The course covers risks, risk management, and risk management plan knowledge skills, and attitudes required of coop officers to efficiently govern the cooperative. Ms. Arminga B. Peria and Ms. Alicia R. Quicoy, University Researchers of ICOPED, served as resource persons for the training. Special guest, Mr. Emilio Casulla, Head of the Cooperative Division of CLDD, gave an opening and closing remarks during the program. A total of 29 participants, mostly officers of Calamba cooperatives completed the training.
​
Inadequate risk management strategies can expose the coop to grave risks. The board should carefully evaluate all levels of risk the coop is exposed to. The manager together with the BOD should place appropriate mechanisms to manage risks that indentifies, measures, monitors and controls risk, The pillars of a sound risk management are – sufficient board and management oversight, sound risk management policies and operating procedures, adequate management information systems, strong risk measurement, monitoring and control capabilities, and good internal control.  With these pillars in place the coop officers can act confidently on future business decisions even with unexpected events. PM Luis

COLLEGE, LAGUNA― October is the Cooperative Month in the Philippines (Presidential Proclamation No. 493, Series of 2004). This year’s theme is “Cooperatives: the Catalyst of Change through Poverty Eradication and Social Transformation.” Every October, the Philippine cooperative movement highlights the cooperatives as a vehicle for ending poverty. Through cooperatives, various livelihood programs and opportunities are offered to improve the quality of life of its members and the community. The spirit of cooperativism is promoted through the holding of national and local activities, which showcase the coops impact on social and economic development; wherein cooperatives, government, non-government organizations, and the entire cooperative movement participate.

In celebration of the Coop Month, the Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED) held a Cooperative Orientation Seminar for the Youth on October 17, 2016 at the College of Economics and Management (CEM) Function Hall, UPLB. The seminar is part of the Institute’s cooperative education program for the youth, which is regularly conducted every school semester to create awareness and build knowledge on cooperatives of high school and college students. It covers the concepts of cooperative history, values, principles, practices and its differences from other forms of business.

​Ms. Alicia R. Quicoy and Ms. Arminga B. Peria, University Researchers of ICOPED, served as resource persons for the recently conducted seminar. Prof. Jan Danica S. Asma and Prof. Liezel S. Cruz, both ICOPED faculty also gave an overview of the Cooperative Studies (COST) subjects offered by the Institute― Fundamentals of Cooperatives (COST 110), International Cooperative Development (COST 120) Cooperative Banking and Finance(COST 140), Cooperatives and Rural Credit (COST 141), Cooperative Marketing (COST 150), and Education and Training Cooperatives (COST 160). There were 331 CEM National Service Training Program 1 (NSTP1) students who attended the said seminar.
 
ICOPED commits to raise the level of awareness and knowledge of the youth on cooperatives because it believes that the youth is the future of the cooperatives. PM Luis

Calamba, Laguna─ The Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED) in collaboration with the Cooperatives and Livelihood Development Department (CLDD) of Calamba City Government conducted a training course on Financial Management on October 13 to 14, 2016 at the Calamba City Training Center, Plaza Mercado. The financial management course is a mandatory training for officers of cooperatives engaged in savings and credit with at least PHP 5,000,000 worth of deposit liabilities based on the latest audited financial statement (Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008, RA 9520).
Financial Management includes  activities  such as budgeting,  costing, managing revenues and properties, procuring and fiscal auditing. It is the process of implementing and managing financial control systems, collecting financial data to analyze in order to make sound financial decisions. Basically,  financial management is applying general management principles to financial resources of the enterprise. It requires knowing how to read and interpret three key documents─ statement of cash flows, balance sheet, and income statement. The statement of cash flows is used to evaluate actual expenses against the budgeted amount. The income statement provides a view of how well the cooperative is operating while the balance sheet reports the overall value of the cooperative at the end of the year.
Ms. Joan E. Mendoza, Chief Accountant of UPLB Accounting Office, Ms. Ma. Cielo M. Lampa, Chief Administrative Officer of SPMO-UPLB, Ms. Arminga B. Peria and Ms. Alicia R. Quicoy, University Researchers of ICOPED, served as resource persons for the training. A total of 35 participants, mostly board of directors, secretary, treasurer, and committee heads from the cooperatives in Calamba, Laguna, completed the training.
 
Good financial management is the key to a successful operation of the cooperative; it is the life blood of an enterprise; without it the coop cannot attain its full potential and assure its sustainability. PM Luis
​