NYC picks Tagum Coop as best in savings program
TAGUM CITY, (May 21): Tagum Cooperative was recently ranked among the Mindanao Youth Choice awardees during the Grand Nights Award of the 1St Mindanao Youth Expo which the National Youth Commission (NYC) held on May 05 at the Davao Recreation Center in Davao City.
NYC particularly picked Tagum Cooperative as the Most Outstanding Youth-Based Savings Program, and recognized its contribution “to the welfare and development of the youth society while incorporating social responsibilities.”
In an interview, Tagum Cooperative Chairperson of the Board of Directors Miriam Baloyo revealed that Tagum Cooperative joined the ranks of Manila Bulletin-Davao, Jollibee Bolton (Davao), ABS CBN Davao and Smart Communications Davao as Mindanao Youth Choice awardees.
Aside from its distinct plans and programs for youth development, Tagum Cooperative gained edge over other Mindanao-based companies and cooperatives for having institutionalized financial literacy among youths.
“While others only have leadership trainings, seminars and social activities, we have implemented financial literacy as our edge,” she said. “We are teaching the children and youth the value of savings; how to use and spend money; and how to become entrepreneurs,” she added.
Also serving as the chairperson of the Committee on Youth, Baloyo noted that NYC highly appreciated the Aflatoun Program of Tagum Cooperative as it equips school children with knowledge on entrepreneurship.
Aside from the Social and Financial Enterprise Guide, the Aflatoun module also includes Personal Understanding, Rights and Responsibilities, Savings and Spending, Planning and Budgeting.
Forming part of the four major products that Tagum Cooperative Youth Development and Succession Center (YDSC) offers, Aflatoun is an educational program of balanced social and financial education for children that puts together social responsibilities and financial literacy into the formal system of education.
As of December 2012, Tagum Cooperative brought the Aflatoun Program to 16 new sites, bringing to a total of 29 Aflatoun accredited schools in the Davao Region with 10,148 total number of enlisted school children .
Tagum Cooperative has also designed other products and services for children and youths such as Youth Laboratory Cooperative which is a school-based savings advocacy program training youth to manage a regular cooperative; Youth Savers Club, a savings product for kids of zero to 12 years of age; and Teen Savers Club, a savings facility for teens of 13 to 17 years of age.
Tagum Cooperative puts importance on its youth program which clusters 30,855 members that made up 37 percent of the general membership, contributing a substantial savings share of P35.49 million as of end of 2012.
Meanwhile, Baloyo bared plans of Tagum Cooperative to expand the membership of its Aflatoun Program, bringing in the out-of-school youths (OSY) through linking with the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Program of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Such initiative will be called ALS Afla-Teen which is now up for approval by Tagum Cooperative Board of Directors.
Baloyo expects the ALS Afla-Teen Program to fully roll off starting June this year, taking Tagum City as its pilot area.
“This will really help those teens who are working as house-helps and other teen-workers to become wise in spending their money,” she said. (Tagum Cooperative)
Tagum Coop values giving blood
TAGUM CITY, May 21: On its eighth year of its Mass Blood Donation Program, Tagum Cooperative inculcates the importance of giving blood.
Tagum Cooperative Board of Directors Chairperson Miriam Baloyo highlighted the relevance of donating blood during the opening ceremonies of the Mass Blood Donation activity last Saturday at the conference hall of Tagum Cooperative Main Branch.
With facts gathered through her research, she debunked the common notion that donating blood had ill-effects as she found out that this however has a number of benefits.
She made donors understand that donating blood reduces the risk of suffering from heart diseases which she said could be developed with the increase of iron levels in the blood.
“Regular blood donation is a healthy way of losing iron on regular basis,” she said as she explained the impact of which is reduction of chances of heart attack by one-third.
Baloyo also learned that donating blood helps stimulate generation of new red blood cells. “This way the blood gets refreshed,” she explained.
Donating blood is also found helpful in fighting chemochromotosis which is a generic disorder also known as iron overload disorder caused by the accumulation of iron in the body tissue, stored due to improper iron metabolism, that may lead to organ damage.
Not known to much but donating blood is a sure way of burning calories to stay fit as one pint of blood (450 ml), when donated, burns 650 calories in the donors’ body.
Aside from boon to health, the donors can also draw medical benefits as they undergo free basic medical test such as hematocrit; blood pressure measurement; hepatitis B and C, HIV test; and syphilis and Malaria examination, Baloyo said.
On the other hand, some donors find fulfillment in donating blood.
Gallooner donor Edilberto Jao, 38 years of age roving teller of Tagum Cooperative Main Branch said his regular blood donation marks his way of helping others and at the same time expresses his thanks to God for saving his wife.
“Wala man tay financial nga ikatabang sa uban, ang akong dugo na lang. (Having no financial means of helping others, I am donating my blood.),” he said.
Last Saturday’s Mass Blood Donation activity of Tagum Cooperative was the 12th time he had donated his blood since 2007, a year after almost losing his wife who gave birth to twins.
Jao could still remember the date Oct. 21, 2006 during which he experienced the pain of looking for blood supply for his wife who was losing so much blood in delivering their children.
“Migikan ko sa ospital 10:00 a.m.; nakabalik ko 3:00 a.m. kadlawon na. (I left the hospital 10:00 a.m. then came back 3:00 a.m. dawn the following day.),” he said.
He recalled how hard it was to look for blood donation card which blood banks were looking for in withdrawing blood supply.
But now he is so sure that will never happen again as he is assured of ready blood supply in case he would need it for himself or for any member of his family.
Meanwhile, Nick Apique, 46 years of age of Visayan Village, Tagum City may not have experienced Jao’s predicament but he is making sure that he can readily access blood supply for medical emergency needs.
“Dali ang pagkuha dinhi kung magkinahanglan ka. (It is easy to get here once you need it.),” he said.
Aside from keeping ready with blood supply, Apique gets used to the feeling of being fulfilled every after participating a blood-letting activity.
“Fulfilled akong feeling nga makatabang ko sa uban,(I feel fulfilled knowing I am helping others.)” Apique said who revealed that he had participated the Tagum Coop Mass Blood donation activity for 9th times.
Last Saturday, he was taking with him his son, Roji Naif Apique, 19 years of age, who donated his blood for the second time during the mass blooding-letting activity of Tagum Cooperative.
Loyal blood donors, Jao and the Apique father and son confessed having entrusted their blood donation only to Tagum Cooperative.
They were among the more than 90 blood donors who joined the weekend mass blood- letting activity of Tagum Cooperative that drew about 70 percent men and 30 percent women.
Member Benefits and Assistance Officer Irene Rosameran explained that the Mass Blood Donation Program forms part of Tagum Cooperative’s Himsug Pamilya Program which, among other services, ensures that donors can have a ready access of blood supply.
“They will also be given priority to access blood supply for any of their family member who would need it most,” she said. “It would be easy to get blood supply because the City Health Office is helping us find the supply.”
Tagum Cooperative has been working with the Tagum City Blood Mobile Team headed by Dr. Evaly Faith Bangcaya, City Health Office, and with the Tagum City Council Committee on Cooperatives in sustaining its Mass Blood Donation Program.
Among the participating medical practitioners on last Saturday’s mass blood-letting activity were doctors Cristina Gicana, Annalie Bercilla, Jennie Lopez and Dr. Charina Hong- Bisuna. (Tagum Cooperative)
Mass Blood-letting: More than 90 donors take part in the 16th mass blood-letting activity of Tagum Cooperative which now on its 8th year of running the Mass Blood Donation Program under its Himsug Pamilya Program. Tagum Cooperative holds such activity twice a year in fulfillment of the 7th Cooperative Principle of Concern for Communities.
During the mass blood-letting, Board of Directors Chairperson Miriam Baloyo highlighted the importance of donating blood, giving emphasis the health benefits a donor may have in return, out of donating blood. (Tagum Coop, photos by Daryl Dumandan)
Tagum Coop turns over Gawad Kalinga house
TAGUM CITY: In its continuing service to the community, Tagum Cooperative turned over on April 25 one housing unit to a Gawad Kalinga (GK) beneficiary in Tuburan, Mawab, Compostela Valley.
The family of Marieta G. Pepe became the fortunate recipient of the GK house that Tagum Cooperative sponsored in its construction at Pasandugan Uswag GK Village in Barangay Tuburan located about 25 kilometers from Tagum City.
As the benefactor, Tagum Cooperative shelled out P85,000 for the construction of one GK housing unit as approved by the Board of Directors during its meeting on October 01, 2012.
Tagum Cooperative committed to become one of the benefactors of GK Community in Mawab, Compostela Valley during the Partners’ Forum that the municipal government of Mawab conducted on September 28, 2012 in Tagum City.
The primary objective of establishing a GK Community is “to give land to the landless, home for the homeless and food for the hungry particularly the displaced and less fortunate settlers of the community.” (Tagum Cooperative)
