Suroy-suroy Sugbo's empty claims of successes

Success, as Thesaurus puts it, is synonymous to achievement, accomplishment, victory or triumph. Broadly, it is defined as “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors”. 

In life, we all want to succeed. In reality, anyone who feels a poor loser would even wish to be identified with a winner. Indeed, everyone loves success and the person’s success stories.   

Interestingly, in fact, anyone who fails will most likely console himself by looking at the sunny side of it in taking the circumstance as success turned upside down. As we look into this particular circumstance, however, we appreciate the character and attitude more than what he has reached so far. 

Generally, success (depending on who sees it) is clothed with biases and subjectivity. In most cases, these prejudices are more evident in politically motivated undertakings. One of these undertakings is Gov. Gwen Garcia’s Suroy-suroy Sugbo. As her writers or propagandists wrote, even those mayors allied with Jun-jun Davide admitted that this activity made some areas known. These areas, they say, included among others, Brgy. Lamac in Pinamungajan. This is the barangay where the Hidden Valley Resort is situated. Impliedly, they are saying that the Hidden Valley Resort (owned by Lamac Multipurpose Cooperative) is now known and more visited because of Suroy-suroy Sugbo. 

Truth to tell, Lamac Multipurpose Cooperative (LMPC) is already known for its successes even long before Gov. Gwen Garcia’s father, Cong. Pablo Garcia, became governor. Be it known to everyone that LMPC had humble beginnings. LMPC is a multi-awarded agricultural-based barangay cooperative that thrived and earned multitudes of accolades both nationally and internationally.

Started in 1973 as “Lamac Samahang Nayon”, a group of 70 tenant-tillers and small farm owners joined an orientation and initially contributed P50.00 each. Managed by members/volunteers, with P3,500.00, they started the operation of Consumer/Marketing Services. Due to leadership problems, however, Lamac Samahang Nayon evolved and young professionals took over management under a new organization, Barangay Lamac Organization on Management Effectiveness System Inc. (BLOMES Inc.). Despite all faced challenges, on March 13, 1992 the Samahang Nayon was transformed and registered into a full pledge multipurpose cooperative under the BLOMES Inc. management.

With the all out support of the members and the Local Government (LGU) who provided the lot in a strategic place of the town, a new branch office building was erected and inaugurated on December 10, 2000. In the early months of year 2001, LMPC was able to establish linkage with Capital Credit Union (CCU) thru the twinning coop program of Canadian Cooperative Association (CCA) thru VICTO. A group of Canadian coop leaders came to visit LMPC to experience the Filipino coop way of life. In the same year, four of the LMPC coop leaders paid a return visit to Canada to share and exchange views pertaining to coop development.

On June 29, 2001, the LMPC was able to establish the Toledo Branch Office after the amendment of LMPC’s territory to a district-wide (3rd district) activity from a municipal-based operation. Its entry point was the expansion of the MAP and HELP project (since LMPC became the conduit of PCFC and CARE Philippines).

In the year 2002, the Balamban Branch office was established. It initially catered to the members of the Municipalities of Balamban, Asturias and Tuburan.

Due to the increasing demand, in 2004, the Board of Directors amended the area of operation of the cooperative to cover the entire province of Cebu. As soon as it was approved, LMPC established a branch office in Minglanilla to serve its members in the municipalities of Minglanilla, Naga, and the city of Talisay.

In 2005, Tuburan Sub-office was established to assist its members in Tuburan and Tabuelan. Likewise, on the same year, Lutopan and Barili Sub-offices were built to serve its members in the vicinity. Early part of the year 2006 another two sub-offices were opened. These are Carcar Sub Office for its members in the southeastern side of Cebu and Bogo Sub-office for the needs of its members in the northern part. To serve its members in the southern part of Cebu, it opened another office in Oslob. To serve its members in Metro Cebu, the sub-offices in the cities of Mandaue and Lapulapu were established in the latter part of 2006 and 2008 respectively.

These achievements earned LMPC numerous awards. Among others, it won 2nd prize in the LBP’s Gawad Pitak Contest, with a prize of P400,000.00 in 1995. On the same year, it also won the RCBC Gawad Sikap award with the prize of P100,000.00. On January 21, 2002, LMPC won the RAFI Triennial Award with a prize of P250,000.00.

In terms of awards, 2003 was the biggest year for LMPC. It bagged the most coveted award, the “the Ginintuang Gawad”, from Land Bank of the Philippines. Such award earned for them P1,000,000.00. Setting aside the monetary consideration, what made it special was that it was a contest among Hall of Famer Cooperatives nationwide. More importantly, such award led to the rise of a very important landmark not only in Lamac, Pinamungajan or Province Cebu, but in the entire country as well, the now renowned, Hidden Valley Resort.

Today, Lamac Multi-purpose Cooperative is operating, among others, 14 business offices in the entire province of Cebu and a branch in Tubigon, Bohol, a resort, a water system, a demo farm, a piggery, a bakeshop, a rice mill and a grocery store in Barangay Lamac, Pinamungajan.

Straightforwardly, these achievements alone made them a real place of interest. Multitudes of cooperatives here and abroad have held conferences, seminars, meetings and educational tours in the place long before Suroy-suroy Sugbo was initiated. 

Learning from the LMPC experience, Gov. Garcia and the provincial capitol should instead focus on building the right infrastructure like roads and decent public toilet. These are necessities that are obviously required by tourists and visitors alike. Through such initiative, the private sector will be encouraged to build places of interest even in far-flung places like Lamac since wherever these are, these will be reachable. 

Apparently, therefore, the issue is not on promotions and marketing. As far as Cebu is concerned, the big question is, what kind of tourism products are we promoting. Or, more appropriately, is there a good product worth promoting. 

Having said these facts, with all certainty, Suroy-suroy Sugbo is just a blatant waste of taxpayers’ money for the governor’s political gains. If the Governor should insist on her success claims, she must show a full accounting of such activity. Also, she must provide the public of statistics that would show the favorable impact of the activity on the provincial capitol’s tourism initiatives. Otherwise, her claims of successes are all empty and are downright baloney. 

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