VICTO National

VICTO National was established in 1970 by Canadian missionaries known as the Scarborough Fathers, who initiated a parish program in Southern Leyte called "Saving Souls the Credit Union Way." The organization's primary focus is on education and training, offering the broadest range of courses in the country. These courses include mandatory seminars required by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), as well as technical, motivational, and specialized training sessions such as Technical Trainings, Motivational Seminars, and Specialized Workshops.

VICTO National has developed its financing arm, the Philippine CoopCentral Fund Federation (PCF), and has also established an auditing arm to ensure compliance with international standards and regulations. The organization boasts a robust consultancy program, providing services that range from bookkeeping assistance to project development and evaluation, serving clients from government, academia, NGOs, and cooperatives.

With offices in Mindanao, Luzon, and the three regions of the Visayas, along with seminar houses in Cebu, Tacloban, and Iloilo, VICTO National has close to 300 affiliated cooperatives with a combined asset of at least 40 billion pesos from over a million households.

The Center takes pride in its active advocacy initiatives. It was the first cooperative in the Philippines to launch a gender program in 1988, which has since offered specialized gender sensitivity training for women, men, youth, older persons, and the LGBTQ+ community, along with projects focusing on maternal and child health.

VICTO National also advocates for older adults, children, youth, good governance, and environmental issues. Its disaster response program enabled rapid deployment of international medical missions within days of Typhoon Yolanda's impact on Tacloban, Cebu, and Iloilo—an initiative stemming from its global network.

The organization was the inaugural recipient of the Development Management Award presented by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and World's Executive Digest. It was also recognized by the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation as one of the institutions embodying the principle of 'People Power People.'

Additionally, VICTO National was engaged by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to facilitate the establishment of the first cooperatives in Afghanistan. During the height of this five-year project, VICTO National assigned 14 consultants across three regions of the war-torn country.

In 2014, VICTO National became the 240th member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). However, its most significant achievements lie in the accomplishments of its cooperative members and leaders, who consistently receive a variety of awards, ranging from Land Bank's Gawad Pitak awards to international accolades from Freedom from Hunger, Citi Foundation, and the ICA. Currently, two of its affiliates are ISO-certified, with more on track for certification.