First OTOP Hub in
Region 8 sheds light to MSMEs disrupted by the pandemic
By
DTI-Regional Operations
Group
August 25, 2020
MAKATI CITY –
Eastern Visayas’ first One Town One Product (OTOP) Hub has opened at
the midst of the pandemic bringing light to local producers of the
region as their products will be marketed through the hub. The
launching was held last August 19, 2020 and was attended by
officials from DTI Region 8, DTI Leyte, CAAP and the BAHANDI
Producers Assoc. Eastern Visayas Cooperative.
Located at the DZR
Airport, the OTOP Hub provides the physical and online channels and
market access platform where OTOP products – especially those which
have been assisted via product development – are showcased on a
day-to-day basis.
The establishment of the
said hub is the demand part of the One Town One Product Next
Generation Program (OTOP Next Gen) where quality local products are
available for institutional buyers and consuming public.
Though the tourism
industry is experiencing a fallback with all others, economists and
industry players are expectant that there is a boom for tourism
after this crisis thus positioning the local producers under the
tourism support sector is right in time.
According to DTI 8
Regional Director Celerina Bato, the demand for local products of
Eastern Visayas in other parts of the country such as Metro Manila
and its neighboring provinces have increased despite the pandemic.
The Bahandi Producers’
Eastern Visayas Cooperative is taking charge of managing the hub
with its President Carlo Romano who is working to showcase more
products across the region.