EMBRACING CHANGES, WHILE FORGING A NEW COMMON COOPERATIVE AGENDA

PCC’s 25th Annual General Assembly, with the theme, “Forging A New Cooperative Agenda,” was held last July 6 at the Manahan Hall at the PCC Headquarters-Agapito ‘Butz’ Aquino Memorial Building in Quezon City.

In her welcome speech, PCC Chair Dr. Divine Quemi emphasized how PCC’s presence can be strengthened not only by thinking of prospering at the tertiary level but also by strengthening its advocacy. She added, “This is also for the good of the as we embrace the challenges; if we want PCC to live longer, let us prosper together and make PCC stronger, especially now that we are a financial cluster.”

Additionally, PCC CEO Edwin Bustillos unveiled what was to become the ‘new PCC’—venturing into real estate development and property management. This decision was a result of TWG meetings that took place between PCC and representatives of 1CISP, Nueva Segovia Credit Coop, and PCF, among others. Bustillos proudly stressed that this new building will be positioned as a center where the largest cooperatives will congregate, becoming a coop mart with the main investors being cooperatives, yet eventually open to other tenants.

Real estate development: a very timely move

For PCC to venture into real estate is also a very timely move, as affirmed by Jeremy Pintor, PCC Consultant for Strategic Programs and Road Map. For a decade, Mr. Pintor has been discreetly yet surely partnering with PCC behind the scenes, providing consultations on PCC’s identity and offering thoughtful, workable insights on envisioning PCC’s role vis-a-vis changing trends such as ASEAN Integration. PCC’s role as Apex and eventually as the national Alliance of Cooperatives is also considered, with the vision of establishing a PCC University for Cooperative Excellence and Leadership by 2040. This is viewed as a turning point for the movement as it braces for achieving loftier, more supreme pursuits that will propel cooperatives as benchmarks for outstanding, pragmatic yet holistic solutions towards sustainable growth and development.

“PCC has never neglected critical elements and has indeed done a lot to help promote and boost up the presence and role of the movement,” he proudly stressed, yet added that “real estate development will be the ideal complement to the services of member-coops. PCC does not want to compete with members—especially with federations, but instead evolve into a tertiary cooperative with real value in engaging fellow cooperatives.

In an interview for Coop Voice, Mr. Pintor was upbeat and confident that this undertaking “addresses the ultimate advocacy of sustainability that will be a stable pillar for PCC, in its quest for thinking through for itself while attaining higher goals towards excellence for the movement.

“In Filipino culture, having something tangible as a structure is something that speaks of success—and the new building will truly reflect the success of PCC. And, more than just the tower, this will represent a fantastic transformation of PCC as THE AGORA for cooperatives: a one-stop shop for cooperatives, by cooperatives,” he graciously summed up.

PCC Elections

Regarding the elections, there were seven vacancies for PCC’s new set of Directors. Among those present who filed their candidacies were:

• For the National level: Ruel Punzalan of FEDCCO Workers’ Coop, Ramil Santos of NAMVESCo, and Alma Ferreros of NCMF.
• For the Regional level: Ida Ocampo of 1Coop Federation and Dionisia Gupit of TAGCODEC.
• For the Special Cooperative type: Pons Payuyo of PHILFECO and Nancy Marquez of PHILAC.

Embarking on a New Path with a New Business Model

It was highlighted how PCC’s new direction towards real estate property development and management has proven successful following a series of consultations focusing on the so-called ‘Parallel Realities’. These consultations aim to introduce fresher strategies, newer ideas, fresher engagements, and a paradigm shift that will be triumphant not only within the sector but for the country as a whole.

In addition to PCC’s collaboration with CIBI to address coop data privacy concerns, the organization’s partnerships with community projects, particularly Typhoon Odette Ko-Oplan, were noteworthy. PCC reached its target of 50 percent in terms of coop-based donations for this initiative.

Regarding data registry, PCC Co-Chair Dr. Garibaldi Leonardo suggested tweaking ideas to be more pertinent, while 1Coop Chair and Board member Fr. Anton CT Pascual proposed that PCC ‘could exert its presence at the national level in leading the sector, if not the apex—a significant step forward.’

With real estate as the new PCC business model, this presents a breakthrough that the organization, as the unifier of the movement, looks forward to in terms of revenue and expanding its flexibility in adopting the best business practices to suit the cooperative milieu.

Decisions were made, including:

• PCC remaining a tertiary cooperative focusing on growth areas but giving priority to real estate development, with an approved route map.
• Investors, particularly federations in the primary sector, partnering in this project by investing their capital and recognizing PCC as a ‘special type’ of cooperative.
• Non-cooperatives being able to invest (rent out space) but not become owners.

Seed money has been prepared, and entities expressing strong interest in investing in the PCC building include Nueva Segovia Credit Cooperative, NATCCO, VICTO, FPSDC, with the remainder coming from NAMVESCO, WIBAC, NORLU, and 1CISP, who will equally provide share capital for the structure.

Summing up PCC’s new venture in relation to its role as the unifying body of cooperatives in the country, Fr. Anton cautioned that the NAC will never become an Apex, as a consultative measure under the CDA declares that the Apex must be independent.

“Let us try to attract investments and form partnerships with primary cooperatives, as all the successful federations are profitable,” he pointed out, emphasizing how all the successful federations are making money, which provides the precise mindset for PCC to reposition itself as a ‘secondary special cooperative.’

“In addition to the ready support from 100 billionaire cooperatives, we need the endorsement of CDA to support PCC in this undertaking, which is a powerful strategic decision, while simultaneously advocating to enhance PCC as THE Apex,” expressed Fr. Anton with great confidence.

That same mood of confidence was also echoed by PCC Chair Dr. Divine, who described it as “not a reinvention but more of an innovative program, as no cooperative locally has ventured into real estate on such a scale. And as PCC ventures into real estate, this will be an excellent opportunity to form partnerships with all federations. At the same time, this also elevates PCC’s identity as it adapts to newer trends that the cooperative movement can adopt—and make these work the cooperative way.”