𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬: 𝐉𝐇𝐂𝐒𝐂 𝐒𝐎𝐋–𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐃𝐀 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦

The J.H. Cerilles State College (JHCSC) School of Law (SOL), under the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP), officially entered into partnership with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) for the implementation of the Cooperative Legal Awareness Program (CLAP) on December 2, 2025, at the IT Building Conference Room of JH Cerilles State College (JHCSC) Pagadian City Extension Campus. The collaboration is led by CDA Regional Director Dr. Ruben L. Cunanan, JD, represented by Atty. Mynna Marie Barrientos-Godoy, Attorney III of the CDA Region IX Extension Office, together with JHCSC School of Law Dean Atty. Romylyn O. Regidor. The partnership aims to strengthen legal education, promote cooperative law, and extend community-centered legal services through CLEP law student practitioners.

In her remarks, Dean Atty. Regidor delivered a message underscoring the importance of cooperative education in legal formation. She emphasized that cooperatives serve as pillars of inclusive growth, social equity, and local empowerment, whose values are deeply embedded in both the Philippine legal system and the JHCSC institution. “Cooperatives are not simply business organizations; they are the embodiment of the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, participation, and shared prosperity,” she said. She noted that law students, as future members of the legal profession, must cultivate a strong understanding of cooperative structures and legal frameworks to prepare them for real-world legal practice.

Subsequently, Atty. Barrientos-Godoy presented an orientation about the CDA Laws Awareness Program (CLAP), providing an overview of the Cooperative Development Authority, the salient provisions of Republic Act No. 9520, and the distinctions between cooperatives and corporations. She highlighted the CDA’s constitutional mandate, as outlined in Section 15, Article XII, to promote the viability and growth of cooperatives as instruments of equity, social justice, and economic development. She also discussed the agency’s mission of offering developmental, regulatory, and quasi-judicial services to cooperatives nationwide.

The session also covered core topics, including cooperative operating principles, compliance and regulatory requirements, and mechanisms for dispute resolution. According to the CDA, these areas are essential in sustaining responsible, well-governed, and community-responsive cooperatives. The orientation further aimed to strengthen the competence and confidence of law student practitioners as they prepare to render supervised legal services under CLEP.

Through this partnership, law students gain opportunities to engage directly with cooperative-related legal issues, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge to practical community settings. By integrating CLAP into CLEP, JHCSC SOL reinforces its commitment to community-grounded legal education, ensuring that future lawyers are exposed to the needs of rural and underserved populations, in alignment with the Revised Law Student Practice Rule (A.M. 19-03-24-SC).

For the CDA, the collaboration represents a strategic effort to expand cooperative legal education in higher institutions. The agency views its partnership with JHCSC as a meaningful platform to strengthen grassroots economic programs by equipping future legal practitioners and community stakeholders with clear, accurate, and actionable knowledge of cooperative law. Both institutions expressed confidence that the program will promote legal literacy and foster long-term cooperative development.

The event concluded with a joint commitment from CDA and JHCSC SOL to continue advancing capacity-building programs in the months ahead. With the formal partnership now established, both parties reaffirmed their shared goal of promoting cooperative awareness, enhancing ethical and service-driven legal training, and empowering community-based cooperatives as active contributors to national development.