London, United Kingdom- The Cordillera Connection (TCC) continues to get approval of its application registration with certain regulatory bodies. Last December 2012, its application to the Philippine Embassy for recognition as a Cordilleran community organisation was confirmed. This will allow TCC to legitimately organise social and community activities for Cordillerans within the United Kingdom. It will also allow recognition for the Philippine embassy that such Filipino organisation is existing in the United Kingdom. TCC will also have easier access to the embassy’s programs.
Last May, another important accomplishment for TCC is the approval of its application to register as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom under the Charity Commission. Charity Commission is the regulatory agency for all charities within England and Wales. The registration approval will pave a way for TCC to organise charitable works, including fundraising activities. Under the charity law, TCC can operate its charitable activities in the UK and elsewhere around the world including Philippines. TCC will take advantage of its status as registered charity organisation to realise its genuine objectives. The registration was made possible thru the effort of its trustees, volunteers and a British Solicitor who give free legal advice on the whole course of the registration process.
Meanwhile, TCC in the Philippines under the leadership of Gregorio Taag, a professor at the Benguet State University, was able to register TCC as a non-profit organisation at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This will further strengthen the organisation’s legitimacy. The Cordillera Connection (TCC), however, was registered as The Cordillera Binnadangan Connection, Inc (TCBCI). This is due to the advice of SEC to revise the name as it is no longer possible and also to avoid confusion with other organisations with similar name phrases.
Concurrently, one of TCC’s initial livelihood projects in the Philippines, the creation of a cooperative was finally realised when The Cordillera Connection Credit Cooperative was registered with the country’s Cooperative Development Agency (CDA). Co-operators who founded the Cooperative are composed of UK and Philippine-Based individuals. This credit cooperative offers loans to its members at a very minimal interest rate. This will help members practically in their housing, business, education and others.
Following TCC’s registration as a charity, the trustees of the charity and coop cooperators have made a turning point decision to separate TCC Charity and the Coop as the latter is obviously a business in nature and to allow the former to focus on its charity works. As a result, TCC /TCBCI will be a purely non-profit organisation and will be run by its trustees and its volunteers. TCCCC (Coop) will be a totally separate entity and will be managed by its cooperators. Majority of the cooperators then decided to change TCCCC to another name, eventually the Cordillera Global Credit Cooperative. TCC does no longer entertain queries about the coop thus inquiries are advised to be directly forwarded to the coop management.
Cordillerans in the UK who contributed for the coop are then advised to contact the management of the cooperative to express their interest if they decide to continue their membership with the cooperative. Contributions have been already transferred to the coop so the charity (TCC) is no longer responsible with the fund. Contributors have been initially called for their decisions whether 1) to continue their contribution with the coop, 2) to withdraw, or 3) donate their contribution to the charity.
Report by Linking Cordillerans, United Kingdom
THE CORDILLERA CONNECTION 