Region 2’s largest OTOP Hub opens

Through the concerted efforts of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya (PGNV), and Nueva Vizcaya Government Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (NVGEMPC), the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Hub – Nueva Vizcaya has finally been officially launched on November 18, 2021 at the Nueva Vizcaya Livelihood and Pasalubong Center in, Magsaysay, Bayombong.

The OTOP Philippines Hub in Nueva Vizcaya, the 4th, and largest in terms of area, in Region 2, is a one-stop-shop that will showcase mostly the developed and improved market-ready products coming from the province’s Micro, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs).

Governor Carlos M. Padilla said that he has always been challenged with the province’s battle cry “Nueva Vizcaya: The Gateway to Cagayan Valley”. Explaining how the OTOP Hub can be of help to the Novo Vizcayanos and the province at large, Governor Padilla stressed “Are we contented with just being a gateway?” He then urged everyone to work together to encourage people not only to pass through the province but also to stay therein even for a while and enjoy the unique beauty and wonders that the place has to offer.

DTI Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo agreed to what the Governor expressed adding, “Nueva Vizcaya is actually the province that has the highest number of IP Communities in the country, making it the most creative province in the whole country and we should take pride in that.”

In her message, RD Ocampo also discussed the agency’s plans to ensure sustainable growth of the Hub amid the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include their plans to conduct OTOP Hub on Wheels, partnering with local logistics service providers and the DTI relative to tour packaging services, provision of OTOP carts per municipality, intensification of the Buy Local advocacy, and more.

Aside from RD Ocampo and Governor Padilla, the day’s launching and MOA-signing activities were also graced by former Governor and OIC of the Office of the NVSU President Ruth R. Padilla, DTI Assistant Regional Director Ruben B. Diciano, DTI Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Director Henry O. Conel, Jr., Board Members Eunice G. Gambol, Nestor M. Sevillena, and Samuel G. Balinhawang, PAIAD Chief and NVGEMPC Vice Chairman Jimmy L. Calata, and several chiefs of office and department heads.

One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines, a government priority stimulus program for MSMEs, is a customized intervention aimed at driving inclusive local economic growth. It has two major components, namely:

OTOP Next Gen – This is the SUPPLY side of the program which provides a package of assistance to capacitate the MSMEs through “mindset change and mastery of entrepreneurship”. It consists primarily of product development initiatives, training, and referral, with the goal of leveling up the products in the areas of design, quality, pricing, and volume, among others.

OTOP.PH or OTOP Philippines Hub – This program component, which addresses the MARKET-DEMAND side of entrepreneurship, provides the physical and online channels and market access platforms where OTOP products, especially those which have been assisted via OTOP Next Gen, are showcased on a day-to-day basis. #lag#gloria