PALO, Leyte – Members of 33 agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) from across Eastern Visayas celebrated as they received their Certificates of Compliance (COC) and Certificates of Registration (COR) from the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) transforming them into cooperatives during the ARB Summit cum DAR-CDA ARBO Cooperative Registration Caravan held on the 4th and 5th of September this year at The Tropics in this town.
Rosita Espiño, vice-chairman of the Anthurium Farmers ARB Cooperative in Alangalang, Leyte, kept on applauding while Undersecretary Alexander Raquepo, CDA chairman, enumerated the various benefits a cooperative gets, including the tax exemption. Espiño commented, “Good that we are now a cooperative.”
CDA Assistant Regional Director Maripaz Del Pilar, in turn, clarified in her orientation that the tax exemption should be applied at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Other ARBOs who received their CORs and COCs on Friday from the CDA chairman himself were from the towns of Naval, Cabucgayan, both in Biliran; Tanauan, Dulag, Tolosa, Tanauan, all in Leyte; Salcedo, San Julian, both in Eastern Samar; Allen, San Roque, San Isidro, Pambujan, all in Northern Samar; San Jorge, Calbiga, Pagsanghan, Motiong, Santa Rita, Samar, Pinabacdao Daram, Zumarraga, Santa Rita, Basey, Calbiga, and Tarangnan, all in Samar; Tomas Oppus, Malitbog, and Liloan, all in Southern Leyte.
Meanwhile, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, expressed his gratitude to the various government agencies for responding to his invitation in sharing their programs and services to the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) on the said occasion.
(JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
