PH COOP CHAMBER CALLS FOR A CORRUPTION-FREE SOCIETY

The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. or PH Coop Chamber, the nation’s leading advocacy center for cooperatives, emphasizes the significant but often underestimated role of cooperatives in nation-building as drivers of good governance, in celebration of the National Cooperative Month this October.

**COOPERATIVES PUSH FOR AUTONOMY AND DEMOCRATIC MEMBER CONTROL**. The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. asserts key reforms to the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 at a press briefing on Oct. 10 at Bayview Park Hotel Manila. In accordance with the international cooperatives’ values and principles, the group calls for one member, one vote, ensuring cooperative autonomy particularly on the decision where to remit its education and training fund, the removal of the individual TIN requirements to secure a certificate of tax exemptions, and strengthen member-driven governance.

Lobbying for the revision of Republic Act No. 9520 or the Cooperative Code of 2008, the organization highlights the contributions of cooperatives in strengthening the local and national economy, not only by generating jobs and providing livelihoods to millions of poor and marginalized Filipinos, but also by infusing capital to provide business opportunities in various grassroots communities all throughout the country.

**(From Left) PH Coop Chamber Secretary General Edwin A. Bustillos, Chairperson Noel D. Raboy, and Vice Chairperson Marlene D. Sindayen**

On this note that the PH Coop Chamber calls for a society with a government that is free of any form of corruption as this heavily impacts the operation and management of cooperatives, and the lives of the members of the cooperatives as well.

**PH Coop Chamber Chairperson Noel D. Raboy**

Following the National Taxation Forum organized by the PH Coop Chamber on October 9, 2025 in Quezon City, as attended by more than 200 cooperative leaders from different parts of the country, cooperatives raised concerns on the regulatory burden being imposed including the BIR requirement of TIN of individual coop members to be able to secure a Certificate of Tax Exemptions.

“The PH Coop Chamber challenges the validity of these revenue memorandum circulars before the Supreme Court, arguing that these issuances unlawfully restrict the tax exemption privileges granted to cooperatives under the Cooperative Code,” said Noel Raboy, Chairperson of the PH Coop Chamber.

The organization also requests the government to affirm the rights and privileges of cooperatives without being burdened by additional, legally unwarranted administrative requirements imposed strictly by regulatory agencies, which result to penalties amounting to as much as millions of pesos and leads to closure of cooperatives.

“It is the policy of the State to foster the growth and development of cooperatives, and its autonomy and independence must always be upheld as enshrined in our Constitution,” added Chairperson Raboy.

**PH Coop Chamber Vice Chairperson Marlene D. Sindayen**

This issue on TIN requirement has already been addressed in the proposed revisions of the Cooperative Code as adopted in the Senate Bill No. 1431 or the consolidated bills amending Republic Act No. 9520. The PH Coop Chamber, as member of the Technical Working Group in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, is just awaiting the schedule of the Committee Meeting in the House of Representatives to finalize its version of the proposed revisions.

The PH Coop Chamber stresses that any revision in the Cooperative Code must always adhere to the internally-agreed cooperative values and principles, preserving the democratic, autonomous and people-centered nature of cooperatives. The organization will continue to advocate for the resolution of the different concerns affecting the operation of cooperatives for the welfare of the Filipino cooperators.