BALCEMCO Soars High

By: Butch Gunio & Alberto C. Tuvera  

      Cooperative development in the province of Bataan has been in the upswing with the steadfast support of the Provincial Government through the competent leadership of Governor Enrique T. Garcia, Jr. and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Aiming to strengthen the local economy, cooperative development in the province has been vigorously been pushed. The Provincial Government of Bataan has been pouring massive support to cooperatives here to speed up local economy.

      Riding the wave of the unprecedented cooperative growth in the province, one success story is the Balanga City Employees Multi–Purpose Cooperative (BalCEmCo). For the past years, BalCEmCo has transformed from a small organization into a progressive cooperative. Recently, the cooperative, expanding its clout of opportunities, has ventured into trading. With the Land Bank of the Philippines Food Chain Supply Program, BalCEmCo has tied up with the cooperative of the Department Agriculture Region 2 for the reselling of tuyo, tinapa, daing, and itlog na maalat. In the program, Land Bank of the Philippines seeks producers and manufacturers, and sets market. The trading venture is expected to be very profitable to BalCEmCo. 

      BalCEmCo is also working for another project with the Military Cut–Off Multi Purpose Cooperative in Baguio City. The BalCEmCo executives have already talked with the secretary of Baguio City Cooperative Development Council.

      In attaining its good standing status,   BalCEmCo is also very lucky to have the support of LGUs and public officials.  Balanga City has provided P2 million soft loan to the cooperative. Bataan 2^nd district Congressman Albert S. Garcia has provided P1 million grant. Ms. Josefina D. Tolentino, General Manager of BalCEmCo said the cooperative started with 15 members which ballooned to 350 today.

      An active partner of the cooperatives in the province is the Provincial Cooperative Development Office (PCDO) headed by Ms. Azucena E. Sugatain. The office is everyday religiously doing its mandated tasks of empowering cooperatives in the province.

      It has been stressed by concerned Bataan officials that cooperatives must be strongly challenged to expand financially thereby strengthening financial capabilities. In fact a cooperative development framework and roadmap has already been adopted in the province.

      Programs like capability building through continuous education, technical/loan assistance and monitoring operations are being implemented to empower Bataan cooperatives.

      To name, other 2 good standing cooperatives in the province are the IWAHORI Multi Purpose Cooperative and fast-growing Capitol Employees of Bataan Multi–Purpose Cooperative (CEmBa MPC). The Iwahori MPC was in fact recently recognized the 2011 Regional SME Star Elite Awardee in the medium category of not less than P15 million assets but not more than P100 million.

      The Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the Philippine economy contributing employment and enabling the economy to be bullish with cooperatives acceptably regarded as MSMEs. The MSMEs represent 99.6 percent of all businesses registered in the country and employ 61.2 percent of the total labor force. The roles of MSMEs are important in dispersing new industries to the countryside and providing gainful employment.

      The BalCEmCo and other successful cooperatives in the province are MSMEs that help the economy and improve the quality of living of its members.

Joint IC-CDA-SEC Memorandum Circular “Informal Insurance”

by: Raymund C. Macomis

            CDA is consistent in improving the operation of the cooperatives because of the guidelines they are implementing. Together with these guidelines are the provisions for the betterment of cooperative’s member and stability of the cooperatives.

            One of these provisions is about the informal insurance or insurance like activities by the cooperatives. Based on Joint IC-CDA-SEC Memorandum Circular No. 01 – 2010 entitled “Defining Government’s Policy on Informal Insurance Activities” that entities/cooperatives undertaking or will undertake insurance activities are required to comply with the provision of the insurance code including the requirement of securing a Certificate of Authority from the Insurance Commission. This provision defines insurance activities as activity wherein contributions/premiums are regularly collected prior to the occurrence of a contingent event.

            But what is really the objective of having insurance or being insured and how does it help? Insurance company takes the risk of large but uncertain losses in exchange for small premium. So it gives a sense of security, which is a real gift to a business man. If all uncertainty could be removed from business, income would be sure. Insurance removed/reduced many uncertainties and to that extent is profitable. Insurance companies also spend large sums of money with a view to finding out the reasons of fire accidents, theft and robbery and suggest some measures to prevent them. They also support several medical programs in order to make the public safety minded. Without such losses preventive activities of insurance companies, the chances of loss would have been greater than they are at present days.  

            This provision terminate informal insurance or insurance like activities within one year from the effectivity of this circular which is 15 days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines, but due to various request of certain sectors to be given ample time to formalize their informal insurance this provision was extended wherein the period which entities shall formalize and terminate their informal insurance is extended until December 31, 2011.

            Another provision regarding the informal insurance was also released last June 25, 2011 to give guidelines on the treatment of funds collected from informal insurance activities. This provision states that “Pools of Funds accumulated by entities from the operations of unauthorized insurance or insurance like activities shall be used exclusively for the benefit of the contributors who will continue to be covered by insurance or insurance like contracts with authorized providers”.

            Few people realize the importance of life insurance and most people do not understand the importance of life insurance until they have lived through a tragedy of love ones death and the impact of inadequate insurance coverage. People often feel that to talk about death is to invite it into their lives – it’s the ‘knock on wood’ type of superstitious thinking. Death doesn’t discriminate like that, and bad things do happen to very nice people. The key to dealing with the issue of unforeseen accident, injury or death is to focus on the impact to your loved ones if you were suddenly gone. Immediately, you realize that it isn’t actually about you and your zest for life – it’s about protecting the financial future of your family.

            The objective of this provision is to protect the general public from unsafe and unsound insurance and informal risk protection schemes and the procedure to formalize an informal insurance is either secure a Certificate of Authority to the Insurance Commission or make a contracts to an authorized insurance provider.

  

Nothing is more uncertain than death’s timing and  nothing is more certain than Life Insurance!

DEC MPC BUKAS SAMPAGUITA FARM PROJECT: BAYANIHAN NG PAMAHALAAN AT KOOPERATIBA ni: Briccio C. Rubiano

Isang matagumpay na proyekto ng DEC MPC o Dinalupihan Economic Community MPC na nagkaroon ng magandang resulta ay ang kanilang BUKAS (Bango ang Ugat ng Kabuhayang Sagana) Sampaguita Farm Project. Ito ay nagsimula noong May 9, 2011 nang magkaroon ng MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) Signing ang Kooperatiba at Pamahalaang Lokal ng Dinalupihan sa pamumuno ni Kgg. Mayor Joel Jaime P. Payumo, Sangguniang Bayan Members ng Dinalupihan at ng Dimalupig Lions Club ng nasabing bayan upang tamnan ang bakanteng lupa ng Pamahalaang Lokal sa Ceramic Plant sa Barangay Pagalanggang ng nasabing bayan.

Isa sa mga naging panauhin ng nasabing MOA signing ay ang Hepe ng PCDO (Provincial Cooperative Development Office) na si Gng. Azucena E. Sugatain na siyang nagpanumpa din sa mga bagong halal na Board of Directors o Lupon ng Patnugot. Siya ay nagsalita din tungkol sa ilang Coop at BIR updates.

MOA Signing with LGU-Dinalupihan headed by Hon. Mayor Joel Jaime P. Payumo and the Sangguniang Bayan headed by Vice-Mayor Leonardo E. Cruz held last May 9, 2011 at the Sampaguita Farm, Brgy. Pagalanggang, Dinalupihan, Bataan.

Ang nasabing MOA ay may termino o Coverage Period na sampung (10) taon at ito ay renewable. Ito ay may implementation period na six (6) months o anim na buwan pagkayari ng signing ng MOA. Ito rin ay may Moratorium period na unang anim na buwan pagkayari ng pagtanim ng mga cuttings. Ang termino ng pagbabayad ay nagkakahalaga ng P30,000.00 o tatlumpong libong piso taun-taon sa unang (3) tatlong taon at subject for evaluation sa ika-apat na taon sa pagitan ng Pamahalaang Lokal at ng nasabing koop. Ang pamamaraan ng pagbabayad o mode of payment ay quarterly. Ang (5) limang porsiyento ng taunang kita ng proyekto ay dadalhin sa Community Services at Educational Fund ng Kooperatiba.

As of July 15, 2011, ang koop ay may kabuuang benta o Gross Sales na P41,652.50. Ang kanilang tagapitas ng bulaklak o pickers ay magkakaroon ng insentibo na umabot na sa halagang P12,086.35 at ang kita ng koop ay umabot na sa halagang P29,566.15. Ito ay patuloy na lalaki pa kasabay ng paglaki ng mga nasabing mga halaman. Sa kasalukuyan, ang koop ay may dalawang (2) Full time Farm Employees at anim (6) na part time pickers ng bulaklak at sila ay kikita kada tabo ng bulaklak na kanilang mapipitas.

 

Sa pagtutulungan ng mga Board of Directors, Management Staff at mga regular na kasapi, sila ay naglalaan ng kanilang panahon at sama samang nag-aalaga sa kanilang Sampaguita Farm Business upang lalo itong lumago. Tunay na buhay ang spirit ng Cooperativism sa DEC MPC! Mabuhay ang mga Kooperatiba!