CLIMATE ACTION AND SDGs
Keynote Coop Talk Series III “Collaborative Ecosystem: Building Competitive and Resilient Agri-Cooperatives”
Competitive and resilient agri-cooperatives need to be empowered to overcome the challenges.
The third Keynote Coop Talk Series in 2021 was jointly organized with Cooperative Development Authority (CDA),Federation of Peoples’ Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC),and Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC) from Philippines. The role of cooperatives is more relevant in this challenging time of COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to empowering and strengthening the cooperatives and making them competitive and resilient to the future challenges.
Asec. Virgilio Lazaga from Cooperative Development Authority, Agriculture Cluster addressed in the opening remark that “it’s very important to maximize the available opportunities to serve the cooperatives for building competitive and resilient organizations”.
“Agricultural cooperatives need a great call to collaboration through ecosystem action for a brighter future”, said Fr. Francis Lucas, Chairperson Emeritus from the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) during his presentation on Contextualization of Collaborative Ecosystem.
The other experts from the cooperatives sector in Philippines were enthusiastic to share their experience and views of the collaborative ecosystem of the cooperatives in the Philippines. The speakers are Ms. Divina Quemi, Chief Executive Officer of Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC); Mr. Kenn C. Tenebroso, Administrative Staff from Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative; Mr. Bon Ian dela Roca, Assistant Vice President from Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC); Ms. Christie Rowena C. Plantilla, Chef Executive Officer of FPSDC; Ms. Josie Cardona, Chef Executive Officer of Most Holy Rosary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MHRMPC).
The observations were added after each presentation by Ms. Luz Yringco, General Manager from Abuyog St. Francis Xavier Credit Cooperative (AFCCO); Ms. Doris Canares, Chief Executive Officer of TMX Employees Consolidated MPC; Ms. Liezel Cruz, Director of Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development – University of the Philippines Los Banos; Mr. Jun Virola, Business Advisor from Agriterra, Philippines; Ms. Mila Mercado Bunker, Executive Director of INSOL Development Foundation.
Mr. Bien Nito, Co-op Advisor to the Professional Chair on Social Economics, Center for Research and Communication in the University of Asia and the Pacific synthesized the webinar that “all cooperatives are creating an inclusive society, also responding to needs of the members and driving them to the collaboration and ready to confront to the challenges”.
Comprehensive and useful presentations made this Coop Talk effective. The way to overcome those challenges and improve the livelihoods through a collaborative ecosystem presented in the webinar, this can be taken as an example and adopt to specific cooperatives to make them stronger and resilient.
More on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujtOMDqO3aQ