NATCCO eyes expansion in next 5 years

Former Senator Agapito ‘Butz’ Aquino (center), currently Chairman of the Philippine Cooperative Center (PCC), receives from NATCCO Chief Executive Sylvia O. Paraguya (right) a token and a P100,000 donation to the PCC as a gift for giving an inspirational talk at the Opening Ceremonies of the NATCCO Network’s Opening Ceremonies. The Cooperative Congress and General Assembly is being held at the Waterfront Hotel Cebu City from May 25 to 27. Sen. Aquino urged the more than 500 cooperative leaders to keep in mind that cooperatives, being self-help organizations, will eventually be a major force in uplifting Philippine society if all cooperatives unite. NATCCO Chairman, Reynaldo A. Gandionco, looks on. ERWIN VILLACORTA

CEBU CITY – The National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) is holding its 11^th Cooperative Congress and 35^th General Assembly on May 25 to 27 at the Waterfront Hotel.  Attending are more than 600 representatives from member-cooperatives in the three major islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

To be discussed are internal business matters of the Network’s operations all over the Philippines.  However, the highlight of the General Assembly will be the report of the Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Sylvia O. Paraguya.  Paraguya has reported a 25% increase in Assets, 16% growth in membership, significant expansion in deposits and loans released to member cooperatives,  and greater member participation in its services like the Stabilization Fund and its youth program, Aflatoun, uptrend in the number of transactions of the Pinoy Coop ATMs, the increasing emphasis on Financial Literacy and Social Performance Management in its operations, and the Network’s strengthening of linkages with other cooperative federations.

Included in the agenda is the adoption of the new Vision and Mission of the NATCCO Network, first proposed at a Strategic Planning held in Antipolo, Rizal on March 23 & 24, 2012.  It was attended by more than 40 staff, management, and directors of the Network, past and present.

The Network has launched its Electronic Fund Transfer-Point-of-Sale (EFT-POS), which offers a collection system that is efficient and minimizes fraud.  It also provides other transactions like balance inquiry, withdrawal, deposits, inter-branch and inter-cooperative fund transfers.

Also launched was the Consultancy Services to members, which provides a complete package that covers virtually every aspect of cooperative operations: strategic planning, credit management, operations manual, internal control, human resource management, marketing and more.  This is being implemented in cooperation with Canadian cooperative federation Developpement Internationale Desjardin (DID).

More than 500 cooperative leaders from all over the country attend the opening ceremonies of the General Assembly of the 35th National Confederation of Cooperatives at the Waterfront Hotel Cebu City. The leaders will discuss the general direction that NATCCO will take in the next five years. JEFF MENDOZA

Outgoing Chairman, Reynaldo A. Gandionco, will also give his final report, since it is his last term.  Gandionco took over as Board Chair in February 2009.  Gandionco is also Chair of the Fairchild Cebu Community Credit Cooperative.

Paraguya took over the reigns as CEO beginning in August 2009.

This year’s theme is the same as that of the International Year of Cooperatives as declared by the United Nations: “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World.”

In building a better world, Paraguya said that NATCCO’s thrust will always be to build a safe and sound federation.  “This is important as the member cooperatives want to see NATCCO as a model of excellence; this excellence inspires trust among the members, within the co-op sector in the Philippines, and internationally,” she said.

The NATCCO Network was established in 1977.  NATCCO today is the largest cooperative federation in the country in terms of assets and array of services offered to members, with 530 member-cooperatives.

“Our Network aims to remain a financially safe and sound federation, build safe and sound cooperatives, give quality services to members, remain a happy and rewarding place to work in, and promote cooperativism in communities, among cooperatives, both locally and internationally,” Paraguya said.