Celebrating 103 Years Of Coops’ Contribution To Nation Building

PCC hosts 14th National Cooperative Summit

To forge greater unity among cooperatives and build stronger partnerships with the government, more than 3,700 members and representatives from various cooperatives nationwide recently gathered for the 14th National Cooperative Summit at the SMX Convention Centre, SM Premier in Lanang, Davao City.

Organized by the Philippine Cooperative Center (PCC) and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) with the Mindanao Alliance of Self help Societies, Inc.-Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center, Inc. (MASS-SPECC) as local host, the two-day event, which ran from Oct. 3 to 4, was a huge success for the cooperative movement as the number of attendees greatly exceeded the expectations of the organizers.

With the theme “Overcoming Challenges, Succeeding Together under One Apex,” the 14th National Cooperative Summit emphasized the role of the movement in helping small cooperatives partner with their bigger counterparts. This initiative helped the cooperative movement fulfill its lofty aim of being a potent and effective socioeconomic force in supporting the present government’s anti-poverty and inclusive development programs. At the same time, it instilled the concept of ‘cooperation through mutual help’ among a growing potential membership base, which now numbers 14 million nationwide.

Coinciding with the summit was the newest status of PCC as the apex of cooperatives in the country. This apex status of PCC bestows upon the Philippine cooperative movement with global recognition and enhanced participation in international coop-related events. PCC is an active member of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the global non-governmental cooperative apex representing 313 cooperative federations and unions in 109 countries.