March 6, 2024- Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the CDA Law Awareness Program (CLAP). The initiative aims to enhance cooperation between the CDA and academic institutions for education, training, and research on cooperatives.

The Dean of the ASCOT College of Law, Atty. Raquel R. Dujunco, CPA, CMA, REB, warmly welcomed guests and participants to the event. She extended her gratitude to the CDA for making the MOA a reality. In her message, she said, “A cooperative best illustrates the concept of synergy. In synergy, it does not follow the rules of math. In a synergy, ang ibig sabihin ng one plus one, maybe three or four. Kapag ang dalawang tao ay nagsimulang magtulungan, mas higit ang magagawa nila, ang mapo-produce nila. That’s why, in synergy, the sum total is greater than the parts that are put together,” she said.

Atty. Macy N. Marcelo from the CDA Region III Extension Office introduced herself as a former student of Dean Dujunco. She also provided the legal basis and objective of CLAP, integrating cooperative subjects into the law curriculum.
USEC. Joseph C. Encabo, Chairman of the Cooperative Development Authority, expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration, emphasizing the importance of partnerships with educational institutions. In his message, he says, “A cooperative is a sector that is composed of individuals coming from different walks of life: coming from different interests, coming from different age brackets, and coming from different cultures. Everything is different, but there is one common interest that binds them together to achieve economic sustainability, growth, and viability. That is the spirit of cooperativeness,” he said.

The MOA was formally signed in the presence of Atty. Raquel Dujunco, CDA Region III Regional Director Marieta P. Hwang, and USEC. Joseph C. Encabo.

Ms. Nancy Tuzon, a pioneering law student at ASCOT, conveyed her excitement about the collaboration’s potential benefits for students.

Closing the event, Ms. Marieta P. Hwang, CDA Region III Regional Director, conveyed her appreciation for the partnership and its potential impact on cooperative development. “Ito po ang simula ng mas marami pang partnership with ASCOT. Hindi lamang po ito nagtatapos sa pirmahan. Kapag ang CDA po ang nakipag partner, tunay po ‘yun na maraming gawa. I also expect that through this MOA, hindi po dito nagtatapos, bagkus ito po ang simula,” she said.

This collaborative effort between CDA and ASCOT signifies a step forward in promoting awareness and understanding of cooperative laws among law students.

The MOA signing event was spearheaded by the ASCOT College of Law, led by Atty. Raquel Dujunco and Atty. Karl Thomas Olivar. Also present at the said event were ASCOT College of Law students, ASCOT Faculty and Staff Cooperative officers, and staff from CDA Region III and Aurora Province