Bislig's tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODAs) may soon get city help to turn themselves into transport cooperatives. The city council adopted a resolution on the idea on October 20, 2026, alongside a second one asking for steady funding for small businesses and newly registered cooperatives.

What the council adopted

The city government's website lists two resolutions adopted at the 66th regular session of the Tenth Sangguniang Panlungsod on October 20, 2026:

  • Resolution No. 2026-834, "providing assistance to Tricycle Operators and Drivers (TODA) to convert into transportation cooperative," in coordination with the City Cooperative Development Office, the Business Permits and Licensing Division (BPLD), accredited TODAs and other agencies
  • Resolution No. 2026-835, requesting Mayor Florencio C. Garay "to allocate annual funding to support the Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including newly registered cooperatives, by providing livelihood assistance and to avail the Zero Interest Loan Program of the City of Bislig"

As of October 28, 2026, only the titles of the two resolutions were posted on the city website; the full texts were not yet uploaded. This article reports what the titles say and explains the national rules any TODA would have to follow.

Association versus cooperative

A TODA is an association. It organizes drivers and operators on a route, represents them before the city, and may run a terminal or collect dues. Some Bislig transport associations are accredited by the city as civil society organizations. The council approved accreditation for the Calubian Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association on August 25 (Resolution No. 2026-717) and for the Bus Terminal Ombak Operators and Drivers Association on October 13 (Resolution No. 2026-809).

A cooperative is a registered business owned by its members. It can pool capital, buy fuel or spare parts in bulk, take loans, own units, and return surplus to members as patronage refunds and interest on share capital.

Bislig already gives small cooperatives a tax break. City Ordinance No. 2026-15, approved in July, exempts CDA-registered cooperatives based in Bislig with accumulated reserves and undivided net savings of P10 million or less from regular local business taxes, so they pay only a P1,000 business permit fee and a P500 community tax certificate.

The national process for transport cooperatives

Transport cooperatives answer to two national agencies:

  • The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), which registers all cooperatives under the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 (Republic Act No. 9520)
  • The Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), an attached agency of the Department of Transportation created under Executive Order No. 898 in 1983, which promotes, organizes and accredits transport service cooperatives

A joint CDA-OTC memorandum circular sets out the main steps:

  • No transport service cooperative may be registered with the CDA without a favorable endorsement from the OTC
  • Applicants attend the CDA's Pre-Registration Seminar and the OTC's Cooperative Education and Transport Operations Seminar (CETOS)
  • Registered transport co-ops then secure a Certificate of Compliance from the CDA, and the OTC will not issue a Certificate of Good Standing without it

This is where city help could matter. The City Cooperative Development Office can guide TODA officers through seminars and paperwork, and the BPLD handles the business permit side once a cooperative is formed.

What it means for drivers and operators

Converting is optional, and a cooperative carries duties an association does not, such as audited financial statements and annual reports to the CDA. In return, members get a legal business vehicle that can save and borrow as a group, plus the city's lower local taxes for small co-ops.

TODA officers interested in converting can ask the City Cooperative Development Office at City Hall. The terms of the Zero Interest Loan Program mentioned in Resolution No. 2026-835 were not described in the posted title, so borrowers should confirm eligibility and amounts directly with the city.

Sources: City of Bislig, list of 2026 Sangguniang Panlungsod resolutions on bislig.gov.ph (Resolution Nos. 2026-717, 2026-809, 2026-834 and 2026-835); City Ordinance No. 2026-15; CDA-OTC Joint Memorandum Circular on registration, accreditation and issuance of COC and CGS for cooperatives engaged in transport services (cda.gov.ph).