Cooperative Profile

 USPD stands for……………

UNITED

SUGARCANE

PLANTERS  OF

DAVAO, INC.

June, 1980, USPD Incorporated was organized by 30 bonafide sugarcane planters  of Davao Sugar Central Company (DASUCECO) in Guihing, Hagonoy, Davao del Sur as a sugarcane planters association to safeguard its member’s interest inside the sugar mill just like the rest of the sugar planters’ associations in the different sugar districts. 90% are small planters owning 3.0 has. and below farms. Membership covers the whole of Davao del Sur, part of North and South Cotabato.  April, 1984, its founder, the late Major Dominador Magabilen, Sr. convinced 28 USPD association members  to set-up a marketing arm – thus the birth of USPD Marketing Cooperative on April 12, 1984 under PHILSUCOM SC – 34 with an initial paid-up capital of P98,000.00 which now grew to P44,736,569 and a total membership of 3,437 sugar planters.

 June, 1985, USPD MPC started to provide high school scholarship to qualified children of its members. When the free high school was implemented, the cooperative changed its scholarship program and offered it to college entrants, both academic and vocational.

To-date, the cooperative had already produced 60 college and vocational graduate scholars with 24 college students presently enrolled in more than 10 universities and colleges here in Davao del Sur, Davao City and as far as Mindanao State University (MSU) in General Santos City and University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, Cotabato.

January, 1991, after seven years of successful operation, the cooperative amended its articles and by-laws in 1991 in order to further serve the growing needs of its members transforming the marketing cooperative into an agricultural multi-purpose cooperative, USPD Multi-Purpose Cooperative, CDA Reg. No. 150.

 June, 1991, USPD MPC availed the Sugarcane Credit Facility of Land Bank of the Philippines to extend sugar crop loan to its ever-growing membership especially the CARP beneficiaries and 35 rebel returnees. April, 1992, USPD MPC expanded its operations and availed the Cattle Breeding Program of the Government through Land Bank of the Philippines which benefited 487 members. April 26, 1996, USPD Savings and Credit Department was launched. After having seen the effects of “El Niňo phenomenon” hitting Davao Mill District, the rat and locust infestations that follows, eventually destroying sugarcane fields and the unpredictable ups and downs of sugar prices, USPD MPC management thought of teaching its members – the value of saving. Year 1997, USPD MPC became a recipient of French Government’s Project “Cattle Breeding thru Artificial Insemination” – the Franco-Filipino Cattle Project. Semens of French breeds like the Limousine, Charolaisé and Blondé de Aquitine. Also, the cooperative became a recipient of the Government’s Dispersal Program of Pure-Bred American Brahman cattle.

September, 1998, CUES-Philippines (Credit Union for

Empowerment and Strengthening), a development project of the World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. based in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A., a USAID funded project, searched for partner-cooperatives who were willing to try the Model Credit Union Building (MCUB) methodology aimed to strengthen the financial operations of the cooperative. USPD MPC was invited to join and on September 1998, USPD Chairman of the Board, Blas B. Labad, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with CUES-Philippines for its Savings and Credit Department operations.June, 1999, having achieved the financial disciplines required by CUES-Philippines, a village banking program was introduced to USPD Savings and Credit Department, the Savings and Credit With Education Program (SCWE) – a trademark of Freedom from Hunger based in Davis, California.  In this program, the women are taught how to save, how to effectively use a credit line and trained to be capable in engaging successfully in micro-enterprise. To-date, the USPD CC SCWE Program has 292 active savings and credit associations (SCAs) with 4,601 women-members from 11 municipalities. Total loans granted to these women amounted to P199,941,242 and generated a pure savings of P2.738M.

September 15, 2000, USPD MPC Savings and Credit Department, along with other two partner-cooperatives, was awarded the “SILVER FOCCUS” brand (Finance Organizations Achieving Certified Credit Union Standards), by the World Council of Credit Unions, when it achieved the Silver Award. It is a brand name given to financial cooperative achieving stringent international prudential ratios.

 November 18, 2001, USPD Savings and Credit was awarded the “GOLD FOCCUS” Award, meaning the cooperative is now a QUALITY cooperative – the first and only partner-cooperative to achieve such a fete.  June 2002, USPD has attained the highest award for the FOCCUS brand – “PLATINUM FOCCUS” Award – meaning the cooperative already attained the Model Credit Union status comparable to that of any other credit union in the world. September, 2003, USPD Credit Cooperative, with an asset size of P83.2M and 13,564 members, became a duly registered credit cooperative with the Cooperative Development Authority. At present, USPD Credit Cooperative continues to maintain its Model Credit Union Status – Platinum FOCCUS Cooperative catering to 21,025 members with a total asset size of P192.723M, total savings deposits of P138.527M, total net loans of P138.496 and a delinquency rate of 2.76%.  It has opened 5 satellite offices to-date: Digos Satellite Office in front of SSS Building, Rizal Avenue, Digos City last April, 2002; Padada Satellite Office located at New Public Market, Padada, Davao del Sur last December, 2002; Sta. Maria Satellite Office located at the Sta. Maria Public Market, Davao del Sur  last June, 2003; Malita Satellite Office in Poblacion, Malita, Davao del Sur in the year 2005; and early this year, the Don Marcelino SCWE Satellite Office in Poblacion, Lawa, Don Marcelino, Davao del Sur.On the other hand, in December, 2002, USPD MPC, its mother agri-multi-purpose cooperative, opened its Matalam Sub-Office opened to cater to the needs of the growing membership of Cotabato planters to USPD MPC. 

Then, in August, 2003, USPD MPC also expanded its operations to include organic fertilizer production.

 August, 2004, it started to institutionalize its organic fertilizer production thru a partnership with DOST and SPAMAST in the formulation of the best organic fertilizer mix that would eventually replace the high cost of inorganic fertilizers used by its members in sugarcane production. This organic fertilizer, “USPD Organiks”, is now in the process for commercialization with FPA. April, 2005, another diversification program was launched – the CARDAVA Banana Production Project and the first planting season started in July, 2005.  It is also at this time that USPD MPC undertook a step further in fulfilling its social responsibility to its members by having a joint project with the Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc. (SIFI) and Peace Equity Foundation (PEF) – Supporting Local Enterprises Through Overseas Remittances. It is a pilot program of sending the scholars of the cooperative as well as the deserving children of cooperative members including the children of their farm laborers abroad. This project does not end there only, parents and relatives of these children sent abroad will be trained to become entrepreneurs and value the money sent to them. October 2005, USPD Credit Cooperative was given the Award of Excellence in the Category of Community-based Savings and Credit Cooperative during the 2^nd Regional Cooperative Congress spearheaded by the Cooperative Development Authority. September 2006, the CAVENDISH Banana Production Project was also launched as banana production continues to be a profitable venture in the agriculture industry here in our country.
Indeed, quality is the life of the cooperative and the life of the USPD Multi-Purpose Cooperative is maintained by the commitment and support not only of its members but also the officers and staff behind the cooperative. It is through these concepts that the USPD Multi-Purpose Cooperative is poised to continue achieving its growth and prosperity well in the millennium..