The Villar Foundation recently honored exemplary cooperatives for their contributions to poverty alleviation at the 2024 Villar Foundation Awards for Poverty Reduction.

Deputy Speaker Camille Villar highlighted the significant role cooperatives play in improving the financial wellness of communities.

“Cooperative groups are helping the government in forming and taking care of the financial wellness of the people under their jurisdiction,” she said, pledging to champion their cause in the Senate.

Former Senate president Manny Villar, founding chairman of the Villar Foundation, reaffirmed his commitment to supporting organizations that uplift lives.

Senator Cynthia Villar, a staunch advocate for cooperatives, hailed the socio-economic contributions of cooperatives.

“By honoring our cooperatives, we are not only recognizing good work but also providing inspiration and blueprints for others to follow,” she said.

This year, the awards received 120 nominations, with 12 cooperatives recognized as outstanding, and three Las Piñas-based cooperatives receiving special awards.

The Villar family personally presented trophies and cash prizes, with outstanding cooperatives receiving P250,000 each and special awardees taking home P150,000 each.

The winners included:

Outstanding Cooperatives: ASKI Multipurpose Cooperative (Talavera, Nueva Ecija), Lipa City Parish Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Lipa City, Batangas), Bago Multi-purpose Cooperative (Ibaan, Batangas), Agro Industrial Cooperative of Mataas na Kahoy (Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas), Angono Credit and Development Cooperative (Angono, Rizal), Calamba Parish Development Cooperative (Calamba, Laguna);

Sentrong Ugnayan ng Mamamayang Pilipino Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Sta. Cruz, Laguna), RHUDARDA Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Polilio, Quezon), Pandan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Pandan, Antique), Sibonga Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Sibonga, Cebu), Kabangasan-Mapua-Dahilig Agrarian Reform Community Cooperative-Binalingoan (Misamis Oriental), and Kisandal Multipurpose Cooperative (Magpet, Cotabato).

Special Awardees: Las Piñas Parol Makers Credit Cooperative, Las Piñas East National High School Consumer’s Cooperative, and Plaza Quezon Sa Las Piñas Credit Cooperative.

Since its inception in 2013, the Villar Foundation Awards for Poverty Reduction has celebrated cooperatives and community enterprises driving financial self-reliance and sustainable development across the country.