DAR Bataan awards best agrarian reform cooperatives

ABUCAY, Bataan – Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Engr. Eric San Luis led the awarding of best agrarian reform cooperatives in the province during the provincial celebration of Cooperative Month here on Friday.

Awarded were Capitangan Organic Fertilizer Marketing Cooperative for Best CBU; Greater Bani Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Best in Business Volume; and Samasaka Bagac Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Best in Membership Expansion. Each awardee received a plaque and a cash prize of Php 10,000.00

The Coop Month celebration was spearheaded by Gov. Albert Garcia, Provincial Cooperative and Development Officer Zena Sugatain, Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) officers, and Board Member Dante Manalaysay. DAR Bataan is known to pitch in for the rapid cooperative development in the province.

The only DAR entity in the country accredited by CDA to facilitate trainings for cooperatives, DAR Bataan is providing for free the 14 required trainings to agrarian reform cooperatives in the province. Agrarian reform cooperatives are those being assisted by DAR, and whose members are mostly agrarian reform beneficiaries.

DAR Bataan Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Engr. Eric San Luis earlier pointed out that the cooperatives need to undergo all the trainings in accordance with Republic Act 9520 or the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008,  and in order for them get Certificate of Good Standing. “There are other accredited training providers for cooperatives but charging fees unlike us, which we are providing for free”, earlier said San Luis.

This year Bataan Coop Development Council was adjudged 2^nd place Best Performing Provincial Coop Council national level CDA Gawad Parangal. The Bataan Coop Development Council is chaired by Erickson Reyes, Agrarian Reform Program Officer I at DAR Bataan.