What’s your OTOP

One thing I like about the government is that they are serious in developing the untapped small businesses in the country. One program that I like is the OTOP or the One Town One Product.

This is different from One Town, One ********* , One Th***** which is a running joke here during elections. Okay, that’s another story. The OTOP program is a top priority of the government and this is a program that is designed to promote entrepreneurship and also to create jobs. Sensible enough, if we don’t have enough jobs here, why not create jobs, no? Under this program, one town or municipality is expected to name or take the lead in identifying, developing and promoting a product or service which the town has a competitive edge. So here in Albay, majority of the products used in the OTOP program are the abaca, abaca fiber and seagrass-based handicrafts and products. Camalig has their ‘pinangat’. So what your OTOP?

Bright future for Albay entrepreneurs- Salceda

It’s a welcome news to know that our entrepreneurs here are getting all the right support. One supporter of our entrepreneurs here is Governor Salceda who sees bright future for the province’s top of the line products. He made this observation even as he encouraged the entrepreneurs to improve on the quality of their products. Ask any entrepreneur out there and they will tell you that funding is one of their problems.

And the government understands this problem and the Governor added that the local government is always on the lookout for funds that can help the entrepreneurs. The Governor added that the program of the Department of Trade and Industry will help the cause of the local entrepreneurs. This program is known as the One-Town, One-Product. The program is simple, a town is encourage to find their own product, develop it and market. This is what I’m trying to zero-in as well as the need to nail the comparative advantage of one location. As expected, most of the products of the towns in this province is related to abaca and abaca handicrafts. Tiwi has its clay and Camalig has its pinangat produce.