Jomar Dupende grew up in a simple farming family and worked his way through school by selling food and snacks. Despite earning a Criminology degree, he chose to return to his agricultural roots, eventually buying land to establish his own chicken farm. His dedication to researching poultry raising led him to join the Integrated Livestock and Poultry Raisers Cooperative (ILIPCO) in 2017. Through his exceptional contributions and farm improvements—such as extending his chickens' lifespan to over two years—he quickly rose to become the cooperative's vice president.

Today, Dupende extends his passion for community building as the CEO of the Bethany Christian Home for Children, Inc., using agricultural development to breathe new life into the orphanage. He actively advocates for greater youth involvement in the agricultural sector and cooperatives, believing these avenues can empower the next generation, lift families out of poverty, and create lasting, meaningful change.

In 2001, government employees and minimum wage earners in Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay, were heavily burdened by loan sharks charging a compounded 10% monthly interest rate. Driven by the need for an alternative, 18 local government workers pooled ₱2,000 to establish the Sibuguey Valley Multipurpose Cooperative (SIVAMPCO).

SIVAMPCO provided an immediate escape route for desperate borrowers by offering loans at just a 2.5% diminishing interest rate. What began as a small, closed-type cooperative operating on a payroll deduction system eventually transformed into a ₱1.2 billion financial institution. Today, SIVAMPCO not only provides fair credit but has successfully diversified into real estate and agriculture, recently earmarking ₱80 million to build a rice milling facility aimed at helping local farmers escape the cycle of poverty

Born in one of the poorest regions in the Philippines, the Samar Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SAMICO) rose from a modest ₱40,000 seed capital and 38 members into one of the largest homegrown cooperatives in Samar SAMICO feature story . Built on trust-based microfinance and community solidarity, SAMICO empowered sari-sari store owners, drivers, farmers, and fisherfolk who were long excluded from traditional banking.

When Typhoon Yolanda devastated the region in 2013, wiping out offices, livelihoods, and ₱150 million in exposed loans, the cooperative nearly collapsed SAMICO feature story . Yet through resilience, strategic innovation, and diversification into dairy farming during the COVID-19 pandemic, SAMICO rebuilt itself—proving that even the strongest storms cannot break a united community.

A proud member of the Federation of Peoples' Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC), SAMICO continues to innovate and dream boldly, aiming to join the billionaires’ club in the years ahead