DTI eyes mentoring program for cooperatives
THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) is looking into the adoption of its mentoring program for cooperatives as it absorbs the agency overseeing the sector’s promotion and growth. DTI, in a statement on Wednesday, said it supports Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri’s suggestion for the department to create programs wherein large cooperatives will coach newly-formed and smaller cooperatives. The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) became an attached agency of the DTI in February based on Executive Order 67, which provides for the integration of programs and activities for cooperatives. The integration also follows Republic Act No. (RA) 11364, the Cooperative Development Authority Charter of 2019. DTI’s Kapatid Mentor Me Project connects large corporations to micro and small enterprises for mentoring on business operations. The department also has the Shared Service Facility program, wherein micro entrepreneurs can access facilities built in their community. “Cooperatives are one of our many partners in supporting the development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. That’s why we are thankful for the proposal that the CDA should bring our mentoring program to the grassroots level through cooperatives,” DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said. — Jenina P. Ibañez
Senators lambaste police, agencies over unsolved BuCor murders
SENATORS ON Wednesday slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP), among other government agencies, for failure to solve the killings of 16 Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officers in the last nine years. A hearing, led by the Senate committee on justice and human rights, found that none of the 16 cases since 2011 have been solved due to the inaction of the PNP, BuCor and the Department of Justice. “There’s lack of urgency, there’s complacency, lack of professionalism, lack of caring for people who have been murdered,” Senator Richard J. Gordon said in a briefing. The committee held the probe following the death of former BuCor legal officer Frederick Santos on February 19. Mr. Santos was shot by riding-in-tandem criminals. The National Bureau of Investigation has yet to access the dashboard camera from Mr. Santos’ vehicle. Mr. Santos was among those who testified in the Senate investigation on the scheme allowing convicts of heinous crimes to avail the good conduct time allowance. The committee, which will hold another hearing, has asked the concerned government agencies for a more complete report on their investigations. —Charmaine A. Tadalan
