Development Education Workshop:
The Development Education Workshop in Bangkok is one of my life’s most treasured training. Not because it is held in a foreign country with a plus on travel but it is because I’ve learned new insights and it renews my commitment to the cooperative movement and more so to our country as a Filipino.
Other than the Development in Credit Union education and cooperative awareness, the training gives me deep understanding of what we were called for in preserving and protecting the cooperative movement in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. I am very grateful for the training and would surely bring the advocacy of credit union awareness wherever I go. It also gives me realities of what we Filipino’s have done so far in as far as the cooperative movement in the Philippines is concern.
I would like to speak more as a Filipino DE. What I have observed, what I have learned, and why we need more people who have unquestioned integrity and honesty in the cooperative movement in the Philippines.
The Culture:
“Talk More, Do Less” that’s what we Filipino’s are, we talk too much but we work less. We are good communicator in English than any other Asian nationals and they envy us for that. But what is very sad is we don’t walk the talk. Meaning we are only good at talking and not on implementing. It is either we are slow to implement or we don’t implement at all.
Chum Klung Chan Credit Union Ltd. size and successes struck me deeply. The visitation pounded my heart after knowing some of them were trained in the Philippines, specifically SEARSOLIN in Cagayan de Oro. I teach Cooperative Financial Management I and II at SEARSOLIN for the last three (3) years. And yet the biggest Cooperative in the Philippines is less than one-third (1/3) the size of Klung Chan CU, what a shame! I should be the one listening to them. I felt I have done nothing for my cooperative and the cooperative movement in my country. Nevertheless, this is a challenge for me to pursue and replicate successes thru best practices applications in my country whenever and wherever applicable.
The Lessons:
As a Development Educator in Asia it is my duty to spread the light for those who are still in darkness in my country as well as in Asia. I felt the burden of sharing the good news by lighting more candles of Credit Union awareness in Asia. “Creating a Real Difference” to the peoples lives that they may realize they matter to the communities where they belong and that they too could make a difference in their respective communities.
Empowerment – this I believe is what we need to advocate to our people. Most of them don’t know about it and never know they could have it in numbers. We could only make a good fight on social equity and justice if the people are empowered. If there minds are opened it is only then we could say we have conveyed our message successfully. As I always say in all of my speaking engagement that “there is not enough justice, where too few have too much, while too many have too little”, the equitable wealth distribution can only be attained by means of Credit Union and I believe there is nothing else.
The Calling:
It is said that many are called but few are chosen. It may not be for everyone to deeply feel the urgency for an unselfish service for the greater good nevertheless it is for everybody to feel the level of awareness that may be enough to spread the word because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will surely speak.
DE workshop creates awareness to those who are already in the movement to make them more convince to the Credit Union, equipped them for obstacles ahead, and sustain them to move them forward and finally “Creating a Real Difference in their communities”.
I know there are still many, many things to do out there. Only those who are going to step forward and say “Yes” are the ones who will get treasures in heaven. They are the ones who can outlive their lives because they will be remembered. They will be honored.
Thus, for the knowledge and for everything…
Thank you ACCU.
