Last July 8, 2022 (Friday), CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative celebrated its 50th Annual General Assembly at Cebu Ocean Park, SM Seaside Complex, F. Vestil St., Cebu City. Together with this main event there was a pocket event with the theme, “Cooperators for Climate Action and Education: Our Cooperative Identity in the 21st Century and Beyond”. This was in line with CLIMBS’s response to the impacts of climate change and to the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) specifically: 1 – No Poverty, 2 – Zero hunger, 9 – Industry, Innovation, & Infrastructure, 12 – Responsible Consumption & Production, 13 – Climate Action, and 17 – Partnership for the Goals. Two years ago, CLIMBS partnered with international organizations; the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF), the IBISA Network, Global Parametrics, and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture). Also, with local cooperatives namely: Oro Integrated Cooperative (OIC), Mindanao Consolidated Cooperative Bank (MCCB), Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC), Metro Ormoc Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (OCCCI), and The Philippine Family Farmers Agriculture-Fishery-Forestry Cooperatives Federation (AgriCOOPh). Together with the mentioned partners, CLIMBS was able to reinstitute the now enhanced Weather Protect Insurance Product (WPI) which aims to provide sustainable and inclusive protection for cooperatives and their members. Aside from the WPI, the pocket event introduced CLIMBS’s very own school in the cooperative movement, the recently established Cooperative College of the Philippines (CCP) to an in-person audience. It is envisioned to attract & inspire youth leaders, produce leaders who are fully committed to growing their cooperatives, and become ambassadors of the Cooperative Values & Principles, thereby adhering to SDG 4 – Quality Education and 11 – Sustainable Cities & Communities.

The pocket event was opened by the CEO & Principal of the Cooperative College of the Philippines (also Vice President for Admin and Corporate Planning for CLIMBS) Ms. Donna Marie Michelle Dizon, CHRP, then graced by the presence of its speakers, either personally or through a pre-recorded video message: Mr. James Elwyn Leyte, MSc (The Alliance of Boversity and CIAT), Dr. Felipe Calderon, CPA, CMA, PhD (Asian Institute of Management or AIM), Mr. Noel Raboy, MBAEx (CLIMBS President & CEO), Ms. Rowena Abella ( CLIMBS Vice President for Marketing), Assistant Secretary Virgilio Lazaga, MD (Cooperative Development Authority or CDA), Ms. Maria Mateo Iborra (IBISA Network), Ms. Alicia Ilaga (Department of Agriculture), and Secretary Robert E. A. Borje (Climate Change Commission). With the knowledge and experience which our distinguished speakers possess, the co-celebration was an opportunity to educate many people and provided the much-needed gravitas which will propel participants to take action against climate change and substandard education.