Majority or more than 70 percent of participants at the 46th NATCCO General Assembly & 21st Cooperative Leaders’ Congress held on May 5 to 7 gave the event four- and five-star rating.

1,289 co-op leaders from all over the country attended the sessions at the Bacolod City SMX Convention Center, which began with opening & awarding ceremonies and testimonies on May 5.  

The opening session was rated four stars and five stars by 38.75 percent and 39.9 percent of participants, respectively.

71 percent of the participants gave the registration procedure four to five stars.  

72 percent gave the same marks for the Program book, GA Kit, and GA shirt.  The Registration fee was rated highly by 61 percent.

Some participants suggested to “lower the registration fee to make it more accessible to a larger number of people.”

Day 2 sessions on the Integrated Network and Linking the Rural and Urban agriculture project were rated highly by 83 percent and 79 percent, respectively. 

The speakers at Day 2 sessions were, likewise, rated four- or five-stars by an average 90% of the participants.  

Comments by participants on Day 2 were “resiliency and sustainability are important for cooperatives” and “integration among primary co-ops is necessary to enable the system to develop and deliver excellent services.”

90.3 percent gave the General Assembly proper four or five stars and 80 percent gave the same ratings for the online voting procedure employed at the GA.

As the event moved to Day 3, appreciation rates went higher.  The talk on Climate Action by Dr. Antonio La Vina got a minimum of three stars, and so with the motivational talk by Dr. Maria Alfonso.

The NATCCO’s organizing team summarized the evaluation: “Most of the suggestions revolve around making the event more engaging, interactive, and informative. The participants suggest incorporating more workshops and plenary sessions on current trends and issues, with a focus on addressing the pressing challenges facing the cooperative movement in the Philippines. The participants also suggest providing opportunities for networking and relationship building among cooperatives. Additionally, they request better food and snacks, improved registration experience, and better transport services for participants.”

NATCCO Management expresses satisfaction with the ratings, and resolves to improve the next General Assembly and Leaders’ Congress.

The recent GA has seen the largest attendance so far and choice of future venues is becoming limited to those that can accommodate more than a thousand participants.