Calamba Co-ops Learn to Manage Risks

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 Risk Management on August 31, 2016 at the Calamba City Training Center, Plaza Mercado. The risk management course is one of the three mandatory trainings 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; as stated in the Cooperative Act of 2008 (RA 9520).
Risk management is the process of identification, analysis, and mitigation of uncertainty in investment decisions. Poor risk management can result in grave consequences for cooperatives and its members. The course covers risks, risk management, and risk management plan knowledge skills, and attitudes required of coop officers to efficiently govern the cooperative which aimed to: (1) develop the participants’ basic principles of risk management; (2) enable the participants to understand the different risks and be able to indentify risks; and (3) educate the participants to prepare a risk management plan including adaptation and mitigation of risks. The topics discussed were: (1) types of risks, (2) assessing/identifying risks, (3) principles of risk management, and (4) risk management plan (adaptation and mitigation of risks). Ms. Arminga B. Peria and Ms. Alicia R. Quicoy, University Researchers of ICOPED, served as resource persons for the training.
A total of 44 participants, mostly board of directors and committee heads from eight cooperatives in Calamba, Laguna, completed the training. These cooperatives were: Barangay Looc Producers Cooperative, Calamba City Employees Multipurpose Cooperative, Calamba Livestock Grower Producer Cooperative, Calamba Parish Development Cooperative, Calamba Rice Grower Multipurpose Cooperative, Kalayaan Multipurpose Cooperative, San Cristobal Credit Cooperative, and San Roque–Tulay Akbay sa Kaunlaran Cooperative.
The ability to manage risk will help coop officers to act more confidently on future business decisions. Effective risk management strategies make it easier to identify the coop’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By planning for unexpected events, the coop officers can be ready to respond if they arise. To ensure the cooperative’s success, proper risk management strategies should be in place to mitigate or avoid problems. PM Luis