Duterte mandates appointment of co-op dev’t officers nationwide

President Rodrigo Duterte has mandated the appointment of cooperative development officers in every municipality, city and province in the country.

This developed after the President signed Republic Act 11535 into law on Tuesday, April 13, according to a document released on Wednesday, April 14.

Under the measure, the cooperative development officer must have an experience in cooperative organizations and management or other comparable experience of at least five years for provincial and city level and three years at the municipal level. 

The cooperative development officers will have the following functions:

• formulate measures for the consideration of the sanggunian and provide technical assistance and support to the governor or mayor, as the case may be, in carrying out measures to ensure the delivery of basic services and provision of facilities through the organizing, promotion and development of cooperatives and in providing access to such services and facilities;
• develop plans and strategies in consultation with the cooperative sector and, upon approval thereof by the governor or mayor, as the case may be, implement the same which the governor or mayor is empowered to implement and which the sanggunian is empowered to provide for under this Code;

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• take the lead in identifying groups, sectors or communities that can be organized into cooperatives that will serve as vehicles in poverty reduction, job creation, and socioeconomic development of the municipality, city or province;
• provide assistance to prospective  cooperatives in the  conduct of  the required pre-registration seminar and/or pre-membership  education seminar and in the preparation of required documents for registration in collaboration with the Cooperative Development Authority
• provide technical and other forms of assistance to duly registered cooperatives to enhance their viability as an economic enterprise and social organization including, but not limited to, training and education, business management, finance and financial management;
• assist cooperatives in establishing linkages with government agencies, cooperative unions and federations, the academe and nongovernment organizations involved in the promotion and integration of the concept of cooperatives in the livelihood of the people and other community activities; and
• assist cooperatives in the development and implementation of risk management plans and business continuity plans and management  as a response to anticipated or unexpected man-made and natural calamities and disasters, to aid in their survival and, if necessary subsequent rehabilitation.

— Llanesca T. Panti/BM, GMA News