Co-op News

True to their co-operative identity and commitment to uplifting human dignity, MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center, in collaboration with CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, Oro Integrated Cooperative (OIC), and CLIFSA General Insurance Agency, formally turned over medical equipment, hospital signage, and solar-powered lights to the Buda Community Health Care Center (BCHCC) on July 18, 2025.

The symbolic handover was among the highlights of BCHCC’s 19th Founding Anniversary celebration, held under the theme “BCHCC@19: 19 Years of Healing, Hope & Heart.”

This act of generosity reflects the co-operative principles in action, as the four organizations extended support to a mission-driven, community-based healthcare facility serving marginalized and indigenous peoples (IPs) in the boundary areas of Barangay Buda in Davao City; Quezon and Kitaotao in Bukidnon; and Arakan, North Cotabato.

“Through programs and partnerships with local government units and civil society organizations, BCHCC plants seeds of empowerment and resilience,” said Nestor R. Carbonera, President of the BCHCC Board of Trustees. “We need to open the door to a better future. For the past 18 years, our donors have helped us sustain the delivery of vital services.”

Since its founding in 2006, BCHCC—operated by the Committee of German Doctors for Developing Countries, Inc.—has provided essential clinical services, acting as a vital health lifeline for underserved communities long neglected by mainstream health systems.

The donations included 20 units of solar-powered lights, laboratory and medical equipment, and updated hospital signage—critical enhancements that will help ensure consistent and dignified healthcare services for the center’s patients.

Carbonera emphasized that the support from MASS-SPECC and its partners goes beyond material aid—it is a reaffirmation of hope.

Held during BCHCC’s anniversary celebration, the turnover ceremony also honored indigenous leaders and patients whose lives are closely connected with the center.

BCHCC serves as a rare beacon in a region where healthcare access is often limited by distance, poverty, and discrimination. It is here where co-operative values like equity, solidarity, and self-help are lived out in real and urgent ways.

MASS-SPECC also emphasized that this initiative is not a one-time engagement but part of a broader effort to promote inclusive development, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). By strengthening community health systems through sustainable and locally rooted solutions, co-operatives help build a more equitable future for all.

The celebration ended with a fellowship lunch, group photo, and messages of gratitude from local leaders and stakeholders. But its true legacy is the reaffirmed bond between co-operatives and the communities they serve — not just in Mindanao, but across the Philippines.