empowering youth through cooperative leadership: ccph conducts first ever youth summit

In celebration of International Youth Day (August 12, 2025) and in line with its commitment to fostering a community of empowered and competent leaders across generations, the Co-operative College of the Philippines convened fifty-six (56) young leaders from twenty-one (21) cooperatives across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao for its first-ever Youth Summit. The event, themed “Empowering the Youth through Cooperative Leadership”, was held on August 13–14, 2025, at CHALI Beach Resort, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

The delegates participated in a series of discussions and workshops on Cooperative Leadership, Cooperative Identity, and Youth Leadership, emphasizing their role in community development. These sessions were facilitated by the College’s trusted pool of experts, namely:

• Ms. Mayr Jhorey Ramos (Project Manager, CCPH) – Cooperative Identity
• Mr. Ludwig Federigan (Founding Executive Director, Young Environmental Forum) – Youth Leading Communities
• Mr. Ben Hannon Sarilla (HR Manager and Associate Consultant, Arete Leadership Consultancy) – Empowering Youth
• Ms. Ida Rosette Ocampo (Youth Representative, NaFeCOOP) – Panel Discussion
• Ms. Karen Custodio, PhD (Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development) – Panel Discussion
• Ms. Jo Ha (WYCUP and ICUDE Educator) – Panel Discussion
• Mr. Joseph Dela Cruz (ICMIF YLP Alumnus & Youth Representative, CLIMBS) – Panel Discussion

A highlight of the summit was the Round Table Discussions with CEOs, where delegates engaged in candid and insightful conversations with cooperative leaders about their journeys as both cooperators and executives.

The participating CEOs were:

• Mr. Noel D. Raboy – CEO and President, CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative
• Ms. Donna C. Dizon – CEO and Principal, Co-operative College of the Philippines
• Ms. Bernadette O. Toledo – CEO, MASS-SPECC
• Ms. Marlene D. Sindayen – CEO, Novaliches Development Cooperative
• Ms. Rowena R. Abella – CEO, National Federation of Cooperative Primaries in the Philippines
• Mr. Henry M. Lopez – CEO, Coop Life General Insurance and Financial Service Agency
• Mr. Albert B. Teaño – CEO, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology

Another huge part of the summit was the awarding of the CoopHive PH: Youth Hackathon Winners – 4 outstanding youth leaders with exceptional project proposals on Youth Engagement and Cooperative Solutions. These winners are given PHP 50,000 worth of funding to startup their projects.

Winners are:

1. Niña Kaye Elena S. Retuerto – CO-OP QUEST: A Bloxburg-Inspired Game to Spark Youth Engagement in Cooperatives
2. Josephine R. Esparrago – Coop Eduk On Wheels
3. Jan Lester Bisco – COOP BASKET: Cooperative Youth Empowerment in One Basket 
4. Jegger Reyes Bandolon – HULAGWAY: Framing Tradition into Craft. One Souvenir at a Time.

The summit concluded on a high note, with delegates expressing positive feedback on the experience. A Committee Leads Election for next year’s Youth Summit was also conducted, facilitated by Ms. Ida Rosette Ocampo. The elected committee leads will spearhead the organization of the 2026 Youth Summit, while this year’s delegates automatically form part of the organizing committee.

Participating Cooperatives:

1. Servus Multi-Purpose Cooperative
2. Novaliches Development Cooperative
3. Barangka Credit Cooperative
4. Baao Parish Multi-Purpose Cooperative
5. Lagawe Multipurpose Development Cooperative
6. San Basilio Multipurpose Cooperative
7. PECCI Multipurpose Cooperative
8. DCCCO Multipurpose Cooperative
9. Agdao Multipurpose Cooperative
10. Xavier University Senior High School – Ateneo De Cagayan
11. Metro Ormoc Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (OCCCI)
12. Oro Integrated Cooperative – Youth Savers Club Laboratory Cooperative
13. Bohol Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative
14. Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives
15. Sta. Cruz Savings and Development Cooperative
16. Holy Cross Savings and Credit Cooperative
17. Makilala Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Mak-MPC)
18. DMPI Employees And Community Credit Cooperative
19. Kyogojo Engineering & Water Service Cooperative
20. Climbs Life and General Insurance Cooperative
21. Bukidnon Government Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BUGEMCO)