The provincial government here, through the Provincial Cooperatives Development Office (PCDO), will hold a summit to help the transport sector set up a cooperative to receive government assistance and join the ongoing modernization program.

“We need to help them because that is the mandate of the modernization program that if they will not convert into cooperatives or corporations they could not avail of assistance from the government,” lawyer Arturo Cangrejo, PCDO chief, said in an interview on Thursday.

One major issue, he said, is the crafting of the Local Public Transport Route Plan needed to open new routes and as a requirement when applying for loans with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for additional modernized jeepneys.

There are a lot of routes being opened while new routes are also being proposed.

Two to three cooperatives are interested to ply any of the particular routes.

Cangrejo said that they met with members of the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of various municipalities in the province and the Provincial Planning and Development Office this week and discussed the status of transportation cooperatives and the plan to hold a transport cooperative summit after the May elections.

He said at their level they are also having a hard time explaining to transport organizations and cooperatives.

“I would say that most of them are unprepared to handle this kind of business. Probably our operators before were used to just managing one or two but this time they will be managing a fleet of several dozens of modernized jeepneys,” he added.

Cangrejo said forming a cooperative is a challenge as in most cases, the members have no idea what a cooperative is.

He added that his office will be helping them organizationally and how to run the cooperatives and fleet of modernized jeepneys, as well as their system of accounting and bookkeeping.

“We are trying to give them a special attention because eventually once they organize and the management is not good, this will hurt the image of our cooperative,” he said.

Back in the 80s and 90s government has mandated the creation and organization of cooperatives as a conduit of government funds.

Some cooperatives did not survive because they were just created to seek government funds.

Cangrejo added that the cooperative movement thrives with the correct values and taking off with just the notion of availing of government financing is not ideal.

Currently, the PCDO is assisting transport cooperatives operating modernized jeepneys plying selected towns in southern and central Iloilo. (PNA)