The Cooperative Bank of Cebu (CBC) marked its 32nd founding anniversary on March 22 with a special event attended by key figures in Cebu’s cooperative movement.
These included Gov. Gwen Garcia and Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Credit Policy Council Executive Director Ma. Cristina Lopez.
Gov. Gwen lauded the partnership between the Provincial Government and CBC which offers zero-interest loans to farmers and fishermen beneficiaries of the Capitol’s Enhanced Countryside Development (ECD) program.
She also announced another collaboration between the Capitol and CBC for the Sugbo Maisan Program aimed at supporting yellow corn farmers in Camotes Island.
For Gov. Garcia, cooperatives are more than just a financial institution — they represent empowerment, self-sufficiency, and inclusive growth.
She has long championed cooperatives as vital partners in uplifting communities, especially in the countryside, where access to traditional banking services has remained limited.
Her deep commitment to the cooperative movement is also rooted in her family’s legacy, as her mother, the late Judge Esperanza Garcia, paved the way for this advocacy with the foundation of the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative.
“In each of your co-ops, that is also the only way you can succeed: all hands on deck. Magtinabangay, because a single person cannot do it alone. You need the collaborative strength of all of you, from the officers to the members,” Gov. Garcia said.
Also present during were CBC Chairperson Farla Carolyn Garcia and members of the Board of Directors.
| BJR
