The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. (Coop Chamber) is mobilizing its 13.6 million members across roughly 20,000 cooperatives nationwide to build a unified political voice and field cooperative-sector candidates in the 2028 senatorial elections.

The group announced the initiative during its 3rd National Leadership Congress on Friday, held under the theme "Economic Strength to Political Voice: Organizing the Cooperative Vote for National Governance," saying the sector's economic strength should translate into greater participation in policymaking.

Coop Chamber Secretary General Edwin A. Bustillos said consultations across the country's 16 regions produced a consensus to pursue a senatorial project for 2028.

"For the Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, this is the time to run for the Senate in 2028," Mr. Bustillos said.

The initiative, he explained, will seek to consolidate cooperative members and encourage other cooperatives to join the effort.

"We just need to consolidate them. We just need to orient them and give them these programs," he said.

The sector plans to begin reaching out to other cooperatives next month, Mr. Bustillos said, and hopes to announce its cooperative partners in October, which is celebrated as National Cooperative Month.

"This will be faced with so many challenges. But as we speak, we will not back down from the challenges," he said.

Candidate criteria

Potential cooperative-sector candidates should meet three criteria, according to Mr. Bustillos: having a cooperative policy, supporting the executive and legislative agenda of the cooperative movement, and upholding cooperative principles and values.

"The cooperative leader should have a cooperative policy," Mr. Bustillos said. "Second, the executive and legislative agenda of the cooperative movement. And number three, he should support the principles and values of cooperatives."

"The leader should not be corporatized," he added.

Mr. Bustillos noted that the cooperative movement has historically had limited influence over national policymaking despite its economic presence.

"There are many senators who don't have a cooperative policy," he said. "We lobby, while we influence, but that is not enough."

Cooperatives carry significant economic weight, he said, because of their role in communities and the number of people involved in the sector.

"But at the end of the day, who decides on our policies?" he said.

Protecting the cooperative model

Coop Chamber Chairperson Noel D. Raboy highlighted the importance of protecting the cooperative model as the sector pursues greater political participation.

"The cooperative identity is that of a member-driven organization setting up an economic activity with the capital of the individual members," Mr. Raboy said.

He raised concerns over proposed amendments to House Bill No. 9584, particularly changes to the voting structure of cooperatives and federations. The chamber, he said, wants the "one member, one vote" principle to remain in place even when primary cooperatives participate in federations.

"The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives' position is that the voting structure of the primary cooperatives should be one member, one vote," he said. "If it goes to the federation, it should still be one member, one vote."

He opposed a proposed shared-voting system, arguing it could shift decision-making toward a capital-based model.

"If we look at shared voting, it is like a corporation," Mr. Raboy said. "If you have a lot of money, you have more influence. So how about the small ones?"

He said the proposed arrangement would not be aligned with the principles of the International Cooperative Alliance, the global body that sets internationally recognized standards for cooperative identity and governance.

"The voting should be equal. Even if you have a lot of money in the federation, you are still one vote," he said.

Mr. Raboy warned that changing the voting structure could undermine the identity of cooperatives.

"We are lobbying for that principle and values because the identity of the cooperative will be lost," he said.

He reiterated the need to preserve cooperatives as organizations driven by their members rather than capital.

"That is what should be, member-driven, not capital-driven cooperative," Mr. Raboy said.

Calls for inclusive policies

Coop Chamber Vice Chairperson and Trustee Marlene Sindayen called for policies that would keep cooperatives accessible to ordinary Filipinos.

"If we really want to stimulate the cooperatives and really give an impact to many people, it should be inclusive," Ms. Sindayen said.

She raised concerns over Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) requirements, particularly the requirement for members to submit a tax identification number in order to obtain tax exemptions.

"The individual partners, senior citizens are still required by the BIR to submit to get the tax exemption," she said.

Cooperatives serve communities by providing access to financial services to people who may otherwise have difficulty obtaining loans, Ms. Sindayen said.

"The co-op is responsible for the needs of the community, where ordinary people can borrow based on their promises," she said.

She urged cooperative leaders to bring the sector's concerns directly to Congress.

"It's time for the co-op leaders to make laws, to present to the Senate," Ms. Sindayen said. "So that our situation and the needs of the [cooperative] are really clear."

Cooperative leaders, she added, are accustomed to working around the needs of their communities.

"We are used to being servant leaders," she said. "We don't need to ask for a big budget because we are working based on the needs of our people."

Legislative agenda

The Coop Chamber's 2026-2028 priority legislative agenda includes preserving the "one member, one vote" and "one coop, one vote" principles, defending cooperative tax exemptions, strengthening local government support, and prioritizing agricultural, agrarian reform, transport, and utility cooperatives.

The group also seeks legislation requiring local government units to establish Local Cooperative Development Funds and appoint specialized Cooperative Development Officers.

Through its Senatorial Project 2028, the Coop Chamber said it will engage and support candidates who demonstrate a commitment to cooperative-friendly legislation, rather than aligning itself with particular political parties.

The initiative aims to turn the cooperative sector's broad grassroots membership into a more organized political constituency and give cooperatives a stronger role in shaping national policies affecting their members and communities. If the effort succeeds in consolidating even a portion of the claimed 13.6 million members, it would rank among the largest organized voting blocs in a national electorate where bloc voting by churches, sectoral groups, and regional coalitions has historically influenced senatorial outcomes. The sector's next milestones to watch are the outreach beginning next month and the planned announcement of cooperative partners in October during National Cooperative Month. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba