Iluminada Pastoral is the best example of committing her life in service to the people. After dedicating more than three decades teaching elementary school students in Marinduque, Iluminada put her teacher uniform down and took on the new role of being the Chairman of Nangka Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

As proof of her devotion to service, Iluminada made sure not to take on a new role empty handed. She prepared by undergoing capacity building initiatives such as workshops on business planning and finance and budgeting.

Under her leadership, the Nangka Multi-Purpose Cooperative was able to secure a 1.3 million-worth of assistance from the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). The group was provided with a storage shed building, soaking pond, a hauling and decorticator service vehicle, a mobile decorticating machine, and multiple twining devices, among others.

Aside from spearheading the Nangka Coco Coir Processing enterprise from PRDP, Iluminada also facilitates other activities for their cooperative, particularly for their more than 30 female members. On their free time, the women of Nangka participate in their community gulayan, planting vegetables like sitaw and pechay.

Now at 73 years old, Iluminada is still putting on active effort to encourage more people to actively participate in their cooperative. “Sa pagtutulungan aangat ang kooperatiba, magtatagumpay ang aming mga layunin at uunlad ang aming kooperatiba,” shared Iluminada. # (Danica A. Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)