Cooperative Month Celebration - The Opening Salvo!

October of every year marks the annual celebration of the cooperative month and with common interest the Cooperative leaders and their members again for this year show unity and camaraderie during the opening salvo with a well attended Holy Mass at the City Cathedral and followed by a Parade of cooperatives from the Gaston Park to the Provincial Capitol. Leaders and members of different cooperatives march joyfully with the Drum and Bugle from Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (MOGCHS) and the Cagayan de Oro City High School from the assembly area to the final destination. Motorcycle riders from the First Community Cooperative and coop of Land Transportation Office (LTO) showed support to control traffic flows.

A short program at the Capitol Ground followed with the presence of Senator Juan Miguel "Migs" Zubiri and Congressman Rep. Guillermo Cua. Hon. Mig Zubiri is the current chairman on Committee on Cooperatives in the Senate and Rep. Gil Cua is the Party list representative of the COOP NATCCO. Both public officials are strong advocates of the cooperative movements.

At 10:30 a.m. Sen Zubiri and Rep Cua and party with the cooperative leaders rush to SM for the ribbon cutting of the Coop product showcase at SM 2nd fl. After the ribbon cutting the Senator declared in an interview by ABS-CBN that Northern Mindanao Region X is the country's cooperative region, and explain further that leading cooperatives in the country can only be seen in Northern Mindanao.

Subsequently after the activity at SM an Interaction with Cooperative Leaders followed at the SEARSOLIN, with Director Orland Ravanera comprehensively presented the cooperative sector updates and developments and a 5 - point legislative agenda was afterward presented to the Senator, the congressman and to more than 30 cooperative leaders which then followed by a fruitful exchange of views and ideas at the opening forum. finally the Senator leaves at exactly 12:20 p.m. with a plane to catch at 12:30. The cooperative sector though still want to carve more time with the Senator was compensated by the Senators' statement that before November ends a new Cooperative Code of the Philippines will come out with specific provision on the gray areas of RA 6938 and resolve the tax cases impose by the Bureau of internal Revenue (BIR) to the cooperatives.

There are more to come for the whole month of October as the Cooperative Month Celebration progresses. Cooperative Leaders and members are urge to participate in this month long activity. For those interested individuals you may check with the Regional Cooperative Development Council (RCDC) and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).