Reboot

Hectic and feverish describe the pace of activities anchored by VICTO National co-op federation these past three to four weeks.

After conducting the elite training course, Development Education commonly known as DE among co-operative professionals from August 23-30 in a downtown hotel, VICTO segued into the World DE from September 6 to 10 in the same venue.

I mentored in the Philippine DE class of 2018 which had 19 top notch executives coming from Laoag in the north to Polomolok in the south. One can imagine the dynamics of getting young and intelligent professionals in one room and have them immerse in hands on workshops and exposure. In a different milieu, the activity would have been chaotic but participants were careful to make co-operative values come into play. “Trust the process, leave your title at the door” is the first lesson so many leaders who think they’ve got it all figured out came out of this program surprised, refreshed and renewed.

The fruit of the DE is not the actual project that participants are supposed to plan and execute within a year’s time but the psychological reboot that enables even the most cynical co-op professionals to go back to their social mission and rethink their personal lives.

After DE class number 13, VICTO under CEO Dudz Samson backed by his Marvel-like heroes cast of co-workers, Konstantin Comeros, Rhey Canarias, Leo Locaberte and Pangarap segued into the World DE1.

Only two continents, US and Africa were represented but the lineup from the US and Africa is impressive: Lois Kitsch, formerly of the National Credit Union Foundation, Kenya’s George Ombado, CEO of the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations and also executive director of Africa DE, Nancy Johns of American Airlines Federal Credit Union, Dr. Troy Hall of the South Carolina Credit Union, Kathy Chartier of the Members Credit Union based in Danbury, Connecticut among others. Philippine coops were also represented by Macario Quevedo of Cebu People’s Co-op, Judith Salcedo and Zeny Novabos of SCEGA, Meldy Cruz of CEMIMPCO and Danilo Cabahug of PHCCI Dumaguete.

Dudz Samson is considered the father and guru of Philippine DE. After taking the course in the US in 2004, Dudz brought the program to Cebu in 2005. Thirteen years into the PhDE, Dudz toyed with the idea of bringing together all DE facilitators, mentors and graduates from the US, North America, Asia, and Africa in a conference cum reunion to enable practitioners to share updates and keep track of each other’s initiatives in their respective countries. Before I knew it, Dudz’ idea became a reality and were it not for a previous commitment, I would have participated in the program too.

In any case, I had the privilege of interviewing face to face and online, Ms. Nancy Johns of American Airlines Federal Credit Union, one of the largest CUs in the US.

On Day 2 of World DE, Ms. Johns was floored by the exposure they had in the Lamac Multipurpose Co-operative in Pinamungahan, Cebu. Having visited Lamac MPC once in 2008 she was amazed by what she saw: paved roads going to the Hidden Valley Resort, the amenities including the cultural treat staged by the children of co-op members.

In particular, the international delegates were impressed by the Organic Farm Tourism project conceptualized by Ms. Justine Lynn Limocon, who took the DE in 2015.

This project had won for Lamac and Justine Lynn the DE Joe Biden award of 2016 as well as the Co-op Pitch award in the Youth Co-operative Summit in Asia Pacific.

The organic farm tourism is a showcase for agricultural enterprises. It hosts a center for organic fertilizer making, an organic garden, as well as a hostel and an agricultural training center recently accredited by TESDA.

I will treat the rest of Ms. John’s takeaway from the World DE in the next article. Suffice it to say that listening to her felt like the Lamac experience prompted her to press reboot the second time.