One-stop shop for coops to rise soon

A one-stop shop building for cooperative-related activities and transactions will rise next year in Cebu City.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the three-story building was held last Thursday, led by the Cebu Provincial Government and the Cebu Association of Accredited Cooperatives (CPAAC).

The building will be constructed at the Capitol-owned lot inside the Department of Agriculture compound on M. Velez Street and will be named "Bahay Kooperatiba."

The ground floor is expected to be operational by the end of 2018 or first quarter of the following year.

The Cebu provincial government has initially allocated P3 million for the project construction, which will start next month.

"It's a dream come true for us. I have been dreaming this for a while and finally the day has come," said Bernardo Desabelle, CPAAC president.

The project is said to benefit cooperatives in the province.

At present, there are only around 40 member-cooperatives since 2015.

Although there are hundreds of cooperatives across the province, only a small percentage is accredited by the provincial government.

The Office of the Vice Governor and the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office have also been helping cooperatives all over the province in their livelihood programs, including trainings.

In an earlier interview, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said she believes in "cooperativism" and supports local entrepreneurs.

She also encouraged the existing cooperatives to register and be accredited by the Capitol.

Three months ago, the Capitol also opened the Cebu Business Center (CBC) inside the South Bus Terminal. There, members of CPAAC can display their products and offer their services.

The center also offers technical assistance and capacity building for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The services include business training, financing, and guiding business processing with government agencies.