With the theme “No Co-op Left Behind: Cooperative Growth Amidst Challenges”, the 2nd Philippine Cooperative Managers’ Conference aimed at upgrading the knowledge of cooperative managers and engaging in discussions on the latest issues around cooperative management. The conference brought together around 200 participants including representatives from the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Land Bank of the Philippines, academia, primary cooperatives and the PFCCO. They discussed a range of topics from legal challenges, job generation and human resource management to business continuity planning, the participation of Millennials and growth strategies.

The ILO Enterprise Specialist, Hideki Kagohashi, presented at a session on “Job Generation through Cooperatives”. His presentation titled “Towards a cooperative future: Rethinking cooperatives in the contemporary context of job creation and future of work” focused on the potential of cooperatives in responding to challenges raised by rapid economic or technological changes in the world of work. He also reflected on the ILO’s work on cooperative development. The presentation is available here.

In addition, the ILO representative exchanged with the participants on the responses of credit cooperatives to the recent issues concerning the world of work. These include:

• Formation of Credit Surety Fund cooperatives under the Credit Surety Fund Cooperative Act of 2015 to enhance financial inclusion for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
• Provision of the Weather Index-Based Insurance (WIBI) by credit cooperatives including CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, the leading microinsurance provider in the country
• Joint launch of the first mobile payment platform in the country by PFCCO and National Association of Training Centers for Cooperatives (NATCCO)

The ILO will continue to explore collaboration with the cooperative movement in the Philippines for sustainable enterprise development.