“When I set foot in the carabao pen to do chores, or enter the office to perform tasks, I don’t think of it as work but consider it a sworn duty–to provide food for our communities as well as income opportunities through the services we offer.”

This is the work creed of Divina Quemi, Chief Executive Officer of the Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC) in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. She is the first worker, manager, and CEO of the consortium since its registration with the Cooperative Development Authority in 1992. 

The NSCC was conceptualized by former Archbishop of Nueva Segovia Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, while Monsignor Ambros Cabildo, then Nueva Segovia Caritas Executive Director, helped in establishing the federation.

True to its vision of “enriching lives thru diversified cooperative services,” the once charity foundation flourished to become the country’s leading and most trusted national consortium of cooperatives and a multi-millionaire federation that now assists hundreds of individuals in North Luzon though the financial, agro-enterprises and marketing services, capability building or training services, tourism program, and social services (FACTS).

 “We chose to engage with agricultural activities because of their economic potential in sustaining the cooperative and also because it is something that connects us with the people in the community. So we innovate our services with different agri-related activities like our native pig production, chicken meat production, and carabao dairy industry. This is also our effort to support food security in the locality,” Quemi enthused.

DA-PCC at Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte headed by then Director Grace Marjorie Recta entrusted an initial of 15 carabaos to the federation in 2021.  

The carabaos reminded Quemi of her childhood when she used to have joyrides on her grandfather’s large native carabao if it was not used for draft power in their farm. When she found out through DA-PCC about the dairy potential in carabaos, it really sparked her interest and gave her a thrill to venture into the project. Quemi made all the necessary preparations for the project and bought 5 hectares of land for growing napier grass to feed the animals.  Currently, they are managing a 22-hectare land, which accommodates various livestock herds.

“The carabaos are properly being cared for not because of the income they give us through their milk but because we consider them part of the family in the farm. In fact, we named some of them after the mothers helping in the farm including me especially the pregnant carabaos not merely for laughs but because we want to care for them like we do with people, too,” Quemi shared.

With the increasing demand for milk supply particularly in the annual Milk Feeding Programs of DepEd and DSWD, Quemi saw the significant economic potential of buffalo dairying. The CEO is hoping to acquire additional carabaos for the coming years to realize their dream of establishing the “NuangCo”, which is a portmanteau of nuang, the local term for carabao, and cooperative. Quemi said this dream shop will showcase different products aside from milk like pastries, soap, and others. They also hope to include the entrustment of carabaos to add to their livelihood services in the future. 

As part of their several advocacies, the NSCC team also conducts community organizing activities by visiting barangays and facilitating meetings for the organization of cooperatives that are not only focused on socio-economic activities but works with a heart for the community.

 “In NSCC we work not solely for the returns of our investments but our paramount goal is to serve the community. We engaged in the dairy industry because we want to help build economically-independent communities with healthy and bright children through carabao’s milk,” Quemi emphasized.

With more than 300 members at present and counting, Quemi is fully driven that the federation has still more communities to empower in the future.

As we are engaging with DA-PCC and observing from other co-ops, I learned that through the dairy industry, we can benefit significantly from carabaos without having to exhaust them. Carabaos should not only be for draft power in the field. We take good care of them not because of the livelihood they give us but because we consider them as part of the family in the farm.