Mayor to cooperatives: “Hindi kami bibitaw sa inyo”
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong gives thanks to cooperative groups in the city as partners of the local government in achieving a better quality of life.
The mayor thanked cooperatives during a simple program held Sunday, October 9, at Session Road in celebration of the National Cooperative Month.
“Cooperatives are our partners in achieving a better quality of life in Baguio City that’s why we continue to strengthen and provide all the necessary support to our cooperatives, hindi kami bibitaw sa inyo,” the mayor said in his speech.
He also thanked Councilor Arthur Allad-iw for his initiatives in the city council that paved the way for the transformation of the city’s Cooperative Desk into a Cooperative Office to ensure improved services, assistance and linkages between cooperatives and national funding agencies.
“We assure you that this year, we will be able to fund the budgetary requirements for the establishment of the Cooperative Office and hopefully it will be led by the head of our cooperative desk Ms. Michelle Agbuya,” the mayor announced.
The mayor encouraged groups to form into cooperatives and register with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) for them to be able to source funds from national agencies or private entities.
“This goes with our advocacy in so far as the transport sector is concerned. We encourage all the transport associations to form their cooperatives and join the trend towards a low carbon emission system and we are strongly advocating for electric vehicles as well as monorails,” the mayor said.
He said his administration is closely working with the United Nations Development Program, the Department of Transportation and transportation departments of several Asian countries such as Singapore, Korea and Japan for the development of a quality electric vehicle adaptive to the uphill topography of Baguio City.
He challenged cooperatives to join the bandwagon for a better air quality in the city by becoming partners of investors and the government once development projects are awarded to investors of the monorail and electric vehicle transport system. – Jessa Mardy Samidan
