November 28, 2000

On-the-road from the Philippines

Thursday, Nov. 9: Culture and co-op needs mix, while staff plan future

Before we get discuss today's planning session, here are two examples of how culture and cooperative needs mix in the Philippines:

• Skewers of chicken, beef and pork cooked over barbeque pits along the roadside are a staple in the Philippines. Lois Kitsch told us a story that brings together the life of a street vendor with Savings and Credit With Education (SCWE), the rural women's outreach program of CUES Philippines. A woman belonging to a small Savings & Credit Association applied for a small loan to buy a tarp. Her business is selling barbeque by the road. When the rains come, they douse the fire, effectively shutting down her business for the day. She obtained the loan, bought the tarp, and now has protection from the elements, allowing her to sell her barbeque regardless of the weather.
• Weaving, noncultured pearls, brass, woven baskets and purses, wood carviings, and weapons such as machetes and guns round out the items available for purchase almost anywhere. Guns are a regular sight; armed guards are everywhere. All credit co-ops have armed guards at the door. Some are armed with pistols, others with larger weapons such as M-16s. There have been no robbery attempts at CUES credit unions since the program began in 1997. But as awareness of the credit co-ops and the visibility of the FOCCUS brand increases in future years, safety will become more of an issue, just as in the U.S.

Today we participated in a brainstorming session with the CU-TEs (people who have trained in the CU Training with Empowerment program and who train others). The CU-TEs have created a foundation intended to keep CUES Philippines running after the project ends. The session's goals were to learn about one another and to brainstorm, discuss and plan ways to strengthen and enhance the partnership that WOCCU has arranged between the CU-TE Foundation/CUES Philippines and the Washington CU League.

The ideas generated were exciting; many are feasible. One idea was to introduce the SCWE concept into Native American Reservations in Washington state. Ever since seeing SCWE in action, we've wondered if it could work with U.S. community development credit unions.

During the planning session, Lois's staff reported a run on the bank where the CUES Philippines keeps its funds--2.5 million pesos (about US$40,000). The bank, owned by a friend of the Philippine president, was targeted by protesters, thus prompting the run. By late morning Lois had established another account at a different bank and dispatched two male staffers to withdraw the 2.5 million pesos. They withdrew the project's funds, and after a ride in an armored car, deposited the funds into the new account with no trouble. Had they been unsuccessful, losses could have been significant. Only 100,000 pesos are insured. This is the kind of "surprise" Lois regularly deals with, she said.