GINGOOG CITY: Misamis Oriental - Cooperatives in this city can be seen as instruments of poverty reduction, officials said Wednesday.Speaking at the Provincial Cooperative Development Council meeting here, Gingoog Mayor Erick Cañosa said empowering cooperatives in the city could contribute to achieving single-digit poverty incidence.Cañosa also expressed his support for the initiatives of City Cooperative Development Officer (CCDO) Norma Carcido and Provincial Cooperative Officer Alberto Acain to extend the city's services and project implementation to local cooperatives, primarily farmers and other livelihood-based organizations.In addition to a series of upskilling programs for cooperative members, the CCDO will focus on sustainable livelihood projects that are aligned with the provincial government's poverty reduction measures.According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, Misamis Oriental's last recorded poverty rate was 18.1 percent in 2021.Misamis Oriental Governor Peter Unabia earlier orde red an interdepartmental and whole-of-local government approach to align the province's socio-economic programs and policy agenda in reducing the poverty rate.Source: Philippines News Agency