BACKGROUND
 
CUES - III is a technical assistance program implemented by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and funded under a cooperative agreement with USAID. The Program seeks to assist the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to implement and operationalize the Manual of Rules and Regulations (MORR) for Credit and Savings Cooperatives which was issued by the CDA in late 2008.
 
OBJECTIVES
 
The principal objectives to of the Program are:
 

1. To help the CDA in Region X, Cagayan de Oro City pilot-test the Manual of Rules and Regulations for Savings and Credit Cooperatives.
2. To help MASS-SPECC (Mindanao Alliance of Self Help Societies – Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center), a federation of cooperatives in northern Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro City, to develop a pilot Supervisory Unit with the necessary technical tools to guarantee an effective regulation and supervision process for MASS-SPEC savings and credit cooperative members. CUES technical assistance will help MASS-SPEC Supervision Unit prepare to request and receive CDA's delegated supervisory authority.
3. To test the Supervision System in at least four (4) pilot Cooperatives in Region X; two (2) MASS-SPECC-affiliated cooperatives and two (2) independent cooperatives supervised directly by CDA.

 
ACTIVITIES AND PROGRESS
 
CUES is working with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and MASS-SPECC to help establish an effective regulatory and supervisory environment for savings and credit cooperatives (SCCs). CDA, as the lead government agency in the promulgation and implementation of MORR, is tasked to supervise all SCCs. However, due to the large number of SCCs, and CDA’s organizational and resource constraints, the CDA is not in a position to do this. With the promulgation of the MORR, CDA has been empowered to accredit able and existing cooperative federations/unions to become its deputized supervisors of SCCs.
 
In order to prepare MASS-SPECC for the challenges and opportunities brought about by the implementation of MORR, one component of the WOCCU-CUES’ technical assistance is the conduct of a feasibility study for MASS-SPEC’s supervision unit. The objective of the study is to assess the viability of establishing and operating a supervision unit in MASS-SPECC. The Program is also implementing a five-month Training Program for CDA and MASS-SPEC supervisors to "Build Capacities for an Effective Regulatory & Supervisory System". Target participants are potential examiners as well as potential cooperative technicians.