PRESS RELEASE
APPROVED BY : CHAIRMAN ORLANDO R. RAVANERA
DATE : March 24, 2015
In the light of the recent controversy involving the Bagong Sigla Producers Cooperative (Ref.:CoR No.9520-03021071) which, according to media reports is allegedly engaged in selling importation permits for onions, the Cooperative Development Authority, being the registering agency tasked to monitor, inspect and regulate cooperatives, would like to inform the public that it does not condone such illegal acts, and that if found guilty of committing the offense, the applicable penalty as provided for under the following provisions of Republic Act 9520 or the Cooperative Code of the Philippines shall be enforced, which states:
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Article 67. Dissolution by Order of the Authority.
The Authority may suspend or revoke, after due notice and hearing, the certificate of registration of a cooperative on any of the following grounds:
(2) Existing under illegal purpose.
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The Authority further wish to inform the public that CDA immediately undertook initial actions on subject cooperative as soon as news reports pertaining to the issue came out on March 19, 2015. From then on, we have started monitoring the cooperative and had so far undertaken some initial steps by way of giving instructions to our CDA Pampanga Extension Office to undertake necessary actions to verify the report and gather additional information. Similarly, we have also coordinated with the Bureau of Plant Industry for some verifications.
We wish to assure the public that the matter is now being dealt with in accordance with the ambit of the law that CDA is mandated to enforce through the proper legal procedures. We hope to have made our position clear on the issue.
(Sgd) RAY R. ELEVAZO
Executive Director
