The Cooperative Development Authority here has listed 73 per cent of the operating cooperatives in the region that re-registered with said agency pursuant to the new cooperative code.
CDA Regional Director Elma R. Oguis disclosed that 1,334 cooperatives out of the total 1,822 operating cooperatives were able to register anew with CDA, complying with the mandate of Republic Act 9520 or the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008.
Oguis informed that the legal authority of the 488 cooperatives which failed to re-register or secure a Certificate of Registration in the prescribed period beginning last year were “deemed cancelled.”
She said the CDA has given a one year allowance for the cooperatives to re-register from March 20, 2009 to March 22, 2010, and an extension of three months from July to September 30 this year.
For the March 22 deadline, CDA has listed 69% of the cooperatives while only 133 cooperatives were able to catch up within the three-month extension, Oguis said in an interview.
Oguis disclosed that most coops which didn’t make it to the deadlines failed to comply with the audited financial statement as one of the requirements for re-registration.
“I’m not sure if they really have their (accounting) books or they were not just able to have their books audited,” Oguis lamented.
The regional director explained that operating cooperatives registered and confirmed with CDA since 1991 under R.A. 6938 and R.A. 6939 should have registered under R.A. 9520, and shall be given a new Certificate of Registration.
For those cooperatives that were deemed cancelled due to failure to re-register, would be given notice of cancellation, said Oguis adding that after 30 days, the coops would given cancellation motu propio or by itself cancelled.
The Cooperative Philippines website defined deemed cancelled motu propio as “the legal existence and juridical personality of a cooperative is automatically terminated and all its powers, functions, rights, privileges granted to such cooperatives are extinguished for failure to secure a new certificate of registration in compliance with Article 144 of RA 9520.”
According to Oguis, if the cancelled cooperatives would wish to continue to operate as cooperative, they should register as a new cooperative but can’t use its old name.
“They have to liquidate their assets and they have to pay their liabilities before they could form a new cooperative,” informed Oguis.
She warned that if they continue operating without the legal authority under RA 9520, “they would be subject to tax.”
Oguis stated that they would notify the local government units of the cancelled cooperatives in their respective areas.
Since 1991, more than 5,000 cooperatives were registered and confirmed by CDA in the region, said Oguis, adding that 60% were non-operating while 40% were operating.
She continued that as of September 30 this year, a total of 1,533 cooperatives are currently operating in the region, including the 1,334 which re-registered and the rest are newly registered under RA 9520. [PIA 11/Carina L. Cayon]
