UP COOP BESIEGED!

It’s highly unfair for the UP Administration to charge the UP Coop more than a million pesos for the use of the land in the latter’s operations. The law on Cooperatives expressly states in its Section2 that:



Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared policy of the State to foster the creation and growth of cooperatives as a practical vehicle for promoting self-reliance and harnessing people power towards the attainment of economic development and social justice. The State shall encourage the private sector to undertake the actual formation and organization of cooperatives and shall create an atmosphere that is conducive to the growth and development of these cooperatives.
Toward this end, the Government and all its branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities and agencies shall ensure the provision of technical guidance, financial assistance and other services to enable said cooperatives to develop into viable and responsive economic enterprises and thereby bring about a strong cooperative movement that is free from any conditions that might infringe upon the autonomy or organizational integrity of cooperatives.

Unfortunately, instead of encouraging the growth of the UP Coop, it has chosen to impose a land rent that is atrociously detrimental to the operations of the Coop. It seems that whoever is running the community affairs Department of UP does not have the right information on how a coop is run and how the State must support its existence.

The UP Coop is just one of the many coops in the country struggling to survive despite the fierce competition that commercial businesses give in the economic field. I have been a member of this organization since the 60's knowing that for every centavo I would spend to buy a product, I would get something in return -- a dividend and other benefits.

But you see, the UP Administration has suddenly experienced getting largesse from the many uses of land in Diliman from big corporations and even government entities who rent the land on a BOT scheme, or similar arrangements. And so every squre meter of land in UP Diliman is now being eyed for commercial interests.

Actually, the use of UP should be for educational purposes. But what is educational about a junk food restaurant sitting on UP land? The government land has been converted to mercantile pursuits so that the mind of the students are being turned commercial too. How sad.

The education period of students should be spent on broadening their minds on the possibilities for their future participation, theoretical and moral, in the bigger world of social, political, economic and cultural (and spiritual) developments, it is now being turned into just pure education for knowledge sake.

UP is no longer the bastion of critical thinking but of accommodation to what is existing. Instead of being shapers of unique inventive knowledge and strong standpoints that will confront issues and conflicts with solutions for a peaceful, just and humane world, it is now the prime mover for commercial pursuits.

The UP Coop should be saved and protected as it caters to the market needs of students, faculty, staff, and other residents in UP. If the coop has members that are already graduated, not residing in UP,as well as non-UP members, that should not be taken against the Coop since the Law states that cooperatives should have open and voluntary membership.

Also, all the members have not voiced out any contrary opinion to the acceptance of non-UP as members of the Coop, so why should the UP administration impose that at all? Is it not the case that the Coop shall have the autonomy to decide for itself who should be its members?

Secondly, the fact that the UP coop is still a coop, then the State, the UP administration is compelled to render support to its operations.

I do look forward to a new set of officials of the UP Administration in 2011 so that we can feel and see a new educational setting -- one that is theoretically challenging and adept at preparing students for stronger perception of the people's problems, and for deep participation in the socio-political processes of the country; as well as humane in its approach to dealing with different constituents in its premises.

Despite the siege of the UP Administration, the officials of the UP Coop are bent on carrying the torch all the way to helping the members get their money's worth. Actually, they have just assumed their posts after a gruelling investigation of anomalous operations of the past administration.

Keep on!