Inventors’ group pushes linkage among co-ops

MANILA, Philippines - A cooperative composed of accredited Filipino inventors is aggressively spearheading a move to build a strong nationwide linkage among all registered cooperatives to allow mutual promotion and marketing of their products and services.

Francisco “Ka Popoy” Pagayon, chairman of the Filipino Inventors’ Society Producers Cooperative (FISPC), said they see a huge potential in the “marketing muscle” of the more than 23,000 registered cooperatives all over the country.

“We want to tap the power of the thousands of cooperatives all over the country to sell the many innovative products of Filipino inventors in the FISPC,” Pagayon told The STAR.

“At the same time, successful Filipino inventor-entrepreneurs can also help market the products and services of their fellow cooperatives allied under our Ugnayan Kooperatiba project among themselves either as buyers or as agents,” said Pagayon who is the inventor of among others, a multi-purpose solar power lighting system kit that taps solar power to provide electricity to small households, and developer of the Probaton (Police Reconnaissance Operation Baton) that policemen and barangay tanods nationwide are using.

The FISPC recently started an “Ugnayan Kooperatiba” Sunday radio program on DZRB 738 Radyo ng Bayan to be a platform for cooperatives to connect with other micro, small and medium cooperatives all over the country and create awareness among the public, and also the cooperatives themselves about the developments in featured cooperatives.

Andy Reyes, FISPC general manager, said that they have seen a need for such a linkage effort among Filipino cooperatives and provide a venue for them to share best practices and other trends and issues affecting cooperatives.

The FISPC opened recently a showroom and business center at the Delta Building at the corner of Quezon Ave. and West Ave. in Quezon City where FISPC member-inventors can showcase their products and inventions.

Citing figures of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) as of end December 2013, there are currently 23,672 registered cooperatives all over the country with combined assets of P266.8 billion and with a total volume of business of P437.6 billion.