Princess Jeah Marie Sotto Geroso
[email protected]
A B S T R A C T
The government, along with all of its branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities, and agencies, is required by Republic Act 9520’s Article 2 to guarantee that technical assistance, financial support, and other services are provided to cooperatives in order to help them grow into sustainable businesses and, in turn, create a strong cooperative movement free from any restrictions that could compromise the autonomy or organizational integrity of cooperatives. This study determined the extent of thirty (30) Negros Occidental cooperatives’ compliance with training and the extent of the cooperative performance in governance and management using standardized instruments. The result of the quantitative aspect was further validated using open – ended questions, the responses to which were gathered using Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and face-to-face interviews. A descriptive quantitative-qualitative research design was used. Statistical analyses required the use of frequency, percentage, and Chi-square. Results revealed that the majority of the participants in this study were Multipurpose Cooperatives, cooperatives with longer years of existence, and small cooperatives. Availability of funds, lack of time, and lack of training needs assessment were attributed by the cooperatives as factors for their non-compliance to mandatory and optional training. Majority of cooperatives performed to a great extent in governance and management. No significant relationship between the extent of compliance to mandatory training; optional training; and the extent of performance in governance and management at 0.05 level of significance. It is concluded that there is a need to improve the extent of compliance to the cooperatives to both mandatory and optional training as well as their performance to governance and management. It is recommended that the CDA consider reviewing the practices of cooperatives in the utilization of the CET Fund to ensure that this is used solely for training and seminars of officers, management staff, and members of the cooperatives.