Mr. Eduardo Saraida is the incumbent Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Leader in the development of the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) of Bukluran Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BMPC), operating in Paliparan III, Dasmariñas, Cavite. He is also the incumbent Chairperson of the Education Committee & Gender and Development Committee of the Cooperative.
BMPC is a community base cooperative focusing and supporting its grassroots members in the areas of Dasmariñas and whole of Cavite, extending quality services of its loan products, MSME programs, livelihood programs & other services. “BMPC Soaring High @ 25” marks its 25 years this coming May 23, 2021 with around 3,700 members to-date. Today, BMPC is classified as a Large-Scale Cooperative with a Subscribed Capital of more than 100 Million Pesos.
The Union of Enterprising Cooperative (UNECO) invited BMPC to participate in the on-line Business Continuity Planning (BCP) training course that was conducted by the Center for Humanitarian Learning and Innovation (CHLI) last October 2020. This was BMPC’s 2nd time to participate in a learning event run by CHLI.
Prior to CHLI BCP training, BMPC had no structured guidelines for safety & security of its infrastructure, members and staff. There were neither proper documentations and policies when it comes to safety. Safety & security measures were ad-hoc, fragmented and inconsistent across its three offices.
Mr. Saraida disclosed that the BCP training conducted by CHLI was a big help in developing and implementing BMPC’s Business Continuity Plan, where the Main Office of BMPC is prone to fires and theft. “The tailored format of the BCP that CHLI provided and how the training was delivered were easy to comprehend, so the BCP development was facilitated and finished at the target given time by CHLI.”
The aftermath of CHLI BCP training, led BMPC to include the developed draft BCP as one of the important agenda of its Annual Strategic Planning. The BCP was presented and narratively expounded to the Board of Directors and Key Staff. Upon presentation and thorough discussion, the Board of Directors unanimously finalized and approved the BCP, with a resolution passed for this purpose.
Upon release of the BCP resolution, the calendar of activities of trainings and safety drills for all members, officers and staff were laid-out for implementation. In the first quarter, trainings such as fire drills, safety measures, how to use fire extinguishers were conducted at the Main Office and 2 Satellite Buildings. Main Office facility fire exit was provided and visible signs of fire exits were put in place, as directions in case of the actual hazard or disaster.
When it comes to safety & security, “Our bible” at the office now is our BCP, where checklists were quantified before, during and after the hazard or disaster occur. For easy access, BCP’s hard copies are visibly seen at the General Manager’s table & at operation offices. That is the beauty of it, quantified checklists of what to do, can be referred to beyond reach of the fingers, staple at the table.
Having a BCP is a huge help for us (Mr. Saraida disclosed), even the first layer of Strategies against COVID-19, in order to protect all our members (especially the staff), were quantified. Most importantly, the things to do and to consider during the COVID-19 pandemic.
BMPC’s key takeaway from BCP is in sync with their motto to “Think Safety!”
CHLI has conducted nine (9) runs of BCP Training in 2020 with around 300 total participants coming from cooperatives and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) all over the country. To make this happen, CHLI worked in partnership with the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), CLIMBS Institute of Management (CIM), Model Cooperative Network (MCN), Union of Enterprising Cooperative (UNECO), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Region 4A.
With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting face-to-face learning events, CHLI converted its training modules into a learning package that can be delivered fully on-line. If you would like to learn more about BCP, visit its website at chli.asia/services-products.
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