The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. or PH Coop Chamber proudly joins the millions of Filipino cooperators nationwide in celebrating this October the National Cooperative Month, with the theme: Cooperatives united in purpose and action, sharing prosperity to build a better world.
Emphasizing the significant role of the different types and categories of cooperatives in local and national development, this celebration also coincides with the International Year of Cooperatives, which highlights the united strength and commitment of cooperators in pushing for a sustainable and more inclusive growth in the country.
“The National Cooperative Month is not only a celebration but more of a platform for all cooperatives in the country, whether micro, small, medium or large or from the agriculture, to cooperatives in public utilities, insurance cooperative, to savings and credit, and others, to reinforce its efforts and advocacies in ensuring that we are more than just economic institutions but a force for social transformation,” shared Chairperson Noel Raboy.
The PH Coop Chamber emphasizes the importance of always adhering to the universal cooperative values and principles in all its engagements, to maximize the cooperatives’ impact and ensure its stability, while continuously adopting to the modernizing society.
In the core of the PH Coop Chamber is the strong endeavor to amend the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 or Republic Act No. 9520 in accordance with the demands of the 21st century, without sacrificing the fundamental principles and values of cooperativism.
In pushing for the revisions to RA 9520, the PH Coop Chamber emphasizes that contentious issues as proposed in the filed House and Senate Bills must strictly align with the universal values and principles, particularly on (1) Open and Voluntary Membership, (2) Democratic Member Control, and (4) Autonomy and Independence. Furthermore, the right to freedom of association as a constitutional right must always be applied without fear of reprisal.
This month, the PH Coop Chamber continuously engages its member cooperatives from different parts of the country through series of consultations that aim to present, discuss and propose recommendations to policies that will reflect the diverse needs and on-the-ground realities of the cooperative movement. This includes the conduct of a National Taxation Forum and the convening of the All Regional Governors’ Conference on October 9-11, 2025 in Metro Manila.
Organized in coordination with the Coop NATCCO Party List, CDA, BIR, NAPC Cooperatives Sectoral Council, DILG and DTI, the National Taxation Forum will gather around 200 cooperators from different regions to discuss about the pressing memorandum circulars and legal frameworks governing the tax exemption privileges of cooperatives.
Meanwhile, the 2025 All Regional Governors’ Conference, which will be on its second run, will organize a Forum on the Democratic Member Control with Atty. Hagen Henry, Chairperson of the Cooperative Law Committee of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). Strategies to further strengthen the Regional Cooperatives Chamber will also be discussed during this event.
The PH Coop Chamber will also co-lead the organizing of the KITE 2.0 National Agriculture Trade Fair of the AgriCoop PH from October 22-25 in Cebu City.
There shall also be series of online consultation to discuss the adverse impact and policy recommendations of agriculture cooperatives on the rice tariffication law, coco levy industry roadmap and implementation of Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing vessel within the 15-kilometer municipal waters.
The Central Visayas Regional Cooperatives Chamber will also hold its first Kapihan sa Chamber on unlocking business opportunities for cooperatives, while there shall also be an online training on the policy advocacy and lobbying to empower the Coop Chamber members.
These are the key events in celebration of Cooperative Month. In addition, the Coop Chamber continues to lobby legislators and national government agencies on the executive and legislative agenda of the cooperative movement, further advancing and mainstreaming cooperative participation in local and national policy engagement and formulation. These efforts aim not only to benefit members and communities but also to contribute to the development of the country as a whole.
The PH Coop Chamber invites all concerned stakeholders to leverage the momentum of the National Cooperative Month to build a more equitable and better world for all Filipinos.
