Cooperatives continue to grow larger and stronger over the years. However, the sector faces significant challenges, particularly the rapidly evolving market environment and the emergence of transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). These developments compel cooperatives to rethink and adopt more innovative management approaches, leadership philosophies, and operational techniques.

Among these strategies, benchmarking has gained considerable attention for its proven effectiveness in enhancing organizational performance. In response, VICTO National organizes the International Cooperative Educational Exposure—an initiative designed to equip cooperative leaders with valuable insights, global perspectives, and practical experiences that strengthen the practice of cooperativism.

In June 2026, sixteen primary cooperatives, represented by a total of 72 leaders, participated in an International Cooperative Educational Exposure across Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam (Tri-Country). The program aimed to broaden participants' understanding of diverse cooperative models, best practices, and innovative approaches in the region.

The delegation visited key cooperatives, including Thainamthip Saving and Credit Cooperative Limited in Thailand, Sovatepheap Thoamacheat Agriculture Cooperative in Cambodia, and Saigon Co-op, a consumer cooperative in Vietnam. Each host organization shared its journey—from humble beginnings to notable achievements—highlighting operational strategies, challenges encountered, and lessons learned.

Through structured presentations and open forum discussions, participants actively exchanged ideas and perspectives. This collaborative environment fostered a deeper sense of ownership, strengthened motivation, and enhanced engagement among cooperative leaders. The knowledge-sharing experience proved instrumental in enriching their understanding of cooperative development.

The exposure also led to a sobering realization: while Philippine cooperatives have made meaningful progress, they still have substantial ground to cover compared to their regional counterparts. Nonetheless, this gap has ignited a renewed sense of determination among the delegates—a collective drive to elevate the standards and impact of cooperatives in the Philippines.

Ultimately, the International Cooperative Educational Exposure was more than a learning activity—it was a transformative journey. It reshaped perspectives, inspired innovation, and reinforced a shared commitment to advancing the cooperative movement. Above all, the delegates returned with a profound sense of gratitude for the meaningful and memorable experiences gained from their engagements in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

**Da Nang 2025 Tour**

The Bohol Diocesan Multi-Purpose Cooperative, recognized as the first billionaire cooperative in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, successfully conducted an Educational Cooperative Exposure in Da Nang from August 22 to 26, 2025.

This initiative provided valuable learning opportunities for the Board of Directors, officers, management, and staff, strengthening their competencies and broadening their perspectives on cooperative development and operations.

As part of the program, the delegation visited the Kim Bong Cooperative, where they were warmly welcomed by its leadership. The visit marked a significant milestone for the participants, as it was their first opportunity to engage directly with an international cooperative.

Through this exposure, participants gained meaningful insights, exchanged ideas, and drew inspiration from the practices, innovations, and achievements of their Vietnamese counterparts. The experience not only enriched their knowledge but also reinforced their commitment to advancing the cooperative movement within their own organization and community.

We are excited to share the remarkable progress we've made in 2025, a year characterized by both challenges and significant achievements.

Our organization remains dedicated to empowering member affiliates and enhancing their business operations, governance structure, and community impact.

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**Empowering Our People**

We recognize the dedication and hard work of our team members, who are essential to achieving operational efficiency. We offer opportunities for growth and development, fostering an environment where every employee can thrive and contribute to our shared mission. This year, we revitalized the Cooperative Managers Career Development Program (CMDP), a comprehensive training initiative that has equipped 20 cooperative leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary for success.

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**Delivering Impactful Training Programs**

Our management team has consistently excelled in their roles, strengthening our position as a leading and preferred training provider for cooperatives. We offer cost-effective training that empowers our members with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our Training and Advocacy efforts have supported 687 cooperatives, benefiting 6,902 participants and significantly contributing to the growth of the cooperative movement.

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**Achievements and Recognition**

We are proud to announce that our Training and Advocacy efforts achieved an impressive 140% accomplishment. We closed 2025 with a remarkable Net Surplus of P6.5M, exceeding our targets and showcasing our commitment to excellence. Our total assets have grown to P444M, highlighting our strong financial management and dedication to our members.

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**Looking Forward**

We remain confident in the depth of our training programs, expertise, and business strategies. We will continue to uphold the highest standards of quality training and education for cooperatives, ensuring excellence in every aspect of our service offering. We are grateful for the trust and support of our stakeholders, who share our vision of a stronger, more resilient cooperative movement.

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Mabuhay!

**JOSE C. DETABLAN**
Chief Executive Officer

**ROMULO T. SISNO**
Chairperson of the Board

Tony Martin Award for Leadership Excellence. Named after the Scarborough priest who spent the best years of his life organizing and nurturing co-operatives in the Visayas region, the Tony Martin Leadership Award seeks to honor a co-operator who has demonstrated exemplary performance as a volunteer co-operative leader. To qualify for this award, a leader must exemplify the values of voluntarism and make significant contributions to the promotion and development of cooperativism and its social agenda of freedom, justice, and nationalism.

Fondly known as “Inday,” she is best remembered for founding the Cebu CFI (Court of First Instance) Community Cooperative in 1969—a legacy that continues to benefit Filipinos today.

True to her name, which translates to “hope” in Spanish, she provided thousands of Filipinos with the opportunity for financial empowerment through the cooperative.

While serving as Clerk of Court for the CFI of Cebu, Garcia witnessed the struggles of court workers who were vulnerable to loan sharks.

Today, the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative stands as one of the country’s most successful community cooperatives.

A culture of training and development fosters a positive and supportive work environment, leading to increase engagement and collaboration. Training can also lead to a significant return on investment by improving employee performance, reducing costs and increasing productivity. VICTO National ensures that the Center is crucial for developing skills, improving performance, and fostering a positive work environment, ultimately benefiting both employees and organization by enhancing productivity, engagement and retention. The Center’s core service of education and training has been strengthened by the introduction of new courses and partnerships with a wide variety of new institutions both here and abroad

VICTO National was founded in 1970 by Canadian missionaries called the Scarborough Fathers who started a parish program in Southern Leyte called "Saving Souls the Credit Union Way". Its core service is education and training. It offers the widest variety of courses in the country, ranging from mandatory seminars required by the Co operative Development Authority (CDA) to technical, motivational and specialized trainings including, but not limited to, Technical Trainings, Motivational Seminars, and Specialized Sessions. It has spun off its financing arm called Philippine CoopCentral Fund Federation (PCF). It has also spun off its auditing arm to comply with international standards and regulations. It has a strong consultancy program (from bookkeeping assistance to project development/evaluation and others) availed by clients from government, academe, NGOs and coops. It currently maintains offices in Mindanao, Luzon and the 3 regions of the Visayas plus seminar hauses in Cebu, Tacloban and Iloilo. It has close to 300 coop affiliates with an aggregate asset of at least 40 billion pesos coming from at least a million households.

The management aim is to build remarkable progress to diversify our capabilities and offerings, thereby expanding opportunities and value for our member-affiliates, partner federations and clients. Since that time, we’ve valued the opportunity to continue to connect with many of our stakeholders, visiting their offices around the country. We continue to be inspired by our work providing solutions and outcomes which are having a positive impact in the cooperative sector today and for the future.

A dynamic business approaches for a changing environment

Solutions for a better future Generally, we’re seeing larger, more multifaceted service demands across cooperative sectors aligned to critical cooperative sustainability. Anticipating the most advanced business trends, we’re leveraging the deep experience we’ve gained over decades to solve complex challenges around cooperative governance issues, resource constraints, and technology. We f irmly believe this is the time for us to capitalize on opportunities to lead, while optimizing and streamlining our business to accelerate cooperative economic growth.

In 2024, we steered VICTO National not only through training and education, consultancy, and audit but also through financial investment services. The Boards of Directors supported the federation’s ongoing efforts to become a better financial service provider. These operational enhancements are both timely and necessary, as economic growth forecasts for the year 2024 have improved significantly.

We pushed boundaries, set new records, and pioneered innovative approaches to mobilize investment and internal capital generation where it’s needed most. As a network, we pool the collective resources of member affiliates together to make a difference in serving the micro and small cooperatives and the communities we serve.

The management and staff's hard work is a testament to our commitment to career development and succession planning. We remain committed to fostering a workplace culture that inspires collaboration, empowers individuals, and cultivates the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We are pleased to report that we achieved our goal of increasing internal progression and improving the network's financial condition. Late last year, we enhanced our sustainability-linked financing structure to reflect the significant progress we have made over the year in advancing our financing strategy, setting ambitious targets, and broadening our scope of impact. We are grateful to all our investors for their support and commitment to our long-term strategic vision.