On May 12, 2012, ADMU-SEDPI Microfinance Capacity Building Program deliverd a training on Conflict Management to 26 cooperatives in La Union. The training was held in Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet. A total of 81 participants attended the event. These cooperatives are all members of the Cooperative Bank of La Union which sponsored the event.
The training aims to discuss the meaning, nature and sources of conflict as well as the effects of conflict in organizations. There are also sessions on the different conflict management styles where participants were able to identify their dominant management style. The training also touches on topics such as effective communication, negotiation, mediation, and conflict management on cooperatives. At the end of the course, participants are expected to gain skills to be able to manage conflict effectively. The training is conducted in response to RA 9250, or the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 which mandates cooperatives to undergo capacity building for their officers.
The Cooperative Bank of La Union (CBLU) is composed of 26 primary cooperatives. The bank aims to assist member-cooperatives to manage their resources and strengthen the cooperative movement in the La Union. Their assets amount to PhP106 Million, with a loan portfolio of PhP77 Million. CBLU is a member of Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives, ADMU-SEDPI’s local partner for the training hub in Ilocos Sur.
The trainers were SEDPI Chairperson Edwin Salonga and Program Officer Denise Subido. Overall, the training as well as the trainers received an excellent rating from the participants. One of the participants said, “The speakers are very knowledgeable about the topics discussed” and “they have mastery of the subject matter and were able to draw the interest of the participants.” With this training, SEDPI hopes to reach out to more cooperatives through capacity-building efforts.