The first LGU-led One Town, One Product (OTOP) store opened in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental Sept. 1, with municipal and Department of Trade and Industry Negros Occidental officials and employees in attendance.
This OTOP store is the third to be established, after the Negros Showroom and OTOP LifeStyle at Ayala Mall Capitol Central, both in Bacolod, Engiemar Tupas, chief trade-industry development specialist of DTI-Negros Occidental, said in a post.
A memorandum of agreement was signed by Hinigaran Vice Mayor Jose Nadie Arceo, 5th District Board Member Hadji Trojillo, DTI provincial director Lynna Joy Cardinal, and Tupas on the operationalization of the OTOP hub, which also houses the Negosyo Center and training center.
The hub showcases various products made of lamperong shell, which is abundant in the area; food products, fashion accessories, furniture and furnishings, Tupas said.
Arceo, meanwhile, acknowledged the impact of the Negosyo Center to the lives of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and committed support to enterprise development in the municipality.
When he was mayor of the town, Arceo had signed an executive order to institutionalize OTOP in Hinigaran, in compliance with Republic Act 11960, or the OTOP law, Tupas said.
Cardinal said the OTOP Hub will be a center for promotion of local products and a platform for convergence among the LGU, government agencies, and private institutions. She also thanked the municipal government for its support to DTI programs.
Tupas, meanwhile, said that two more LGUs will be launching their respective OTOP hub – Kabankalan City on Sept. 11 and Sipalay City on Sept 12. “We are expecting that other LGUs will follow suit.”
OTOP is a flagship program that supports MSMEs, through tailored government interventions to promote inclusive local economic growth, the DTI said. “It empowers communities to identify and develop products or services that reflect their unique culture, resources, creativity, and competitive strengths—becoming their ‘pride of place’.”
Through OTOP, localities can showcase what they do best, while ‘OTOPreneurs’ are equipped to innovate and deliver market-ready offerings, it added. ||
