A consolidated outputs of the cluster/sectoral congresses conducted

from April to November 2015

Jun T. DefensorChief – Cooperative Project Development

Assistance Section

Call for Action

Collation undertaken:

POLICY CONCERNSPASSAGE/

AMENDMENT OF LAWS

ADVOCACYNETWORKING/

LINKAGING

CALL FOR ACTIONS

• Restructuring of the sector. Only in the Philippines we have several federations and union

• Formulation of risk management framework• Model Code of Conduct for Cooperatives• Development of Succession Plan Framework• Enhancement of CDA guidelines on accreditation of

External Auditors to include ethical standards in the conduct of audit

• CISA implementation• Remittance of CETF• Branding of Cooperatives• Inclusion of “Agricultural Cooperative”, “Indigenous

Cooperative”, and “Islamic Cooperative” as one of the types of cooperatives

• Continually work for the upgrade and sustainability of micro and small cooperatives, respectively to graduate to small and medium or even large cooperatives.

• Popularize cooperativism and cooperatives through public and quad-media advocacy

• Development of Cooperative Development Program for the Youth in order to develop future cooperative leaders

• Encourage the primary cooperatives to allot a seat in the Board for Youth Representative that will bring the goals and plans of the youth sector in the leadership of the cooperative

• Integration/inclusion of youth development program in the Cooperative Development Plan in the cooperatives and local government units

• Create an enabling Policy or Circular recognizing Cooperatives as a mechanism in the development of the PWDs and Senior Citizens Sector

• Establishment of program/project by the CDA incorporating the needs and concerns of the PWDs and Senior Citizens cooperatives in this Congress

• CDA will take the lead in ensuring that PWD and Senior Citizens Agenda be included in the General Cooperative Framework of Development

• CDA to issue a Memorandum mandating a percentage allotment in the provision of Community Development Fund (CDF) to support the programs, projects, activities

• Formulate appropriate models to enhance governance and succession planning for cooperative, including a framework of operation manual

• Formulate appropriate standards for IPs and Muslim cooperatives

• Review of standards in SCA, COOP-PESOS and PISO• Appropriateness of standards between large, medium,

small and micro cooperatives and every types of cooperatives

• “Advocating Peace in Mindanao through Cooperativism” by co-owning the power through cooperative management of Agus Pulangi Hydroelectric Complex and other programs to promote sustainable peace in the country

• Formulate capacity-building program to address the training needs of officers and employees of the cooperative

• Provision of subsidy on trainings and financial audit

• Enabling law for stabilization fund• Passage of Cooperative Banking Law• Passage of significant laws and policies. These include but

not limited to 1) the creation of Department of Housing and Urban Development; 2) Continue the implementation of Comprehensive and Integrated Shelter Finance Act (CISFA); 3) establish a national land use framework that will define the indicative priorities for land utilization and allocation; and 4) formulation of national planning and zoning guidelines and standards, to guide LGUs in the formulation of their comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)

• Enabling law, Policy or Circular recognizing Cooperatives in the Educational System

• Support the passage of Islamic Banking Law

• Preferential treatment to cooperatives• For cooperatives to stand and unite to fight for its rights

and benefits as provided by the constitution and law• Intensify concerted and organized efforts to

institutionalize value chain mechanisms with the end view of cooperative product marketability in both the national, ASEAN and global markets

• Advocacy for the increased awareness of legislators and policy makers on the impact and potential of cooperatives in the local and national economy with the objective of increasing legislative and policy support, and the provision of an legal and policy environment conducive to the development of cooperatives

• Increasing the CDA Budget

• LGU-CDA-NGA (DA, DAR, other agencies). Partnership in the following areas of endeavour for agricultural cooperatives:

a. Capacity Buildingb. Technical Support Servicesc. Marketingd. Access to Fundse. Crop Insurance f. Social Protectiong. Production Cost Mitigating Measuresh. Provision of Post Harvest Facilities and

Cooperative Service Facilitiesi. Appropriate and sustainable technology support in

connection with climate disturbancesj. Implementation of measures against rice,

vegetable and meat smuggling;

• Provide a conducive and enabling policy environment to address the needs of ARCs, specifically by the following government agencies and instrumentalities of the government:

a. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)b. Cooperative Development Authority (CDA)c. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)d. Landbank of the Philippines (LBP)e. Land Registration Authority (LRA) / Register of Deeds (RD)f. Insurance Commission (IC) / Philippine Crop Insurance

Corporation (PCIC)

• Tourism promotion (i.e. Travel and tour services, cooperative media)

• Cooperativization of tourism services (i.e. Tourist guides , HR workers with labor service coops, tourism transport with transport cooperatives)

• For the big cooperatives to venture in tourism to finance and support tourism investments needs;

• Work for preservation of cultural heritage and the environment to attract more tourists

• Provide a conducive and enabling policy environment to address the housing needs of Filipino families. The achievement of the target set under the Millenium Developmet Goals should be pushed by instrumentalities of the government and to consider Housing Cooperatives as a vehicle of achieving such target

• Adopt a value-chain approach in the production, processing, and marketing of its products and services

• Encourage the formation of laboratory cooperatives in schools and youth cooperatives and enhance their entrepreneurship skills

• Encourage the formation of National Association of Junior Cooperators or an equivalent

• Request the President of the Republic of the Philippines to sign the proposed amendment of RA 9442

• Creation of Committees among government agencies spearheaded by the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) that will meet on a regular basis to monitor the full implementations of the laws concerning the said sector

• Encourage the Labor Service Cooperative to deal with private companies who are PWD and elderly friendly and mandate that at least 1% of their deployed are PWD and elderly

• Massive information dissemination to Local Government officials on the autonomy and independence and recognition of cooperatives as a legitimate non-government organization

• Translate the laws, rules and regulations to vernacular language

• Strengthen functional and organization integrative linkage to build their economies of scale and entrepreneurial capacity

• Strengthen and capacitate the federation among PWDs and Senior Citizens cooperatives that will provide services for their primary affiliates that include but not limited to: a) provide working capital for the livelihood activities of its affiliate primary cooperatives, b) marketing of products and services, c) technical assistance for the preparation of mandatory reports to be submitted to CDA, d) mandatory trainings (as registered training provider to CDA) among others, e) support services such as rehabilitation, health care, making the offices of cooperative physically accessible and among others

• BIR: Cooperative taxation issues (uniform implementation of RDOs, issuance and renewal of CTEs)

• BSP: to allow Coop Banks to engage in Money Transfer Business and to make the employees of Coop Banks to become Stockholders

• DOTC: CDA take into consider the facilitation of the national plans and coordinate with the concerned government agencies taking into account a transport cooperative development program to which fund may be taken from the Road User’s Tax; additional franchise at least to the existing ones to increase the coop’s capitalization and to comply with the required owning of units; strict implementation of the preferential treatment by LGUs and national government agencies as stated in the RA9520; and organized procedures and clear policy on functions of OTC and CDA when it comes to registration, training and reportorial requirements. A joint policy is recommended since there are overlapping of polices and requirements

• DPWH/DA/DTI/DOST: Linkage to concern government agencies to improve the farm to market road, provision of pre and post-harvest facilities and other equipment to increase the value of cooperatives’ products and market access, local and international

• NCIP: to intervene, monitor and safeguard the IPs ancestral domain

• JMEC: Maximize as instrument to facilitate the needed technical and consultative suppport from the government