July 16 - 31 , 2016 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY LOCAL NEWS A15
A Cooperative Story
A COOPERATIVE ESTABLISHED ON NEED
One day , a group of rural development workers decided to form a cooperative in a lowincome municipality .
The only purpose was to have a PAUTANGAN during the “ hora de peligro ” a day or two before payday . Pambili ng bigas , ulam o gatas ni beybi . 20 joined . They all paid membership fees and started building their membership shares . 20 pesos , 50 pesos . After a few months of “ capital build-up ”, the first loan was approved and released . No feasibility study , no systems and procedures in place . The credit policies and procedures were torn from their training materials . Capital was rolled on . The unregistered selforganized , self-initiated ’ informal “ credit union ” went to business . It became the PAUTANGAN NG BAYAN . Members got their dividends and patronage refund . Three years later , they had 1,000 members . They expanded to the other municipalities . Even the mayors became members . INSIGHT : The people
For the first time in Philippine history , four former presidents returned to Malacañang Wednesday to discuss with the incumbent President and members of the National Security Council ( NSC ) “ vital policies and strategies ” for the future of the country .
Former presidents Gloria Macapagal Arroyo , Fidel Ramos , Joseph Estrada and Benigno Aquino 3rd gathered at the Palace yesterday afternoon for the NSC meeting convened by President Rodrigo Duterte .
It was the first time that Arroyo set foot at the Palace since she stepped down from the presidency six years ago .
Discussed during the meeting that started at 3 p . m . were various
important issues such as the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China ’ s nine-dash line claim on the West Philippines Sea , the peace and development roadmap and updates on the who joined were looking for a particular benefit , value , vision , etc --- but never was this question asked : KIKITA BA ‘ YAN ? --- which they found in this informal credit facility . The members were property- less so they could not go to the rural bank . They used the 5 / 6 , and knew they suffered financially more because of their “ kapit-patalim ” situation . They had no other choice . But they “ invested ” their meager savings in THEIR OWN PAUTANGAN because it fulfilled a need , and their “ investment ” eventually provided some returns . I was a part of that story . And there are many more in FilCo-op who have a story to tell .
ONE FILIPINO COOPERATIVE OF BC
The One Filipino Cooperative of BC , the first ever Filipino Co-operative Organization in BC was launched on October 31 , 2009 . The Co-op ’ s objective is to enhance the lives of the members , our kababayans , and support one another through cooperative effort or bayanihan . It is founded on the principles of selfhelp , responsibility , equality , democratic governance , focus on services to members , equitable distribution of benefits and earnings , and commitment for community
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growth and development .
FilCo-op ’ s Programs and Services includes Pahiraman ng Bayan Micro Lending Service , FilCoop Iremit Padalahan ng Bayan Money Remittance Service , Pauwi ng Bayan Fly Now Pay Later , Damayang Pinoy Program , Job Posting and Networking Services , Business Partnership and Referral Services and Social
Ex-leaders back in Palace
government ’ s anti-illegal drug campaign .
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said 42 people were invited for yesterday ’ s meeting .
Among those invited were the Senate President , House Speaker , minority leaders of both houses , chairmen of the committees on defense and security , peace and order ,
the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency director general , Armed Forces chief ,
Philippine National Police chief , and the director of the National Bureau of
Investigation .
Also present was Vice President Maria Leonor “ Leni ” Robredo .
The NSC was created during the Quirino administration through Executive Order No . 330 , dated July 1 , 1950 . It was reorganized by virtue of EO 115 , series of 1986 .
The President , together
with 35 members of the NSC from the executive and legislative branch , was to discuss the recent ruling of the United Nation ’ s tribunal on our sea
Development Program .
Para sa mga nais sumali at maging isa sa may-ari ng One FilCo-op , please call / text : 604-780-2061 or email filcoopbc @ yahoo . ca . You can visit the website www . filcoopbc . com .
Matutulungan ka na , Makakatulong ka pa . Kayang-Kaya Kung Sama- Sama !”
dispute with China .
“ The President will lead the NSC in a multipartisan dialogue in order to agree on vital policies and strategies on important matters , including the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the West Philippine Sea ,” the Palace said in a statement on Tuesday .
Malacañang said an overview of the road map for peace and development was to be presented in the first council meeting .
Duterte decided to convene the NSC in the wake of the arbitral tribunal ’ s ruling invalidating China ’ s massive claim over the West Philippine Sea ( South China Sea ).
Ramos , a member of the council , has agreed to be the country ’ s special envoy to Beijing .
China claims almost the entire South China Sea , home to vital shipping lanes and also believed to hold vast mineral reserves . The Philippines , Vietnam , Malaysia , Brunei and Taiwan also have often overlapping claims .( C . Valente , MT )