FUN AND PRIZES DURING COOP GATHERING
By Henrylito D. Tacio
THEY came all the way from different provinces, they shared their talents and skills, and they went home with prizes and so much fun.
Such was what transpired during the "Tapok-tapok sa Kooperatiba and Barkadahan sa Pasko 2008" held at The Venue recently. More than 1,000 cooperative members from the three provinces of Davao (del Sur, Oriental and Del Norte) and Compostela Valley attended the gathering.
"Our prime intention is to build camaraderie and close relationship among all cooperators from Boston, Davao Oriental to Sarangani, Davao del Sur, regardless of rank and status in their cooperatives," explained Rosalinda E. Villaseca, the administrator of Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the concurrent regional director and overseer of the agency in Regions 11 and 12.
In addition, the gathering was also a way of strengthening the Cooperative Development Council in Region 11 as "a premier support mechanism for the cooperative movement in policy advocacy," Villaseca said.
The unique activity -- or "grandiose affair" to quote the words of Atty. Fulgencio A. Vigare, Jr., the CDA administrator from the Department of Finance – started five years ago. "This annual gathering is the first of its kind in the Philippines," Villaseca said.
Because of its success, it has caught the attention of other cooperative leaders from other regions in the Philippines. During the recent affair, cooperative representatives from Luzon and Visayas came to witness how the program was being conducted.
Taking advantage of the festive mood of December, the gathering adopted the strategies of fun and prizes. Randy Albores, who won a national prize for composing the country's cooperative theme song, hosted the show which started at 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon.
Among the competitions that were held were Coop Idol '08 (won by representative from Davao del Sur), Sayawitan Contest (Davao del Norte emerged the winner), Gary V. Sing and Dance Alike Contest (won by a lone contestant from Davao del Sur), Raprapan sa Coop Contest (again won by a lone contestant from Davao del Sur), and Coop Can Dance Contest (lucky winners were from Davao del Sur).
Winning the most number of delegates was Davao del Norte, with 330 registered participants. Davao City closely trailed with 259, then Davao del Sur (189), Compostela Valley (185) and Davao Oriental (69). Total registered participants (excluding guests and visitors): 1,032.
During the opening program, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the participants with a message, which was read by his representative, Engr. Jaime G. Adalin.
"Cooperatives have been credited for their major contribution in the development of communities," Mayor Duterte said in his message. "This is proven by the diverse business activities which have mushroomed in the city and neighboring areas and greater people participation in socio-economic activities."
Mayor Duterte said he is fully supporting programs "designed to strengthen the cooperativism in this part of the country." He urged cooperative leader "to create a vision, and focus on goals more than the details of operations."
"Good governance," he added, "must also be emphasized to safeguard the trust and confidence of the members and other stakeholders." -- ###
No comments:
Post a Comment