Naga kicks off its hosting of ‘Coop Congress 2023’

The Naga City Government through the Naga City Cooperative Development Council (NCCDC) kicks off its hosting of the Bicol Cooperative Congress #BCC2023 on Wednesday, 19 July 2023 , from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Lotus Blu Cafe (Second Floor) of the Lotus Blue Hotel in Naga City.

During the Kickoff, the NCCDC and the #BCC2023 Steering Committee together with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Region V CDA Camarines Sur and the Bicol Regional Cooperative Development Council (BRCDC),will launch the event’s website and online registration site via https://nagac i tycoops .org. HAKA Naga, the tech startup community of Naga City designed these online and digital facilities in support of the Naga City LGU and the NCCDC’s hosting of the #BCC2023.

The website allows the cooperatives from the different provinces of the Bicol Region to know more about the #8CC2023 in advance and to secure their seats in the Coop Congress, which will take place on October 20-21 2023 at The Tent Avenue Plaza Hotel, in Magsaysay, Naga City. More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the #BCC2023 .

Naga City Mayor Nelson S. Legacion is the chairperson of the #BCC2023 Steering Committee. He is co-chaired by Ronald ‘Bong’ A. Rodriguez who was designated by the NCCDC as the Mayor’s Co-Chair for this Bicol-wide gathering of cooperatives in the city. The Province of Albay hosted last year ‘s Bicol Cooperative Congress in Legazpi City.

Mayor Legacion underscores the importance of getting stakeho lders outside the Cooperative sector involved in the upcoming Congress. “During the Bicol Coop Congress, we have to showcase Naga not just as a city that is supporting our cooperatives, but also as a city that is eventually going to become a destination for conferences and other big events .” Legacion said. This is why he looks forward to the start of the construction of the City’s convention center.The CDA recently awarded Naga as one of the cities most friendly to cooperatives within the country.

#BCC2023 Steering Committee Co-Chair Ronald ‘Bong’ A. Rodriguez meanwhile is excited to introduce new and sustainable opportunities for the Bicol Region through the cooperatives.

Aside from pushing for good governance we must also create new opportunities for econom ic inclusion. We need to introduce shepherd and sustain a new industry. This is why we will push for a concerted effort to build the Bamboo industry in the Bicol Region during the Coop Congress.”

There are at least 1 534 registered cooperatives in the Bicol Region in 2022 according to the CDA. These cooperatives have a combined membership of at least 348,048 individual members or ‘cooperators’ during the same year.

To know more about the Bicol Cooperative Congress #BCC2023 you may contact the Secretariat via e-mail bjcolcoopcongress@gmail.com or facebook.com/nagacitycoops.org