COOPERATIVES CAN HELP ADDRESS PROBLEMS IN AGRI, TRANSPORT SECTORS

FURTHER to my letter (“Small town lottery and ‘e-sabong’ as tools for prosperity,” 9/1/22), aside from creating businesses and jobs, there is still more that could be done if small town lottery and “e-sabong” are turned into cooperatives owned and managed by ordinary Filipinos. For instance, there are problems in the agricultural sector, transportation sector, etc. that could be easily addressed by these cooperatives.

For example, we have often heard and read about tons of vegetables and fruits being thrown away due to low demand and excess production. The cooperatives with millions in cash generated daily can easily put up food processing plants to process these surplus fruits and vegetables to be sold locally or for export. Tomatoes could be processed into tomato sauce, catsup, etc. Storage facilities for grains, rice, etc. could be put up. Grain dryers and rice mills could be established.

In the transportation sector, jeepney drivers are up in arms against the phase out of jeepneys. The cooperatives could bid out to manufacturers of modern jeepneys. These modern jeepneys, taxis, and tricycles could be loaned to the drivers who are most likely members of the cooperatives. Instead of paying daily boundaries with no hope of owning a unit of their own, what they used to pay as daily boundaries could become their amortization to the units.

In the fishing sector, we see fishermen in fishing villages operating their own boats. Their catch is limited, and most often just enough for their family’s own consumption. The cooperatives could easily buy big fishing boats manned and operated by these fishermen. Their catch could be sold through the cooperatives, thus they earn income, etc.

Cooperatives could trade with each other. A cooperative in one region could sell its products to other cooperatives needing the product or products. This practice eliminates the need for middlemen, which often are the reason why products sold in the markets oftentimes become expensive.

Imagine we are an agricultural country, yet we cannot produce our own food and have to import rice, sugar, fish, etc. With cooperatives, production could be improved and increased resulting in low prices, food security, etc.

We should not rely too much on foreign investments as a solution to our economic ills. We become hostage, and often other countries use these investments to subjugate our sovereignty. These foreign investors repatriate their profits and are never loyal to their host country. They can easily fold up and relocate to other countries, offering more attractive incentives.

It is about time we should look into what the ordinary Filipino and his resources and the amount of money he spends on these two gambling activities could be done to uplift their lives and our country as well.

As said by Henry Ford, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

ERNESTO M. ADAYA, ernie_adaya@yahoo.com