DTI reports 111 hubs, over 79K MSMEs under OTOP   

OTOP (One Town, One Product) Philippines, a program that
provides support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), has
established 111 hubs in the country, assisted 79,985 MSMEs, and generated P10.9
million in sales over the past six years.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which spearheads
OTOP, reported the accomplishments of the program following the Senate approval
of the OTOP Philippines Act of 2022, which seeks to  institutionalize government support and ensure
growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the backbone of the
Philippine economy.
According to the DTI, for the period 2017-2023, the program has also developed 39,815
products displayed in 111 OTOP Hubs (52 in Luzon, 18 in Visayas, and 41 in
Mindanao), and conducted 1,390 trade fairs. MSMEs were mainly assisted in the
form of standards compliance, product development, capacity building, and
promotional activities.
Senate Bill No. 1594 or OTOP Philippines Act garnered an
overwhelming 22 affirmative votes from the Senators, who seek to institutionalize
the OTOP as a program that aims to drive inclusive economic growth by
supporting MSMEs.
“Through this (OTOP), the Department will be able to
customize interventions that will pave the way for the development of new and
innovative products from various regions of the country. It will also help promote
our cultural identity in the international market," said DTI Secretary
Fred Pascual, as he thanked the senators for passing a “very important”
legislation.
Pascual stressed that the OTOP program will increase the
capacity of domestic MSMEs by addressing gaps in terms of training and product
development. “As we all know, more than 99% of the country's business
enterprises are MSMEs, when we uplift them, we uplift the nation and our
economy,” he pointed out.
Once signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., OTOP
Philippines Act of 2022 warrants the provision of assistance for MSMEs to
develop new, innovative, and more complex products with significant improvement
in the areas of quality, product development, design, packaging, standards and
regulatory compliance, marketability, production capability, and brand
development.
The law will also provide assistance to rural communities to
foster local economic development by creating higher quality and innovative
products. Furthermore, the act shall promote the convergence of initiatives
from local government units (LGUs), national government agencies (NGAs), and
the private sector in developing and promoting Filipino-made products that can
compete in the local and international market.
Through the establishment of OTOP Hubs and as part of the
national government's inclusive economic growth agenda, OTOPreneurs or budding
MSMEs from the grassroots are given the opportunity to showcase their unique
products in various locations and access larger market and earning
potential.
"Since we aim to introduce Filipino-made products in
the international market, we also want to assist MSMEs in terms of standards
and market compliance. We aim to preserve the OTOP brand as a mark of
excellence and for that to happen, Filipino entrepreneurs must be capacitated
in observing various standards and requirements. We need to make our products
export quality, and this is where the DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards comes
in. They oversee the establishment of standards that will increase the
competitiveness of our products," said Pascual.
Through the OTOP Philippines Act of 2022, the DTI is
likewise authorized to establish the OTOP Philippines Trustmark, an assurance
that products under the OTOP Program represent the country's best and that
these have been marked as excellent in terms of quality, design, value, and
marketability.
The OTOP Philippines Program covers products that are known
to an area or locality and those that are ingrained in the community's cultural
identity such as processed foods, agricultural-based products, home and fashion
and creative artisanal products, and arts and crafts.