We, the Council of Leaders and the general membership of the Coop Chamber Region 12, standing as a resolute regional standard-bearer for a movement that encompasses 39 cooperative organizations locally and coordinates a massive network of over 3.5 million individual members nationwide, issue this solemn, unified public declaration. Following the successful conclusion of our landmark Regional Assembly and Tax Education Forum, our leadership stands together to articulate an unyielding vision for the socioeconomic future of our communities.
Reflecting on the core principles of our movement, Coop Chamber Chairperson Noel D. Raboy underscored the profound, transformative philosophy that grounds our global enterprise: “The role of the cooperative is self-help and self-responsibility. We believe that the coop model is a very special model that creates impact around the world by helping people help themselves.”
Expanding on this global mandate, Fiscal Jose Amelito De Guzman, representing the Board of Trustees of the Coop Chamber, delivered a stirring keynote address that challenged the assembly to confront the responsibilities of true advocacy, warning against the passivity of non-participation: “The irony is, we are members, we protect the interest of the cooperative. But when we get what we want from the government, those who are not members will also be benefited. They are just sitting down… while we enjoy the benefits that we will get after the work of the Chamber.”
This call for shared sacrifice and active stewardship is further echoed in the pragmatic warnings of our regional leadership. Council Leader Willy Flores directly addressed the legislative and fiscal storms currently testing our foundations, demanding a structural shift away from fragmentation: “The cooperative movement is navigating a testing environment, and our tax-exempt status is once again being challenged. We have always had the numbers, but numbers mean nothing if we cannot stand together. If we truly wish to protect our mandates and shape our political future by 2028, we must stop navigating these challenges in isolation and start acting as a unified force.”
Defining the grand, strategic trajectory of our national movement, Secretary General Edwin Bustillos issued a historic call to political self-determination, signaling a definitive transition from defensive lobbying to proactive governance: “Our sector represents 13.6 million members. We move hundreds of billions in the economy. Yet, because we have no voice in the Senate, laws are made without us. We are an economic giant, but politically, we remain a dwarf. The time for begging is over. From lobbying, we must transition to leadership, we do not ask for assistance, we provide the agenda.”
This global perspective, profound sense of collective responsibility, and brave call to leadership are brought to life locally through the visionary stewardship of our regional executive. As Regional Governor Racquel Somblingo emphatically declared to the body: “Today, as we convene under one Chamber, we are reminded that the strength of the cooperative movement lies not merely in numbers, but in our ability to work together for a common purpose. The challenges of our time call for stronger collaboration, innovative leadership, and a deeper commitment to cooperative excellence.”
I. On Tax Justice and Legislative Safeguards
Cooperatives are, by structural design and constitutional spirit, the premir instruments for genuine social justice and equitable national development. Our unique framework champions a democratic network where human dignity and member control strictly override capital accumulation. Recent administrative interpretations and fiscal policies aimed at encroaching upon the statutory tax exemptions of cooperatives threaten the survival of grassroots enterprises.
While our sector fundamentally respects its civic obligations and welcomes transparent compliance, we firmly object to regulatory shifts that compromise our ability to serve marginalized populations. We explicitly state our position against the automatic allocation of the Community Development Fund (CDF) to state-mandated infrastructure, maintaining that the utilization of cooperative capital must remain a democratic decision of individual cooperatives. We strongly urge the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to engage in constructive, bilateral dialogue with the Chamber to protect our statutory incentives, ensuring that implementing rules accelerate, rather than stifle, community growth.
II. On Structural Transitions and Sectoral Autonomy
As the cooperative movement navigates the structural mandates of Section 24 of the Revised Cooperative Code, the Coop Chamber Region 12 maintains a highly strategic, analytical, and independent stance regarding the definition and creation of a true “Apex” cooperative organization. We maintain that a legitimate national Apex body must not be biased; it must deliver clear, uncompromised value, structural transparency, measurable impacts, and a sophisticated balance between regional and sectoral representation. It must reflect the authentic will of primary cooperatives and federations rather than top-down mandates. Through our extensive local consultations, we will ensure our unified voice actively shapes the legislative framework presented to both houses of Congress.
III. On Sectoral Resilience and the Strategic Regional Roadmap
The polycrisis currently facing the global and domestic economies, marked by intense fuel market instabilities, inflationary pressures, and climate disruptions, has deeply tested our agricultural, transport, and credit cooperative sectors. In direct response, Region 12 commits to an aggressive, forward-looking operational roadmap for the 2026–2027 calendar years, prioritizing four pillars of action:
• Targeted Advocacy: Securing preferential treatment for agricultural cooperatives and rendering prompt legislative interventions to protect transport cooperatives navigating the fuel crisis.
• Sustainable Operations: Accelerating green cooperative investments, particularly the transition to solar energy frameworks through the newly established Renewable Energy Cooperative (RECOOP) federation.
• Institutionalized Networking: Securing a co-equal, meaningful seat for the cooperative sector within the Regional Development Council (RDC) to firmly embed cooperative economics into local governance platforms.
• Capacity and Paralegal Building: Replicating rigorous paralegal training programs to cultivate specialized, non-lawyer cooperative paralegals, effectively shielding primary coops from punitive regulatory penalties.
IV. A Unified Transition to Leadership
The Coop Vote We recognize that the ultimate protection of our statutory mandates requires direct, authentic representation in the corridors of power. The Coop Chamber Region 12 unreservedly aligns with the national programmatic agenda of the Coop Vote initiative. We are actively engaging in extensive consensus-building across our 16 regions to field, support, and successfully elect a dedicated, authentic cooperative champion into the Senate of the Philippines for the upcoming 2028 national elections.
We warmly welcome our newly inducted partners, including the General Santos Cooperative Federation, to our collective chamber. We call upon every cooperative leader across the SOCCSKSARGEN region to strengthen our ranks, fulfill operational dues, normalize our resource contributions, and reject isolation. In isolation, we may face systemic challenges; but as a unified, organized economic force, we are an unshakeable giant.
Our Cooperatives, Our Enterprise, Our Voice!
RACQUEL E. SOMBLINGO
Regional Governor, Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. – Region 12
EDWIN A. BUSTILLOS
Secretary General, Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc.
