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DR. ROMULO T. SISNO, presently the chairman of the

Board of Directors of EPSTEMPCO and NONESCOST
MPC the Vice-Chairperson of the VICTO National
Federation of Cooperatives and the President of the
Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology,
was
declared
as
the
MOST
OUTSTANDING
COOPERATIVE LEADER IN THE PHILIPPINES during the
national cooperative summit held at Waterfront Hotel, Cebu
City on October 16, 2014.
Dr.Sisno, fondly called by his nickname Boy grew up in the
haciendas of Escalante. At the age of 6, he went with his
parents in plowing, planting, weeding and cutting down
sugar cane. During off season, he and his family would
leave home to look for other jobs in order for them to
survive. The pains and sufferings were sometimes too
much for the young Romulo to bear that he promised to
work hard and get out of the slave-like existence.
From high school to college, Romulo walked the 9-kilometer distance in order to
acquire education at Mount Carmel College (MCC) in Escalante City. He used to work
in the hacienda during weekends to support his parents in raising money for his
allowance and tuition fee.
Despite meager earnings, Romulo was able to save enough money to enter
college. But it was still not adequate. In order to insure his college education, he
applied and was accepted as a working student in MCC.
Finally in 1982, his perseverance paid off. He graduated Cum Laude with a
degree in Commerce major in Accounting. It came as no surprise that he joined the
administrative and teaching staff of the Mt. Carmel College after graduation. He studied
further and now holds a masters degree in Business Administration and a doctorate
degree in technology management. A second doctoral degree in Rural Development is
still in the works.
We are empowering the poor if we help them improve their economic condition.
Once empowered, they can actively participate in planning and decision making. There
is also a need to change their passive culture, and it is for this reason why I am in
education and cooperatives.
Dr. Sisno joined EPSTEMPCO and NONESCOST MPC in 2000 and rose to
become its chairman from 2002 up to the present. His work in making EPSTEMPCO, a
multi-awarded cooperative, and NONESCOST MPC, from 2003 to the present had been
recognized by peers in the cooperative movement. The numerous awards propelled
him to become national chairman of the VICTO National Board of Directors in 2009
-2010.
SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE AWARDEE
UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP:

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1. EPSTEMPCOs performance merited numerous awards and citations

through the years:
* Citation for Excellence by the Land Bank of the Philippines (2003)
* Best Bank Assisted Cooperative by the Land Bank of the Philippines (2004)
* Citation from VICTO as the first affiliate in Region VI to achieve the 87.5
rating of the COOP PESOS Standard for Cooperatives (2004). The COOP
PESOS is the performance standard set by the Cooperative Development
Authority for all credit cooperatives. The CDA directive has enabled the
rationalization of government directed-credit programs and private sector led
community-based organizations, like coops, as conduits and partners of
government in the delivery of financial services.
Along this line,
EPSTEMPCO was cited for giving the community access to credit, insuring its
judicious application and enabling its recovery for use of other coop
members.
* Finalist, Tony Martin Sr. Leadership Award initiated by VICTO (2004)
* Trailblazer Award from cooperatives insurer CLIMBS for conceiving the
Happy Program service (2005)
* Regional Gawad PITAK Award (2005, 2006, 2007)
* Finalist in VICTOs search for the most outstanding institution within the
federations network (2006)
* Excellence Award by LBP (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
* Second Place, National Gawad PITAK Award (2009)
* Bronze Sales Achiever Award, Regional Level by CLIMBS (2009) Fourth
Place, National Gawad PITAK Award (2010)
* Bronze Sales Achiever Award, Regional Level by CLIMBS (2009)
* Bronze Sales Achiever Award, by CLIMBS (2009)
* Fourth Place, National GawadPitak Award (2010 and 2011)
* CDAs Most Outstanding Cooperative in the Region and in the Visayas,
2011
* DOLEs Best in Productivity Improvement Practices (Regional and National),
2011
* Nominee to the United Nations search for outstanding primary cooperatives,
2011
2. EPSTEMPCO-Visayasand
NONESCOST
MPC-Visayas
grew
tremendously in terms of assets, income, membership, capital build-up,
products and services.

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3. NOMADIC COOP FINDS A HOME. The EPSTEMPCO-Visayas and the

NONESCOST MPC-Visayas were able to buy lots and constructed their
own buildings using the dividend and patronage refund of the members.
This motivated other coops to do the same.
4. EPSTEMPCO-Visayas and NONESCOST MPC-Visayas OPENS UP TO
OTHER SECTORS in 2004 after it Article of Cooperation and By-Laws
were amended.
5. EPSTEMPCO-Visayas and NONESCOST MPC-Visayas AS DRIVERs OF
DEVELOPMENT
EPSTEMPCOs and NONESCOST MPCs presence in Escalante City and Sagay
City, respectively, are felt among teachers, employees from the private and public
sectors, including small and medium-scale businessmen who derive benefits from the
Cooperatives services.
The two cooperatives have enabled many local entrepreneurs to sustain their
businesses. A private school, drug store and Information Technology-based services,
organic farm and food processing company received financial assistance from
EPSTEMPCO and NONESCOST MPC through their productive loan services. The
Cooperatives also extended micro financing to the market vendors and small
entrepreneurs of Escalante City, Sagay City and the neighboring towns and cities.
But it is in the strengthening of the coops Community Outreach Program and
Linkages that opens up the biggest challenge for EPSTEMPCO and NONESCOST
MPC. By extending micro financial assistance to marginalized sectors, the cooperatives
enabled people like the sacadas to find hope through special projects.
6. EPSTEMPCO and NONESCOST MPC REACHED OUT TO THE POOREST
OF THE POOR
In 2009, EPSTEMPCO and NONESCOST MPC approved the Rent-to-Own
Tricycad project with initial funding of P166,800.00 which was used for the acquisition of
18 units of tricycads and distributed to the corresponding number of beneficiaries,
mostly displaced workers of the sugarcane plantation, who were chosen based on their
worthiness and good behavior. An additional of 19 units was distributed to qualified
beneficiaries in 2010.
7. EPSTEMPCO ESTABLISHED PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
The coops partnered with the government agency Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) in the vocational training of people who successfully
participated in the Therapeutic Massage training program.
EPSTEMPCOs and NONESCOST MPCs community outreach programs have
enhanced capacity to mobilize people in support of government programs. This can be
seen in the Cooperatives active involvement in the clean-up of coastal communities.
They used to yield plenty of crabs and mollusks because of dense mangrove in the
area. However, people wantonly cut down the mangroves, without realizing their
importance as a unique ecosystem. The coastal villages no longer yield significant
quantity of marine products as mud and plastic litter the shoreline.

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There is also that partnership with the Department of Education and the Northern
Negros State College of Science and Technology to implement the Clean and Green
Program in order to reverse the ecological damage in the coastal barangay (village).
BantayKatunggan (Mangrove Watch) mobilized teachers and students as well as
Cooperative members to clean up, for starters, a three hectare-shoreline followed by
planting of mangroves in the area. The activity was preceded by a massive information
campaign covering 21 villages, 8 high schools and 24 elementary schools.
8. Several manuals for EPSTEMPCO-Visayasand NONESCOST MPCVisayas were developed. These manuals are now used as models by
other cooperatives. These are:
1. Manual of Operations
2. Credit Operations Manual
3. Quality Management System Manual (ISO 9001:2008)
9. EPSTEMPCO-Visayas and NONESCOST MPC-Visayas are ISO 9001:2008
CERTIFIED, the first of its kind particularly in the Visayasisland. This is
in recognition of quality management system that is in place in the
cooperative.
10. IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION OF THE EFFORTS
MADE BY THE CHAIR IN BRINGING THE EPSTEMPCOAND NONESCOST
MPC TO WHERE IT IS TODAY AND FOR MAKING IT A MULTI-AWARDED
COOPERATIVES, the officers of the cooperatives gave to the Nominee
the following awards, namely:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011

Excellence Award, 2010
Trail Blazer Award, 2009
Exemplary Leadership Award, 2007
Exemplary Leadership Award, 2006

Perseverance, ingenuity, and willingness to make sacrifices for the common good
underpin the success of this most outstanding cooperative leader in the Philippines.