Province of Batangas – An Enriching Place to Visit

The Province of Batangas is frequently visited by tourists not only for its delicacies, heritage and world-renowned beaches but also for its award-winning cooperatives and cooperative office. The Provincial Cooperative, Livelihood and Enterprise Development Office (PCLEDO), a three-peat Gawad Parangal winner, was recently distinguished in CDA’s Gawad Parangal 2016 and received the Hall of Fame Award for its exemplary performance, leading and institutionalizing cooperative development programs and projects beneficial to the cooperatives and the cooperative movement as a whole. The distinction received by PCLEDO in the past four years is one of the primary reasons why cooperative officers and councils conduct lakbay-aral in the province of Batangas.

Lakbay-Aral, a Filipino term literally translated as travel-study or learning-journey, is a program started by the government intended to provide members and leaders of communities and organizations, as well as government employees and officials, opportunities for exposure visits and experiential learning on a myriad of topics, areas and themes.

In the Province of Batangas, its revered leader, Gov. Hermilando I. Mandanas is an advocate of education and strongly supports programs for learning as part of his coined HELP program or Health, Education, Livelihood and the Protection of the Environment, Life and Property. During the first semester of 2017, a lakbay-aral group originating from the island of Mindanao visited the province of Batangas to conduct on-field capability building and interface-learning activity. In an effort to improve the cooperative movement in Sultan Kudarat province and learn the best practices of award-winning LGUs and cooperatives, delegates from the Provincial Cooperative Development Council of Sultan Kudarat conducted an experiential learning activity in the province of Batangas last May 31 to June 2, 2017. The group was comprised of 19 participants led by Mrs. Theresa W. Tingson, the acting Provincial Cooperative Development Officer, and accompanied by four members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

The participants were welcomed by Mrs. Celia L. Atienza, the provincial government department head of PCLEDO and the National President of the Liga ng mga Cooperative Development Officers sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LCDOP). She informed the participants of PCLEDO’s projects, programs and activities whilst sharing her personal experience in the cooperative movement. The participants also paid a visit to the Cooperative Union of Batangas, a secondary cooperative located at the Provincial Cooperative Development Center. Included in their itinerary is a courtesy call with the Lipa City Cooperative Office and Lipa City Cooperative Development Council. The delegates also visited a number of esteemed cooperatives within the province including the Soro-soro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC), Ibaan Market Vendors and Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IMVCMPC), Bago (Ibaan) Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BIMPC), FILENTREPS MPC, Batangas Dairy Cooperative (BADACO) and the Lipa City Beekeepers Marketing Cooperative.

Before departing the province, the study tour participants expressed their heartfelt gratitude with the Provincial Cooperative, Livelihood and Enterprise Development Office and the primary and secondary cooperatives that showed them the Batangas cooperative hospitality.