One Filipino Cooperative

WHO ARE WE

The One Filipino Co-operative of BC, the first ever Filipino Cooperative Organization in British Columbia, Canada was launched on October 31, 2009. The Co-op’s objective is to enhance the lives of the members, our kababayans, and support one another through cooperative effort or bayanihan.

It is founded on the principles of self-help, responsibility, equality,democratic governance, focus on services to members, equitable distribution of benefits and earnings, and commitment for community growth and development.

A SIMPLE BEGINNING: One Filipino Cooperative Of British Columbia History

One Filipino Cooperative Of British Columbia (OneFilCo-op) was founded in response to the recession that posed a challenge to middle class Canadians starting in 2008. A core group Filipino immigrants in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland talked among themselves and asked the question: How can we gather the Filipino community to talk about the recession and its impact on our lives?

This initial discussion led to more than a dozen community consultation meetings in Vancouver which was attended by Filipino immigrants from around the Lower Mainland. The meetings attracted between 20 and 40 participants. The participatory meetings were marked by vigorous discussions and debate as to how best answer the above question. Various response options were put forward: start a paluwagan (a Filipino traditional informal savings club), establish a foundation or other social organization to raise funds, like grant applications, and set up a business corporation. In one of the meetings, the idea of forming a cooperative was raised. By consensus, the community consultation decided to focus future discussions on how to set up a Filipino co-operative.

As it turned out, the subsequent meetings started to attract the participation of Filipino immigrants who have been co-operators back in the Philippines: co-op officers or members, co-op community organizers, co-op trainers and educators, co-op advocates and activists, and government and NGO co-op administrators. In addition, the emerging co-operative started to attract to the subsequent meetings of Filipino immigrants who were community development practitioners, social workers and planners, corporate executives and leaders, government officials, university faculty, journalists, entrepreneurs, youth and student activists, housewives, international development consultants, and other professionals.

With this tremendous response, the organizing group facilitated another series of action planning workshops that, among others, featured the formation of study groups to explore various aspects of the co-operation formation process. Thus, study committees were set up to look into: BC co-operative registration laws and process; co-op name, the co-op business plan, its organizational structure, information and education campaigns, membership promotion and recruitment and political strategy.

This massive, intense, and energetic drive of the co-op organizers, after some missteps and re-alignment of plans and strategies, One Filipino Cooperative Of British Columbia was finally launched on October 30, 2009, at the John Oliver Secondary School. With registration papers filed (including an Article of Cooperation signed by over 100 signatories), the interim Board of Directors, co-op members, journalists, representatives of the Philippine Consulate-General in Vancouver and other supporters formally presented to the Filipino community the formation of the first Filipino co-operative in British Columbia.

Now, seven years later (and just prior to its 7th anniversary celebration), OneFilCo-op of BC officers and members can look back at its story which was nurtured and woven through the years, through thick and thin, by many of the original participants in the community consultations, officers and members who continue to serve voluntarily after 7 years, and with a 200 regular membership base and about $200,000 loan funds.

Current Operations & Myriad Activities

Membership Promotion, Recruitment, Education and Participation

Countless Pre-membership Education Seminars conducted in Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, North Vancouver and other cities.
The group PMES is supplemented by an online version as well as one-on-one sessions.
A core of OneFilCo-op educators, by its Education Committee, composed of officers, committee members and members with talent in developing, delivering and evaluating membership education activities.
A regular column in the Philippine News Today, entitled Coop Talk as well as occasional features and news bits in other Filipino community and mainstream newspapers.
Networking and active connection with groups of Filipino immigrants (seniors, social service workers, caregivers, professionals, church and community events).
Area Coordination Teams (ACT) in several Lower Mainland cities whose main task is to reach out to, groundwork and eventually recruit new members at the community level.

Leadership, Governance and Sustainability Initiatives

An active and volunteer Board of Directors and Committee Officers who conduct regular and special meetings every month.
This Board is composed of many who were in the co-op formation stage and enhanced by new members whose leadership and skills emerged in the course of their participation in OneFilCo-ops affairs and activities.
A Board meeting with due notice and agenda issued prior, prepared financial reports and written minutes.
Annual General Meetings that have been held since its first one in 2009.
A Five-Year Development Plan (2014-2019) that was developed and presented to the members, and which has been enhanced through an annual beginning-of-the year as well as mid-year review and planning exercise.

Services and Programs to the Members

Capital Build-up and Savings Promotion through continuing membership recruitment and expansion, occasional capital call from eligible officers and members, raffles and other promotions.
Micro lending (regular, emergency, fly-now-pay-later, car, bayad sa credit card, etc.).
Money Remittance Services.
Referral Services (travel agency, entertainment package, auto insurance, financial products and services, healthy living products and services, real estate purchase and mortgage, skilled trades services, rewards programs).
Mutual Help and Benevolent Program.
Financial Literacy Education through a grant from VanCity Savings Credit Union.
Information, Education and Communication: website, Facebook, General Managers updates and notes to members, regular Cooptalk column in Philippine Asian News Today, occasional education seminars on financial services, healthy living, skills development (QuickBooks) participation in Philippine community cultural celebrations, events and network meetings.
Social development programs: camping, out-of-town trips, potlucks, summer bingo and raffles.

A New Chapter: Affordable Housing

To cap this brief story of One Filipino Cooperative Of British Columbia, perhaps it is timely to say at this point that our co-operative has recently initiated the formation of the FilCo-op One Housing Society whose aim is to: provide affordable housing market opportunities for its members as well as for low-income residents of BC; and develop, own, operate and engage into agreement as a non-profit housing operator of a BC Housing Authority facility or a municipal as well as other coop housing providers.

This initiative has progressed from a perceived need to a desire to find out how to fill it. This time, with a track record behind it, OneFilCo-op of BC has stepped into new territory when our co-ops President, with the Board of Directors approval and volunteer consultancy support, initiated the formation of a Task Force on Housing. For about a year now, the group has conducted consultation meetings, research and planning which have resulted in the filing of the registration of the FilCo-op One Housing Society recently. A new chapter of OneFilCo-op of BCs story is being written.

Our Guiding Philosophy

In 2009, we asked ourselves: How can we generate the interest of the Filipino community in the Lower Mainland to take action in the face of the economic recession that was then impacting its members families, jobs, financial well-being and social stability? It seems we have found an answer in the principles of cooperativism to find a social enterprise that is by, of and for the Filipino community.

Many of the initiators and followers of OneFilCo-op of BC seem to be also imbued with the spirit of the following:

"Go to the people; Live among them, Learn from them; Plan with them, Work with them; Start with what they know, Build on what they have; Teach by showing, Learn by doing; Not a showcase but a pattern; Not odds and ends but a system; Not piecemeal but integrated approach; Not to conform but to transform; NOT RELIEF BUT RELEASE."