Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT of AGRARIAN REFORM

 

 

 MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR

 No. 08

 Series of 2013

 

 

 

1. PREFATORY STATEMENT:

 

Since 1993, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has been providing interventions and assistance to AR cooperatives in ARCs, as its development partners in propelling the socio-economic growth of the ARBs, with the end of enhancing their dignity and improving the quality of their lives. However, to date, of the 4,150 cooperatives that DAR has been assisting, only 39% or 1,614 ARB cooperatives have compiled with the re-registration requirement pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 9520 (The Philippine Cooperative Code of the Philippines) and the remaining 2,484 cooperatives have yet to register.

 

Under Article 93 of RA 9520, the DAR and CDA have to provide the necessary financial and technical assistance to ARB cooperatives to enable them to discharge effectively the purposes and objectives of the cooperatives. It likewise stipulates the list of 14 COA-mandatory training programs that each cooperative must undergo as part of its continuing capacity building and cooperative professionalization process.

 

In recognition of the need to support ARB cooperatives in their effort to sustain their operations and services to their general membership, the DAR and CDA is implementing the Partnership Program on Strengthening and Capacity Building of ARB Cooperatives, which seeks to develop strong and stable cooperatives that are able to harness economic and social opportunities and cope with challenges in order to better serve its members and contribute in improving the quality of life of ARBs, their households and rural women.

 

This Memorandum Circular contains the mechanics for the conduct of the 14 CDA mandatory training programs, including the procedures and requirements for availing of the training funds under the DAR –CDA Partnership program.

 

Per approved project document, the following outputs are expected to be generated under this Project:

 

• 31,500 coop participants trained on mandatory courses stipulated in RA 9520 and other relevant training programs
• 1,200 ARB cooperatives in good standing status

 

 

 

 

 

II. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES

 

1. SCOPE AND TIMELINES OF TRAINING:

 

Per Article 93 of RA 9520, all re-registered cooperatives shall undergo the following CDA mandatory training courses:

 

• Basic Cooperative Course
• Cooperative Management and Governance
• Rules Formulation
• Parliamentary Procedures
• Leadership and Value Re-orientation
• Strategic Planning
• Basic Accounting for Non-accountants
• Financial Management
• Records Management
• Records Management
• Entrepreneurial and Business Management
• Cooperative Standards
• Audit Management
• Internal Control
• Conflict Management

 

As much as practicable, DARPOs shall ensure that all officers of 1,614 cooperatives shall undergo the 14 training programs to ensure that the effective and efficient coop operation and management. However, in view of financial constraints, the first round of training to be conducted within the first semester of 2013 will be focused on the following four (4) CDA Mandatory Trainings:

 

    1.   Two-day live-out Basic Cooperative Course (BCC);

    2.   Three-and-a-half day live-in Cooperative Management and Governance (CMG);

    3.   Three-and-a-half day live-in Financial Management (FM); and

    4.   Two-day live-out Leadership and Values Re-orientation (LVR)

 

The second round of training, which will be conducted until December 2013 shall cover the following courses:

 

• Rules Formulation
• Parliamentary Procedures
• Strategic Planning
• Basic Accounting for Non-accountants
• Records Management
• Entrepreneurial and Business Management
• Cooperative Standards
• Audit Management
• Internal Control
• Conflict Management

 

 

 

 

 

A.1 MECHANICS IN IMPLEMENTING THE FIRST ROUND OF TRAINING

 

1. To maximize fund utilization, provinces with at least nine (9) CDA re-registered cooperatives based on the validated cooperative inventory results shall be covered in the first round of training. All DARPOs shall prioritize nine (9) cooperatives to be provided with the four (4) trainings using the following criteria:

 

• Those covered by PBD interventions being implemented at the local level such as ARCCESS,

       CPWASH, and Village Level Production Center Enhancement (VLPCE), etc;

• Those covered by the ADB-Agrarian Reform Community Program (ARCP) II and ARISP III; and
• With large number of agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) members

 

2. The Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) assisted under Credit Assistance

       Program for Program Beneficiaries Development (CAP-PBD) and Agrarian Production Credit

       Program (ACPC) are not eligible under this program,

 

3. All the pre-identified 9 (nine) priority coops shall undergo the four (4) trainings, DARPO should rationalize the conduct of each course by ensuring that an optimum number of participants from the identified cooperatives are covered (e.g., minimum of 66 for BCC, 68 for LVR, 72 for CMG, and between 32-40 participants for FM). A suitable venue shall be selected based on the location of the participating cooperatives.

 

4. DARPO shall manage the conduct of mandatory training programs through CDA accredited training service providers, the list of which can be secured from the CDA Regional Office, The identified training service providers shall conduct/serve as resource persons for the CMG, LVR and

      FM,

 

5. For the BCC however, the DARRO and DARPO may directly conduct the training without engaging an accredited training institution, provided that the RA. 9520 standard curriculum is strictly adopted, It shall be noted that the copy of the standard curriculum is contained in MC No.2011-14 which is downloadable in the official CDA website (www.cda.gov.ph).

 

6. DARRO shall perform the following functions:
7. Extend the required training-related technical assistance to DARPOs such as: providing list of accredited training service providers, ensuring the number of days and topics discussed per course is based on the CDA standard curriculum; and
8. Field monitoring to ensure that activities programmed by the DARPOs are carried out as planned,
9. Together with the Regional CDA counterparts, provide post-training follow-through activities such as field coaching, mentoring, handholding, documentation, and other learning modalities.

 

7. SSO and BARBD shall also conduct spot monitoring of the field level trainings.

 

8. DARCO shall transfer funds in the amount of FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FIFTY PESOS (P433,650.00) per province for the conduct of the following training programs:

 

• Three (3) batches of live-out BCC involving at least three (3) cooperatives per batch and a minimum of 66 trainees per batch
• One (1) batch of live-in CMG covering at least 9 (nine) cooperatives per batch and a minimum of 72 trainees per batch
• Two (2) batches of live-in FM covering 4 (four) to 5 (five) cooperatives per batch and an average of 32-40 trainees per batch
• Two (2) batches of live-out LVR covering 4 (four) to 5 (five) cooperatives per batch and a minimum of 68 trainees per batch

 

9. The training fund shall be solely and exclusively used as specified above and shall cover the following cost items, using the following cost parameters:

 

Live-Out 8-hour Training Course	Budgetary Items			TOTAL
	One (1) Lunch and Two (2) Snacks	Supplies & Materials	Honorarium
Basic Cooperative Course (BCC)	68 (66 pax +2RPs) X P200 X 2 days per batch x 3 batches       = Php81,600.00	198 pax X P50 per pax X 3 batches       = Php9,900.00		Php91,500.00
Cooperative Management and Governance (CMG)	74 (72 pax + 2 RPs) X P200 per pax X 3.5 days = Php51,800.00	72 pax X P50 per pax   = Php3,600.00	Php11,000 per day x 3.5 x days   = Php38,500.00	Php93,900.00
Financial Management (FM)	Batch 1 = 34 (32 pax + 2 RPs) X P200 X 3.5 days =P23,800.00   Batch 2 = 42 (40 pax + 2 RPs) X P200 X 3.5 days =P29,400.00   Total=Php53,200.00	72 pax X P50 per pax = Php3,600.00	Php11,000 per day x 3.5 days X 2 batches = Php77,000.00	Php133,800.00
Leadership & Values Re-orientation (LVR)	Batch 1 = 70 (68 pax +2 RPs) X P200 X2 days = P28,000.00   Batch 2 = 87 (85 pax+2RPs)X P200 X 2 days=P34,800.00   Total=Php62,800.00	153 pax X P50 per pax     =Php7,650.00	Php11,000 per day X 2 days X 2 batches   =Php44,000.00	Php114,450.00
TOTAL	Php249,400.00	Php24,750.00	Php159,500.00	Php433,650.00

 

 

 

 

    The composition of coop participants per course is shown in Annex A.

 

The average cost of P 11,000.00 that was allotted for honorarium of RPs is based on the average standard cost being charged by CDA accredited service providers per benchmark data generated by BARBD from National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Mindanao Alliance of Self- help Societies-Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center (MASSPECC), and Visayas Cooperative Development Center (VICTO).

 

10. The funds to be provided under this program shall be used only for the participation of coop officers. However, the transportation costs that will be incurred by the participating coop officers shall be the counterpart of their respective cooperatives.

 

The cost of lodging of coop participants and resource persons for the two (2) live-in training courses on CMG and FM shall be shouldered by the concerned DARPOs.

 

Since DARROs and DARPOs are encouraged to send their technical staff to attend said training events to update themselves on latest coop-related issuances and guidelines, the cost to be incurred by the participating DAR technical staff shall be shouldered by the respective DARROs/DARPOs.

 

11. Since DARPO is expected to conduct the four (4) training courses within the second quarter of CY

     2013, all DARPOs are required to submit the following documentary requirements on or before 15

     April 2013:

• Training plan and budget covering the nine (9) identified priority cooperatives (Please see

             Annex B for the template)

• Training proposal for the four courses based on the CDA standard curriculum/content areas, which can be downloaded in the CDA website as a requirement for fund release. The proposal shall be approved by the DAR Regional Director.

 

12. For those provinces that have conducted any of the four above-cited mandatory training programs within the first quarter of CY 2013, they may reimburse the cost incurred based on approved cost parameters. Reimbursement shall be subject to the submission of a training completion report indicating the number of participants (with attendance sheet as attachment), duly signed by the CARPO of BDCD and noted by the PARO.

 

13. After the completion of the training events, the DARPO shall prepare a training report using the template in Annex C and liquidate the said funds using the template attached in Annex D.

 

14. DARPO shall integrate the training accomplishments in the quarterly ETPARB report to be submitted to the Planning Service every 10th day of the first month of the ensuing quarter.

 

2. PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 

1. DARRO and DARPO shall also spearhead the creation of the Regional/Provincial Working Group (R/PWG), chaired by the DAR Regional Director/ PARO, and members include the CDA Regional Director, RSSD/BDCD CARPO and CDA Finance Staff.

 

The functions of the R/PWG on the conduct of the mandatory trainings include actual CAPDEV Program implementation, facilitation of collaboration among various institutions, and CAPDEV monitoring and reporting.

 

2. DARCO shall download the amount of THIRTY THOUSAND PESOS (P 30,000.00) to DARRO for the operationalization of the RWG and project management. The cost of field monitoring shall be shouldered by the DARRO.

 

 

 

For your guidance and strict implementation.

 

 

Issued in Quezon City _APR 19 2013

 

VIRGILIO R. DE LOS REYES

Secretary

 

 

LIST OF ANNEXES:

 

   Annex A - Composition of Training Participants per Course

 

   Annex B - Template for the Training Plan and Budget

 

   Annex C - Training Report Format

 

   Annex D - Statement of Receipt and Disbursement

 

 

 

ANNEX A

 

Composition of Training Participants per Course

COURSE TITLE	COOP PARTICIPANTS PER RA 9520
Basic Cooperative Course (BCC)	Board of Directors (BOD) – Average of 7 per coop Secretary – 1 per coop Treasurer – 1 per coop Audit Committee – 3 per coop Election committee – 3 per coop Ethics committee – 3 per coop Conciliation and  mediation committee – 3 per coop Manager – 1 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per Coop = 22
Cooperative Management and Governance (CMG)	Board of Directors (BOD) – average of 7 per coop Manager - 1 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 8
Financial Management	Board of Directors (BOD)  – average of 7 per coop Treasurer- 1 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 8
Leadership and Values Re-orientation	Board of Directors (BOD)  – average of 7 per coop Ethics Committee – 3 per coop Election Committee – 3per coop Meditational and Cancelation Committee – 3per coop Manager – 1 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 17
Rules Formulation	Election Committee – 3 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 3
Parliamentary Procedures	Board of Directors (BOD)  – average of 7 per coop Secretary - 1 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 8
Strategic Planning	Board of Directors (BOD)  – average of 7 per coop manager - 1 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 8
Basic Accounting for Non-Accountants	Treasurer – 1 Per coop Audit Committee – 3 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 4
Records Management	Secretary – 1 per coop Treasurer – 1 Per coop Audit Committee – 3 per coop   Total No. of Pax Per coop = 4

Annex C

 

 

TRAINING REPORT FORMAT¹

 

(Title of the Activity)

 

General Information

 

Title of Activity

Proponent Cooperative

No. of days (hours)

Date Conducted

Venue

Conducted by

Resource Persons and facilitators

 

Rationale, Objective and Expected Outputs of the Activity

 

Participants Profile

 

Total Number of participants

Classification of participants according to:

Gender (Male and Female)

Type of participants (Officers, members, management staff)

Age bracket (Below 20; 21-30; 31-40; 41-50; 50 and above)

 

Highlights of the Activity

Schedule of day-to-day activities

Summary of the modules discussed, expected outputs, and participants reaction to each module

 

Issues and Concerns

 

 

Recommendations

 

 

Prepared by:                                                         Certified by:

 

_______________________                                              _______________________

Designation                                                          Regional Director

 

_______________________                                              _______________________

Date                                                                     Date

 

 

 

 

 ¹Training report submitted to BARBD not later than 30 days upon completion of conduct of activity

                                                                             

Annex D

 

STATEMENT OF RECEIPT AND DISBURSEMENTS

(Title of the Activity)

 

 

Name of Province  : _____________________________

Region                    : _____________________________

 

 

Receipt                                                                                               PhP ____________________

 

LESS

 

Disbursements:                      PhP __________________

                                                      __________________                 ________________________

Balance / Refund                                                                                ________________________

 

 

 

 

Prepared by:                                                                                       Certified Correct:

 

 

 

____________________                                                   __________________________________

                                                                                                           Provincial Accountant

 

 

____________________                                                    __________________________________

               Date                                                                                                    Date

 

 

 

Verified By:

 

 

________________________

(COA Representative)

 

________________________

Date