Exciting coop trip with Butz

Several columns ago, I wrote about former senator Agapito “Butz” Aquino’s continuing and untiring devotion to his “baby”, the Philippine cooperative movement. I heard that he made a recent field trip to Batangas with about 40 members of different cooperative associations in the country. Looks like Butz’ love affair with the cooperative movement is unwavering. 

Apparently, this all started shortly after he was elected to the Senate in 1987. “People from the cooperative sector were then looking for a backer, a padrino for the cooperative law,” Aquino shares. “Among the several senators that they approached, Senator Nene Pimentel and I were the most receptive to the idea. So together, we worked on the cooperative law which turned out to be the first to be signed on March 10, 1990.”

The original code has come a long way. Its improved version, the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 (R.A. 9520), was enacted in February of this year by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Aquino and many members of the movement made sure that among the features of the latest version are laws for clearer tax benefits and the expanded classification of cooperatives.

I remember hearing Butz once say, “I’m excited about anything I do. If I’m not excited, I’d rather not do it.” For sure, it was with brimming excitement that Aquino, who is the current chairman emeritus of the National Cooperative Movement (NCM) and concurrent chairman of the Philippine Cooperative Center (PCC), took 40 coop members to the Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC) in barangay Sorosoro Ibaba, Batangas City last month. 

SIDC was established in 1969 and was initially funded by 59 members who voluntarily contributed P200 each for a total capital of P11,800. This amount was used to construct a store that offered basic commodities to the residents of Barangay Sorosoro. In time, the association also became a dealer of different products that were offered at low prices. As some members started poultry and hog-raising businesses, the coop also ventured into the sale of feeds and other veterinary products.

In 1972, the coop’s membership grew to 500. In the early 1980s it was registered with the Ministry of Agriculture as a development cooperative. Fast forward to the present where the coop already has 5,000 regular members and about 6,000 associate members on its list! Most of its members are residents of Batangas City, although it also has members from Laguna, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Panay Island and Metro Manila. It presently employs 252 regular employees, most of whom are members of the co-op.

Considering the successes it has reaped and the benefits it has been providing the community, SIDC is confident that more people will be encouraged to join the association.

SIDC now boasts of diverse business activities and services that include poultry feeds, piggery, artificial insemination, slaughterhouse, meat processing, meat shop, a grocery, a gasoline station, and aqua care.

The Sorosoro members are particularly proud of their multi-million feed mill plant, which originated in Europe and introduced by leading engineers in Thailand. It is an 8-floor modern plant that will infuse fresh feeds production at 20 tons per hour capacity, tripling the rate of current productions. Likewise, their 12-year old plant, with a present production capacity of 10 tons per hour, will be upgraded. 

SIDC also points to the fact that it has a very impressive-looking main office that rises several stories high as well as an air-conditioned grocery called the Coopmart. The association’s gasoline station, located in a nearby barangay, is reportedly the most profitable gasoline station in the area.

Surely, this prosperity is the result of the cooperative’s applying the principles of hard work, unity, honesty, transparency and determination to succeed. But what’s even more impressive is that the SIDC provides its members with free medical check-up, SIDC-Care hospitalization, scholarship grants, a Study-Now-Pay-Later scheme, a Barangay Development fund, mortuary aid, the SIDCIKAT Newsletter publication, technical and marketing assistance, seminars and trainings, job opportunities, gift certificates, etc. These are services borne of the spirit of concern and compassion for the members’ welfare, inspiring the general membership to keep on track and focused insofar as abiding by the coop principles in order to reach their success goals. No wonder that it has raked in many awards (and counting) as the Most Outstanding Cooperative and has become one of the seven cooperatives operating in billions of pesos. 

It occurs to me just now that perhaps Batangas could set up an organized educational tour of the Sorosoro cooperative environment. This would be very good for young students so that they learn the value and applications of cooperativism early on. It could also be part of the province’s economic tourism program.

 Barangay Sorosoro is a fine example of a cooperative that works. No doubt, Butz Aquino’s trip to the place together with the visiting coop group proved to be an enlightening and inspiring one — heightened by the excitement of the man everyone now considers the father of modern cooperatives in the country. 

* * *

Here’s good news for DZFE-FM listeners. The launch of a new transmitter gives a long-awaited boost to the only terrestial radio station for classical music in the greater Manila area.

Following three weeks of testing, 98.7 DZFE-FM “The Master’s Touch” commissioned its new Nautel NV20 transmitter on April 20. DZFE-FM is now broadcasting at a transmitting power output of 10 kilowatts. Previous to this, since shifting its transmitting site to Antipolo City from Makati City in April 2005, DZFE operated from a leased 5kW transmitter. Problems led to DZFE operating on a transmitting power output of one kilowatt. The recent commissioning of the new transmitter cost P11.5 million, designed to improve the station’s signal coverage of Metro Manila. Signal testifying is ongoing. Listeners are encouraged to submit their feedback on reception. Feedback may be sent by e-mail to [email protected].

On June 1, DZFE will mark its 55th year of broadcast. The station is part of the Far East Broadcasting Company network of radio stations, established in 1948 to bring Christ to the world by radio. It works to foster a joint appreciation of classical music and Christian spirituality.

DZFE is a non-profit, non-commercial outfit. Its operations and projects are sustained on donations from supporters of DZFE and FEBC. For donations, contact DZFE at +632 8103835, or e-mail to [email protected], or visit DZFE’s website at dzfe.febc.ph.

* * *

My e-mail:[email protected]