Orbeta: Hallmark of success and service of the Coop has been a reality because of the Coop’s backbone, its members.

 

Ayala Coop chairman J.P. Orbeta thanked the Coop’s more than 37,000 members for standing by it even through the ongoing pandemic and called on them to continue their “passionate support” for the Coop for it to overcome the challenges that come as it tries to look after them and the community at large.

                  Speaking at the thanksgiving mass held on the occasion of the Coop’s 26th anniversary last October 15, Orbeta said that the “hallmark of success and service” the Coop has accomplished over the past 26 years can only be attributed to the support it gets from its members, which in the previous four years continued to rise in number.

                  “The Covid-19 pandemic has not stopped the Ayala Coop from serving as its members’ primary source of relief and financing while remaining a reliable partner of the community at large through its now-well-known corporate social responsibility projects,” Orbeta said.  “But all this wouldn’t have been possible without you standing by the side of the Coop’s management led by its Board of Trustees and its officers.  The hallmark of success and service that the Coop has notched over the past 26 years, pandemic and all, has only been a reality because the Coop’s backbone, its members, has always stood by it.

                  “I therefore thank all of you profusely and call on you to continue that passionate support that you’ve always given the Coop.  With you with us, there’s no challenge that the Coop can’t overcome.”

A constant presence

                  Orbeta noted that numbers were down in several business indicators because of the pandemic and the crisis it has brought, but the Coop remained resilient as it has been a constant presence for its members, its employees and the community at large.  He noted the initiatives the Coop has taken to help its members cope with the pandemic, including the “Damayan” loan promo that reduced interest rates for loans of up to P1 million, the special emergency loans and the financial assistance it extended to its members afflicted with Covid-19 and directly affected by several typhoons that hit the country during the past year.

                  He also mentioned the assistance the Coop provided the larger community during the pandemic, including the donation of 5,000 sets of personal protective equipment to the Philippine Medical Association in partnership with the Ayala Foundation and the Cooperative Development Authority, and the donation of meal packs to a total of 14,000 victims of various calamities, including the scourge, in collaboration with Rise Against Hunger Philippines and the Ayala Business Club.

Six service awardees

                  Meanwhile, six Coop personnel led by Chief Finance Officer Jennifer Cura were also recognized during the program for having notched at least five years of service with the Coop.

Ms. Cura, along with two other employees, has completed 15 years of service with the Coop and was given a service award for the feat.  The others who have notched a 15-year tenure with the Coop are Conrad Gasmin of the Loans Department and Jhona Contillo of the Accounting Department.

                  The other service awardees are Marlon Guzman, also of Accounting, who has completed 10 years of service, and Lenny Sante-Arias of Finance Reporting and Analysis Planning, who has been with the Coop for five years.

  

 

 On the other hand, Elinor Abellare, the Collection Department Head, was also recognized for having completed 10 years with the Coop while working as a consultant.