How To Register Your Cooperative

How To Register Your Cooperative

          Once you have organized your cooperative, your work does not end there. The cooperative now needs a legal personality, so that a cooperative is supposed to perform. With a legal, personality, the cooperative can borrow money, sell its goods, and services, deliver goods, and enter into all sorts of business transactions. So that your cooperative can do all these, you must register your cooperative . Here is how you do it.

Where Do You Register a Cooperative?

          The Cooperative Development Authority is the only government agency empowered to register all types of cooperatives.

          Its main office at 5th and 6th floors BEN-LOR Building, 1184 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.

          To facilitate the flow of its services, extension offices have been set-up. These are located in (1) Dagupan City; (2) Tuguegarao, Cagayan; (3) Baguio City; (4) Sto. Tomas Pampanga; ( 5) Manila Extension Office (MEO), Quezon Avenue, Quezon City; (6) Calamba Laguna; (7) Naga City; (8) Iloilo City; (9) Cebu City; (10) Tacloban City; (11) Pagadian City; (12) Cagayan De Oro; (13) Davao City; (14) Kidapawan, Cotabato; and (15) Butuan City.

What Are The General Requirements In Registering A Cooperative?

           You will need four copies each of the Economic Survey, By -Laws and Articles of Cooperation. The Articles of Cooperation should be duly notarized and accompanied by the following.

• Bonds of the accountable officers (any director, officer and employee handling funds, securities offices and employee handling funds, securities or properties on behalf of the cooperative. The board of directors determine the amount of bonds required based on the initial network which shall include the paid-up capital, membership fees and other assets of the cooperative at the time of registration); and

• Sworn statement of the treasurer showing that at least 25% of the authorized share has been subscribed and at least 25% of the total subscription has been paid. The paid-up capital must not be less than P2,000. It must be noted that no member may own more than 20% of the subscribed capital; and that each share must not be less than P1.00

How Much Is The Registration Fee?

          CDA Memorandum Circular No. 92-004, effective 01 May 1992 provides that provides that registration fee shall be one tenth (1/10) of one percent of the paid- up share capital with the minimum of P250 for new primary cooperative; P500 for secondary cooperative, P2,000.00 for tertiary cooperative while laboratory cooperative is free of charge.

What Are The Types And Registration Fee?

The following are the types of cooperatives:

Credit Cooperative promotes thrift and savings among its member and creates funds in order to grant loans for productive and provident purposes;

• Consumer Cooperative- the primary purpose is to procure and distribute commodities to member and non- member;
• Producer Cooperative- undertake joint production whether agricultural or industrial;
• Marketing Cooperative- engages in the supply of production inputs to members, and markets their products;
• Service Cooperative – engages in medical and dental care, hospitalization, transportation, insurance , housing, labor, electric light and power, communication and other services; and
• Multi-Purpose Cooperative- combines two(2) or mores of the business activities of these different types of cooperative.

For What Purpose May A Federation Of Cooperatives Be Registered?

A Federation of Cooperatives whose members are primary and /or secondary cooperatives with a single line or multi- purpose business activities may be registered for any or all of the following purposes:

• Primary Purpose- To carry on, encourage on any cooperative enterprise authorized under Article 6 of R.A. 6938;
• Secondary Purposes- To carry on, any encourage and assist educational and advisory work relating to its member cooperatives;
• To render services designed to encourage simplicity, efficiency, and economy in the conduct of the business of its member cooperatives and to facilitate the implementation of their bookkeeping , accounting and other systems and procedures;
• To coordinate and facilitate the activities of its member cooperatives;
• To print, publish, and circulate any newspaper of other publication in the interest of its member cooperatives and enterprises;
• To enter into joint ventures with national or international cooperative of other countries in the manufacture and sale of products and/ or services in the Philippines and abroad; and.
• To perform such other function as nay be necessary to attain its objectives.

A Federation of Cooperatives may be registered by carrying out the formalities of registration of a cooperative. Registered cooperatives may organize a federation at the provincial, city, regional, and national levels according to the types of business carried on.