Think big and endeavor to become big. In a nutshell, this is a challenge posed by former Senator Agapito “Butz” A. Aquino to cooperative leaders in the country during a “free-wheeling” discussion spearheaded by CLIMBS on November 26, on the occasion of the blessing of its new multi-million peso building in Cagayan de Oro City.

In fact, such challenge must be adopted as a mantra of the cooperative movement in the country, for there is no way that cooperatives would become relevant to the community and to the country in general, if they continue to take refuge in mediocrity and smallness.

Aquino, chairperson of the Philippine Cooperative Center and chairman emeritus of the National Cooperative Movement metaphorically said that cooperative after finishing high school must go to college and after completing college degree must take post graduate course up to Ph.D.

Aquino, and presumably other coop leaders in the country envision an active participation of the movement in many aspects of the life of our nation, which includes but not limited to the formulation of government policies and initiatives that ensure national growth and development.

But this dream would be realized only if cooperatives in the country become influential. To become such, cooperatives must make an impact to the lives of the people, thus the imperative need to become big.

To become influential, he added and we agree that coops must engage into bigger ventures and should for instance, assume management of water districts and electric cooperatives or do something in order that these public utilities must be ran by real cooperatives. This to our minds, a tall order, but we believe it is achievable.

However, in order to realize such vision, cooperatives must work together. In other words, unity is the sine qua non, in order to achieve that dream.

The trouble is, while many coop leaders have been mouthing that magic word, all these years, unity has been an elusive proposition.

It’s time to walk the talk and let us start to think big and work to become one.


Source: The CLIMBS Journal
Issue: Vol.1 No.15 / October-December 2010
Posted: March 2011