Coalition seeks landmark partnership with PUP to ensure the new Center complements, rather than displaces, existing institutions.
QUEZON CITY – The Philippine cooperative movement stands at a historic crossroads, with its leaders boldly calling for a transformative master plan that unites academe, industry, and the cooperative sector in a shared vision for national progress.
In a Joint Position Statement on House Bill Nos. 3055, 4324, and 5679, the coalition composed of the Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. (Coop Chamber), CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, National Federation of Cooperative Primaries in the Philippines (NAFECOOP), and the Cooperative College of the Philippines (Co-op College PH) conveyed its conditional support for the establishment of the National Center for Cooperative Studies (NCCS) at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).
The coalition emphasized that the NCCS can only thrive if anchored on complementarity, not competition, ensuring synergy among stakeholders in advancing cooperative education and development.
“The Degree is Yours; The Practice is Ours”
The coalition recognizes that the primary mandate of the State University, and the unique value proposition of the NCCS, is the offering of a Bachelor of Science in Cooperatives.
“We need the academe to produce Cooperative Technopreneurs, graduates equipped with the theoretical rigor to manage complex social enterprises,” the statement read. “This is the domain of the University, and we fully support PUP in taking the lead.”
Protecting the Ecosystem: A Call for Synergy
The group, however, raised a crucial concern regarding the Center’s other proposed functions, particularly training and extension services. They cautioned against a scenario where a state-funded Center inadvertently displaces long-standing institutions such as NAFECOOP, the Co-op College, MASS SPECC, TAGCODEC, and the UPLB Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED), among others.
“The rise of the National Center must not lead to the decline of the very institutions that have sustained this movement for decades,” as asserted by Chairperson Noel D. Raboy of Coop Chamber. “These organizations were established to operationalize Cooperative Principle No. 5 (Education, Training, and Information). The NCCS should not replicate what already works; rather, it should collaborate to fill the gaps. The goal is a synchronized network, not a monopoly.”
Governance and Shared Ownership
To safeguard this balance, the coalition is proposing a framework of “Governance of Inclusion.”
They urge that the partnership between academe and the cooperative sector be clearly defined within the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). Specifically, they recommend that representatives from the cooperative movement, including the Coop Chamber, NAFECOOP, and Co-op College PH, be granted official seats in the NCCS advisory or governing body.
“We are offering more than moral support; we are offering institutional memory and industry expertise,” Coop College CEO Donna Dizon stated. “By formally including the sector in the governance of the Center, we ensure that the curriculum remains relevant and that programs complement, rather than compete with, the private sector and other State Universities.”
A Shared Vision for Nation-Building
As the coalition prepares to meet with PUP leadership, its message is one of optimism and collaboration.
The coalition further remarked “We view PUP not merely as a host for this Center, but as a strategic partner in nation-building. We look forward to crafting a shared vision where academe and the cooperative movement grow stronger together.”
For Reference:
Noel D. Raboy, Chairperson
Email: coopchamber.ph@gmail.com, Phone: 09178017309/ 0917 103 2603
Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. (Coop Chamber)
Co-operative College of the Philippines (Co-op College PH)
Donna C. Dizon, Chief Executive Officer/Principal
Email: donnadizon@climbs.coop
