April 8, 2026: Cotabato City – In a hall filled not just with officials but with history, hope, and the quiet weight of transformation, two institutions came together—not merely to sign a document, but to rewrite a future.
The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the Cooperatives and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) formally sealed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC)—a landmark policy that, on paper, governs the interjurisdictional regulation and supervision of cooperative branches. But beyond policy language and legal frameworks, the signing stood as a living testament to unity in diversity, and to a shared belief: that cooperatives can heal, rebuild, and empower.
This is more than governance. This is nation-building.
A Bridge Between Governments, A Bond Between Peoples
The CDA, created under Republic Act No. 6939 and strengthened by RA 11364, has long stood as the national government’s vanguard in nurturing cooperatives as engines of equity and social justice. Across the archipelago, it has guided communities toward collective empowerment—one cooperative at a time.
In the Bangsamoro, the CSEA carries a similarly profound mandate. Established under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (RA 11054) and grounded in the region’s autonomous governance, it serves as the steward of cooperatives and social enterprises within BARMM—an institution born from struggle, shaped by identity, and driven by hope.
Together, these two bodies now form a powerful alliance—an intergovernmental partnership that transcends jurisdictional lines and affirms a deeper truth: that development knows no borders, and that cooperation is strongest when shared.
The Challenge That Sparked Unity
As cooperatives expanded their reach, crossing regional boundaries to serve more Filipinos, they also encountered complex challenges. Questions of regulation, supervision, and compliance emerged, often blurring the lines between authorities.
But rather than allowing these complexities to divide, the CDA and CSEA chose to collaborate.
The Joint Memorandum Circular now provides clear, harmonized guidelines to ensure that cooperatives operating across jurisdictions are effectively supervised, protected, and empowered. It establishes mechanisms for coordination, strengthens accountability, and ultimately safeguards the welfare of cooperative members and the public.
Yet beneath its technical provisions lies a deeper purpose: to remove barriers, so that cooperatives can do what they do best—uplift lives.
Preparing the Ground: Trust, Training, and Shared Vision
The signing of the JMC was not a singular moment, but the culmination of deliberate and meaningful engagements.
The CDA extended its expertise to the CSEA through intensive capacity-building initiatives, led by the Registration, Supervision and Examination Service under Deputy Administrator Atty. Ma. Lourdes P. Pacao, and the Institutional Development Service under Deputy Administrator Ray R. Elevazo. These sessions were more than technical training—they were acts of solidarity, knowledge-sharing, and mutual respect.
In a powerful gesture of unity, CDA Chairperson Usec. Alexander B. Raquepo and the CSEA team, led by Executive Director Samsia B. Ibrahim, paid a courtesy visit to Interim Chief Minister Hon. Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” A. Macacua.
From Arms to Farms: A New Narrative for Former Rebels
Perhaps the most powerful idea to emerge from this partnership is captured in a simple yet profound phrase: “From Arms to Farms.”
It is a concept that reimagines the journey of former combatants—not as stories defined by war, but as lives reborn through productivity, dignity, and community.
Through cooperatives, former rebels can become farmers, entrepreneurs, builders, and leaders. They can exchange weapons for tools, conflict for cooperation, and uncertainty for shared prosperity.
This is not merely reintegration. It is transformation.
Cooperatives offer what few interventions can: a sense of ownership, a voice in decision-making, and a stake in a collective future. In the fields, in enterprises, in communities—they create spaces where former divisions give way to unity, and where healing becomes possible.
A Government That Listens, A Region That Leads
The signing of the JMC also reflects a broader commitment—from both the national government and the Bangsamoro leadership—to invest in people-centered development.
The CSEA’s call for policy and financial support from the BARMM government signals a proactive approach to strengthening the cooperative sector. It is a recognition that for cooperatives to thrive, they must be backed not only by vision but by resources and institutional support.
And in the CDA, the Bangsamoro finds a partner ready to walk alongside—sharing expertise, aligning systems, and building bridges.
A Covenant Beyond Paper
As the pens were set down and the signatures dried, what lingered in the room was not just a sense of accomplishment, but a quiet understanding: that something meaningful had begun.
The Joint Memorandum Circular is more than a regulatory instrument. It is a covenant—between institutions, between governments, and most importantly, between people.
It is a promise that no matter where a cooperative is born, it will be supported wherever it grows.
It is a declaration that peace is not only negotiated in halls of power, but cultivated in farms, enterprises, and communities. And it is a bold affirmation that through cooperation, even the deepest divides can be bridged.
The Work Ahead
The journey is far from over. Policies must be implemented, systems must be refined, and lives must be touched. But with this partnership, the path is clearer—and the possibilities, boundless.
From the corridors of governance to the fields of Mindanao, a new story is unfolding. A story where former rebels become partners in progress. Where institutions become instruments of unity. Where cooperation becomes the language of peace.
And where, at last, the transformation from arms to farms becomes not just an aspiration—but a living, growing reality.
