Vice Governor Agnes A. Magpale, who also described in her message the province’s GAD program; and Ms. Jessica U. Soto, Country Director, We Effect-Philippines. Also present in the Summit were Members of the CDA Board of Administrators Ms. Mercedes D. Castillo, Mr. Benjie S. Oliva, and Mr. Abad L. Santos.
On the second day of the Summit, the discussion topics and their respective resource speakers were:
1. Philippine Co-ops Stepping up the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through Gender and Development (GAD) Mainstreaming
-Ms. Maria Fe Cabral, Program Analyst/GAD Focal Person, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Philippines
2. Co-ops’ Commitment to the UN SDGs (Global and Philippines) and the Philippine Cooperative Medium-Term Development Plan (PCMTDP)
–Mr. Orlando R. Ravanera, Chairperson, CDA (represented by Ms. Teresita Leighlany T. Cariasco, Chief of Planning Division, CDA)
3. Call to Action to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Micro-, Small-, and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) including Cooperatives
-Ms. Zenaida C. Maglaya, Undersecretary for Regional Operations Group, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
4. Building Resilient Co-ops with Gender Equality
–Ms. Maria Melisa Domingo, Program Manager for Business Continuity Management (BCM), Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA)
5. Showcase of co-op actions and commitment to UN SDGs and gender equality—examples of stepping up the UN SDGs through (GAD) mainstreaming
a) Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC)’s agri-enterprise and youth program
–Ms Maria Elena Limocon, General Manager, LMPC; and Ms Justine Lynn C. Limocon, Department Head, Business Development Center (BDC), LMPC
b) ICTUS Premier Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IPMPC)’s Programs and Services
–Mr. Jimmy D. Unsoy, Internal Audit Head, IPMPC
c) Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ADTEMPCO)’s Business Development Program for members
–Engr. Irene Bringas, Chief Operations Officer, ADTEMPCO
d) Local Government Unit (LGU) Supporting Co-ops: Mandaue City
–Dr. Emedio L. Bustillo, Mandaue City Cooperative Development Council (MCCDC)
On the third day of the Summit, the reports on GAD initiatives and gains for co-ops from CDA and GERC Inc. were presented by:
-Ms. Mercedes D. Castillo, Member of the Board of Administrators, CDA
-Ms. Salome A. Ganibe, Senior Consultant, GERC Inc.
While the Summit was ongoing, the organizers asked the delegates to post their action commitments (as co-op/agency OR as individual cooperator/development worker) to step up the UN SDGs through GAD mainstreaming and/or other development actions. The delegates were requested to post their action commitments online on their Facebook accounts, attaching #1phcoop1actionforSDG2030 to their message; or to write their action commitments on the “SDGs Commitment Wall” that was made available in the Summit venue.
The Summit Declaration and Call for Action that resulted from the discussion of the delegates can be seen HERE. Presentation files of the resource speakers can be DOWNLOADED IN THIS LINK. (No need to register or sign-in when the link opens. Just open each presentation file to view and/or download.)
