Crowds gathered in hundreds outside the halls of the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Pasay City on October 23, 2015 for the much-awaited Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Gawad Parangal 2015 Awarding Ceremony.
For this year, the CDA Gawad Parangal was part of the Culmination Rites of the Philippine Cooperative Centennial Year and as such, it was the major event for the said occasion. Cooperative officers, members, leaders, local government units-cooperative development offices and councils were in attendance for the most celebrated awarding event of the CDA.
The venue was all decked out, there were flower arrangements on each table and on stage, most especially the presidential table where the VIPs were situated. VIPs such as the CDA Board of Administrators, headed by Chairman Orlando Ravanera, Administrators Nelon Alindogan, Pendatun Disimban, Mercedes Castillo, Eulogio Castillo, Benjie Oliva and Paisal Cali.
Honored guests namely Governor Vilma Santos-Recto of the Province of Batangas and Governor Faustino Dy of Isabela Province, were grandly welcomed by the throng of participants present, mostly swarming over the two distinguished guests to have their photos taken.
Chairman Orlando Ravanera started out the Awarding Ceremony with an opening message, welcoming the delegates and guests to the CDA Gawad Parangal 2015 Awarding Ceremony. He commended the cooperative sector for their full support for this specific program as this is one of the banner programs of the CDA. Chairman Ravanera encouraged the cooperative officers, leaders, members to continually giving their best not only for their organizations, but for the sector as a whole.
Recognized first were partners in cooperative development, specifically for their contribution, role and assistance to cooperative programs. These were the 1) Province of Batangas; 2) Province of Isabela; 3) Province of Iloilo; and 4) Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative. Also recognized were the hosts of the various Cooperative Cluster Congresses –Philippine Cooperative Center; Partnerships for Health Action, Nation-Building Socio-Economic Upliftment; Union of Labor Service Cooperative; Provincial Government of Isabela; BANGKOOP; Joint Monitoring Evaluation Committee on Housing Cooperatives; Department of Agrarian Reform; Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives; Provincial Government of Batangas; Office of Transport Cooperatives; and Bigay Buhay Multipurpose Cooperatives.
Governor Vilma Santos-Recto of Batangas and Governor Faustino “Bojie” Dy III were given the privilege to convey gratitude to the CDA and to the cooperative sector and expressed continuous support to the movement.
For this year 2015 which is the Cooperative Centennial Year, the CDA awarded the ten (10) most outstanding leaders in cooperative development all over the country called Cooperative Centennial Leadership Awards. The awards were given to those who contributed significantly to cooperative development during the past fifty (50) years, either posthumous or still vibrantly serving the cooperative sector, and were of great influence not only to the cooperative sector and their community, but that of national significance.
The 10 Cooperative Centennial Leadership Awards were as follows:
- Edna Elizaga Aberilla
- Orlando J. Sacay
- Atty. Renato C. Fernandez
- Dr. Sylvia L. Flores
- Fermin L. Gonzales
- Priscilla G. Mariano
- Atty. Mordino R. Cua
- Aquilino “Aquio” Pimentel, Sr.
- Agapito “Butz” Aquino
- Dr. Nathaniel Tablante
Awards for the Gawad Panrangal national finalists and winners for all categories followed. Governor Vilma Santos-Recto was given time to convey her gratitude to the CDA for the 3-year consecutive awards that the Provincial Cooperative Development Office-Province of Batangas, under direct supervision of the Office of the Governor, has been a recipient of the CDA Gawad Parangal. She expressed her pleasure for the recognizing the performance of the PCDO-Batangas and assured everyone that her support to cooperatives will not waver even after her term as Governor of Batangas has ended.
List of national winners are listed below:
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS
Municipal Level
1st Placer – Cauayan Cooperative Development Council (Region II)
2nd Placer – Calamba Cooperative Development Council (Region IV)
3rd Placer – Valenzuela Cooperative Development Council (NCR)
Provincial Level
1st Placer – Isabela Provincial Cooperative Development Council (Region II)
2nd Placer – Bataan Provincial Cooperative Development Council (Region III)
Regional Level
1st Placer – Southern Tagalog Regional Cooperative Development Council (STaRCDC) (Region IV)
LGU-COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT OFFICES
Independent City
1st Placer – Valenzuela Cooperative Development Office (NCR)
2nd Placer – City Cooperative Development & Livelihood Office of Iligan (Region X)
3RD Placer – City Cooperatives Development & Livelihood Assistance Office, Tacloban City (Region VIII)
Municipal/ Component City
1st Placer – Cooperatives & Livelihood Development Department City Government of Calamba (Region IV)
2nd Placer – City Cooperative’s Office City of Cauayan (Region II)
3rd Placer – City Cooperative Office of Tabuk (CAR)
Provincial Level
1st placer – Provincial Cooperative Development Office of Batangas (Region IV)
2nd Placer – Provincial Cooperative Development Office of Isabela (Region II)
3rd Placer – Provincial Cooperative Development Office of Cotabato (Region XII)
COOPERATIVE LEADER
1st Placer – Rev. Fr. Anton CT. Pascual (NCR)
2nd Placer – Profetiza S. Lim, Ed.D. (Region VII)
3rd Placer – Divina C. Quemi (Region I)
COOPERATIVES
Union
1ST Placer – Negros Oriental Union of Cooperatives (Region VII)
2nd Placer – Cooperative Union of Taguig & Pateros (NCR)
3rd Placer – Cordillera Administrative Region Cooperative Union (CAR)
Federation
1st Placer – MASS SPECC Development Center (Region X)
2nd Placer – National Confederation of Cooperatives (NCR)
3rd Placer – Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (Region I)
LARGE
1st Placer – ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative (NCR)
2nd Placer – Barbaza Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Region VI)
3rd Placer – San Jose Del Monte Savings & Credit Cooperative (Region III)
MEDIUM
1st Placer – Watchlife Workers Multipurpose Cooperative (Region III)
2nd Placer – Manuel Guianga and Sirib Growers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Region XI)
3rd Placer – Bagumbayan Multipurpose Cooperative (Region III)
SMALL
1st Placer – Siayan Officials & Employees Multipurpose Cooperative (Region IX)
2nd Placer – Columbio Peoples Multipurpose Cooperative (Region XII)
3rd Placer – Mother Seton Hospital Employees Credit Cooperative (Region V)
MICRO
1st Placer – DRT Mount Sinai Multipurpose Cooperative (Region III)
SPECIAL CITATION
- REMARKABLE COOPERATIVE SOLIDARITY AND PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM -St. Martin Of Tours Multipurpose Cooperative
- EXEMPLARY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM – Integrated Barangays Of Numancia Multipurpose Cooperative
- OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – Barbaza Multipurpose Cooperative
- EXCELLENCE IN MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND EXPANSION PROGRAM – Aurora Integrated Multipurpose Cooperative
by: Cherryl Catrina B. Marders
